Cambrai
12 June 1944 — Cambrai
- Date
- 12 June 1944
- Target
- Cambrai, France
Narrative
In the days after D-Day, Bomber Command attacked the railways feeding the German front in Normandy. On the night of 12/13 June 1944 a No. 419 ‘Moose’ Squadron RCAF Lancaster bound for the rail target at Cambrai was shot down in flames by a night-fighter. As the burning aircraft fell, the mid-upper gunner, Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski, fought through the flames in a vain attempt to free the trapped rear gunner, and was himself terribly burned; he died shortly after reaching the ground. The rear gunner survived the crash, and Mynarski was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
Order of battle
1 aircraft. Each crew links to the men who flew it; each airman to their own record.
| Aircraft | Type | Squadron | Pilot | Crew | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KB726 VR-A |
Avro Lancaster | Andrew Charles Mynarski | 1 aircrew → | Failed to return |
The fallen
185 airmen in this archive died on 12 June 1944 or the day that followed. For a raid of this kind these are overwhelmingly the night's losses, though a death-date match is not by itself proof an individual flew this operation.
- Flying Officer James Richard Alexander
- Flying Officer Alexander Allan (27)
- Pilot Officer Donald John Applin (21)
- Flight Lieutenant Charles Anthony Armstrong (26)
- Flying Officer Raymond Arnold (21)
- Flight Lieutenant Cedric John Kenneth Ash (27)
- Aircraftman 1st Class William Harold Beasley (31)
- Sergeant Robert Charles Beggs (29)
- Pilot Officer John Albert Bergeron (19)
- Leading Aircraftman Albert Beverstock (58)
- Sergeant William McKay Biehl
- Flight Sergeant Ronald Joseph Birtles (28)
- Flying Officer William Ross Blain (24)
- Pilot Officer Westley Lawrence Blanchard
- Pilot Officer Robert Longworth Botsford (28)
- Pilot Officer Trevor Wilmot Boyce (21)
- Flying Officer Gilbert William Brereton (23)
- Flight Lieutenant Francis Thomas Sargent Brice (25)
- Flight Sergeant Jack McCrae Brigham (22)
- Flying Officer Harry Arthur Bulger Brown (27)
- Flying Officer George David Wills Buchanan (20)
- Pilot Officer James Edward Byers
- Flight Sergeant Kenneth John Campbell (24)
- Pilot Officer Richard Edward John Campbell (20)
See all 185 who died on 12 June →
Source: Wikipedia — Andrew Mynarski →