Un de mes collaborateurs m’aide à mettre des noms sur les photos de la collection de Réal St-Amour qui était l’adjudant des Alouettes.
Cette photo me rappelle des souvenirs.
RCAF photo PL-26925 UK879I Réal Saint-Amour collection. 18-19 February1944
Two brothers re-united at Tholthorpe, discuss with Mr. Joseph Barnard, chief editor of the Quebec newspaper « le Soleil » ; on his right with a paper, FIt/Sgt. Charles-Edward Elsliger, P.T. instructor, and on his left, Sgt. Jean-Henri Elsliger, air gunner with the Kalle crew, 420 Snowy Owl squadron. The Elsiger brothers are from Shelter Bay, Quebec on the north shore of the St. Lawrence. (today Port Cartier, Qc near Sept-iles)
Mr. Barnard was with a group of 8 newspaper editors visiting Canadian military bases in the U.K. during January March 1944.
At 0211 on May 28th 1944, the Kalle crew were approaching Bourg-Leopold on a bombing run when they were attacked by an FW190. The enemy fighter set No. 3 engine on fire, destroyed the electrical system including the intercom and part of the hydraulic system. The FW190 was then shot down by the tail gunner. Pilot Officer Bob Kalle dove and corkscrewed to evade the attacker. Forced out of his turret by the heat and believing the Halifax was going down, the intercom being u/s, the MUAG, Jean-Henri Elsliger picked up his parachute and baled out. But Sgt. Elsliger survived and spent the next year in a P.0.W. camp. Kalle managed to pull out of the dive after the fire went out and he flew his badly damaged Halifax back to an emergency base in England on three engines. After landing, a 4 X 6 foot hole was discovered in the wing as well as Sgt. Elsliger’s helmet and mask with traces of blood on it.
Le souvenir…?
La deuxième opération de Jean-Paul Corbeil et la première de son équipage. Ils furent attaqués 10 fois par les chasseurs allemands lors de leur opération également le 28 mai 1944 au-dessus de Bourg Léopold.
Pour plus de lectures…
RCAF 425 Alouettes III 