429 Sqdn. RCAF Halifax III and Cologne from 20,000 ft.

[Jeff Hunt]

Went to visit my mother yesterday in London Ontario and she introduced me to Norm Gillen who is 89 years of age. Norm flew 32 missions aboard 429 Halifaxes as the navigator. We got to talking and he showed me alot of his stuff. He has all his navigator maps/charts and logs and his leather flying helmet...really interesting stuff and he showed me a few pics. Luckily I had my camera with me and I took pics of his pics and have attached a couple here both taken from Gillen's aircraft.

If anyone wants to take a run with these in photoshop to try to make them more clear please feel free.






Cheers,

Jeff

[the330thbg]

Wow.., I did not know the Brits did much in the daylight (as far as bombing)?

Very cool stuff!


I wonder if all the smoke are from smoke pots(used to obscure the target) or from actual hits?

The way they are lined up looks like a bombdrop.

Cheers!!!!

[mckeesie]

Hi, I stumbled upon this post; we (a Dutch WW2 heritage foundation) are studying a crash of a 429 Sqd Halifax in Holland; we plan to unveil an information panel in April this year. Do you have any more photos and may we use them?

Regards,
Kees

[Jeff Hunt]

PM sent.

Jeff

[goshikisen]

I did a bit of work with the first photograph. Not sure if the glare in the first image is from the glass/acrylic of a picture frame or the reflection/refraction of light through a perspex panel in an aircraft. I thought I'd leave it in because I assumed it was the later. Always interesting to see discovered WWII aviation photos but especially so with the RCAF. Thanks.

[Jeff Hunt]

Thanks for the clean up and you were spot on...glare from perspex of the aircraft.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Andy in West Oz]

Wow.., I did not know the Brits did much in the daylight (as far as bombing)?

You'd be surprised how much they did do. From late 1944 onwards, new crews often did as many daylights as they did 'normal' ops (I'm generalising). Daylight raids were the go early on as well before the major switch to nights was made. Even during the height of Bomber Command's campaign, daytime ops by the heavies continued to occur. One that springs to mind is the Augsburg raid in which S/L Nettleton earned his VC.

[Gillen]

Norm Gillen is my grandfather. I've grown up around all of his war artifacts, I think that is why I went into History during university. Thank you to whoever touched up the photo, that photo hangs in the main hallway in a frame along with his medals and his wings etc. i will print off a copy of that pic and show him, i'm sure he will really appreciate it.
-Andrew.