Remembering another war hero

Those who inspired the World War II generation are leaving us faster and faster now, as they get on in years.  A few weeks ago we lost Wing Commander James 'Jimmy' Flint of the Royal Air Force, at the age of 100.

Not only did he have an outstanding war record, rising from an NCO pilot to command a bomber squadron, but he holds a unique distinction.  He was awarded two medals for gallantry for the same action.  The Telegraph reports:

On the night of July 5/6 1941 Flint and his all-sergeant crew took off in their twin-engined Hampden bomber to attack Osnabruck. Shortly after crossing the Dutch coast at 10,000ft the aircraft was caught and held in enemy searchlights. Flint took violent evasive action, but a night fighter attacked, causing extensive damage to the aircraft. As Flint dived away the fighter inflicted further damage. Eventually, after 10 minutes, and by descending to 500ft, Flint was able to shake off the fighter and escape.

Unperturbed, he climbed back to bombing height and headed for the target. But the aircraft was again caught by searchlights, and was unable to evade them until Flint had jettisoned the bombs. He finally escaped at 1,000ft, when he headed for the North Sea.

The Hampden was 50 miles from the English coast when two Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters appeared and set up a series of devastating coordinated attacks. Flares were ignited in the cockpit, and the aircraft’s radio and internal communication system was damaged, making it impossible for the crew to contact one another.

The fighters made three more attacks, and the port engine of the bomber was set on fire and some of the crew wounded. Flint turned off the fuel to the damaged engine and flew a few feet above the sea before the fighters finally broke away.

As he approached the coast near Cromer, Flint realised that he would be unable to climb over the cliffs. He turned away and ditched the bomber 800 yards from the shore.

Two of the crew were able to get out of the aircraft, only to discover that the dinghy had been holed. Flint also escaped, but immediately realised that the navigator was missing. He crawled back into the sinking bomber, where he found his badly wounded comrade. As the aircraft began to go down, Flint hauled the helpless navigator through the escape hatch. With no dinghy, Flint supported the unconscious navigator as he swam and dragged him towards the shore. Fifty yards short of the beach a soldier arrived to help, allowing Flint to scramble ashore. There was no sign of the air gunner, and he asked for boats to search for the missing man.

Flint refused to leave the beach until it was clear that the air gunner had been lost. He then walked a mile to a waiting ambulance and was taken to hospital.

He was awarded an immediate DFM for his “cool courage and determination to strike at the enemy”. When the full extent of his gallant efforts to save his crew became clear, he was also awarded a George Medal, the citation concluding: “This airman displayed great gallantry, fortitude and disregard of personal safety in his efforts to save his helpless navigator.” Sadly, the navigator succumbed to his wounds.

There's more at the link.  Here's W/Cdr. Flint speaking of his wartime adventures at the Nottingham and United Services Club in November 2011.

May he rest in peace. We are the poorer for the passing of such men.

Peter

In Memoriam: Nelson Rohihlahla Mandela

The news of Nelson Mandela's death reached me this afternoon.  It was a sad moment for me, the ending of an era of South African history - and perhaps the harbinger of a much more difficult time ahead, now that his stabilizing influence as 'Father Of The Nation' has been removed.  The other leaders of his generation - Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Beyers Naudé and the like - have mostly died already.  The few of them who remain - of whom Archbishop Desmond Tutu is probably the best-known - will die soon.

There are those who persist in regarding Mr. Mandela as an unreconstructed Communist terrorist.  Some of them - I've seen their words online - are already lauding his death, speaking of having a drink to celebrate the occasion.  They are fools.  They are blind to facts and to reality.  Certainly he worked alongside Communists, and had constant involvement with Communists in running the African National Congress, its armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe, and eventually the government of South Africa;  but he always denied that he was himself a Communist.  In my (well-informed) opinion, this is true.  As he stated in his 'Speech From The Dock' at the Rivonia Trial in 1964:

It is perhaps difficult for white South Africans, with an ingrained prejudice against communism, to understand why experienced African politicians so readily accept communists as their friends. But to us the reason is obvious. Theoretical differences amongst those fighting against oppression is a luxury we cannot afford at this stage. What is more, for many decades communists were the only political group in South Africa who were prepared to treat Africans as human beings and their equals; who were prepared to eat with us; talk with us, live with us, and work with us. They were the only political group which was prepared to work with the Africans for the attainment of political rights and a stake in society. Because of this, there are many Africans who, today, tend to equate freedom with communism. They are supported in this belief by a legislature which brands all exponents of democratic government and African freedom as communists and bans many of them (who are not communists) under the Suppression of Communism Act. Although I have never been a member of the Communist Party, I myself have been named under that pernicious Act because of the role I played in the Defiance Campaign. I have also been banned and imprisoned under that Act.

It is not only in internal politics that we count communists as amongst those who support our cause. In the international field, communist countries have always come to our aid. In the United Nations and other Councils of the world the communist bloc has supported the Afro-Asian struggle against colonialism and often seems to be more sympathetic to our plight than some of the Western powers. Although there is a universal condemnation of apartheid, the communist bloc speaks out against it with a louder voice than most of the white world. In these circumstances, it would take a brash young politician, such as I was in 1949, to proclaim that the Communists are our enemies.

There's much more at the link.  I strongly recommend that you click over there and read the whole thing.  It provides much more information about Communism in relation to the struggle of African peoples for independence and equality - a perspective that many in the West don't understand to this day.  I wish that association had never happened, because it produced untold misery for millions and killed countless thousands over the years . . . but let's be honest.  Communism was, for a long time, the only major political movement that was prepared to support African nationalism in its struggles.  The West sat back and made money out of its former colonies (including making multi-millionaires and even multi-billionaires out of the rulers of those former colonies with misallocated 'aid' money, not to mention outright bribes).  If the West had been prepared to live up to its principles of human rights and democracy in Africa, much of the damage done to that continent and its peoples by Communism would never have been possible.

Mr. Mandela was, in my opinion, a statesman - one of very few politicians who rise to that status.  His death removes one of the last restraining influences on more militant African nationalist politicians - and, yes, Communist-influenced politicians - who have been pressing for swifter and more ruthless redistribution of the country's wealth (such as it is).  I think the restraint they've shown in the face of Mr. Mandela's implacable opposition to such destructive tactics may now evaporate, and politics in South Africa may become much more radicalized.  I hope I'm wrong . . . but only time will tell.  One can only pray that his legacy of wisdom, restraint and pragmatism will endure.  Thank you to Quotespick for putting that legacy into this image.

May the soul of Nelson Rohihlahla Mandela rest in peace, and may his sins be forgiven him.

In the tradition of African praise singers, let him be remembered.  (Lyrics and translation here - scroll down to see them.)

Peter

EDITED TO ADD:  In response to some comments to this article, and some very misguided articles elsewhere on the Internet, I've written a second article to address the subject of Mr. Mandela's involvement with terrorism in greater detail.

"The Most Honored Photograph"

That's the title of an article about a famous photographic reconnaissance mission during World War II. I was led to it by an e-mail from reader S. K., to whom my thanks. I knew about the mission before, but the article provided added background information.  Here's an excerpt.

In June, 1943, the U. S. had secured Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon Islands. They knew the Japanese had a huge base at Rabaul, but were certain there were other airfields being built in the Northern Solomon Islands. They asked for a volunteer crew to take photographs of Bougainville Island to plan for an eventual invasion, and of Buka airfield on the north side of the island to assess for increased activity there. It was considered a near-suicide mission — flying hundreds of miles over enemy airspace in a single, slow bomber. Not to mention photoreconnaissance meant staying in level flight and taking no evasive action even if they were attacked.

The only crew that volunteered ... was Jay Zeamer and the Eager Beavers. One of the crew, bombardier Joseph Sarnoski, had absolutely no reason to volunteer. He’d already been in combat for 18 months and was scheduled to go home in 3 days. Being a photo mission, there was no need for a bombardier. But if his friends were going, he wanted to go, and one of the bombardier’s battle stations was to man the forward machine guns. They might need him, so he went.

. . .

Zeamer held the plane level (tilting the wings even one degree at that altitude could put the photograph half a mile off target) and Kendrick took his photos, which gave plenty of time for over 20 enemy fighters to get up to the altitude Old 666 was flying at.

The photograph of the Japanese airstrip at Bougainville
taken by Capt. Zeamer's aircraft

The fighter group, commanded by Chief Petty Officer Yoshio Ooki, was experienced and professional. They carefully set up their attack, forming a semi-circle all around the B-17 and then attacking from all directions at once. Ooki didn’t know about the extra weapons the Eager Beavers had mounted to their plane, but it wouldn’t matter if he had; there was no way for a single B-17 to survive those odds.

During the first fighter pass the plane was hit by hundreds of machine gun bullets and cannon shells. Five crewman of the B-17 were wounded and the plane badly damaged. All of the wounded men stayed at their stations and were still firing when the fighters came in for a second pass, which caused just as much damage as the first. Hydraulic cables were cut, holes the size of footballs appeared in the wings, and the front plexiglas canopy of the plane was shattered.

. . .

The battle continued for over 40 minutes. The Eager Beavers shot down several fighters and badly damaged several others. The B-17 was so heavily damaged, however, that they didn’t expect to make the several hundred miles long flight back home. Sarnoski had already died from his wounds. Zeamer had continued piloting the plane despite multiple wounds. Five other men were seriously wounded.

Flight Officer Ooki’s squadron returned to Buka out of ammunition and fuel. They understandably reported the B-17 was destroyed and about to crash in the ocean when they last saw it.

There's more at the link.  Recommended reading for aviation and military history buffs.

Peter