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WW2 Dambuster raid Les Munro signed rare RAF cover Cheshire VC Gnome and Rhone Aero engine Factory Raid. 9 Feb 00 Woodhall Spa Cheshire VC Cover Gnome and Rhone Aero engine Factory Raid Personally Signed in Pencil Les Munro Dambuster pilot with 617 Sqn. Operation Chastise May 16/17 1943. On the 2nd Wave with Lancaster ED921, 'AJ-W', which sustained heavy flak damage, and with the Wireless and Intercom rendered unserviceable was forced to return back to base. Details enclosed. Certified Copy no 10 of 10 Signed. Squadron Leader John Leslie Munro, CNZM, DSO, QSO, DFC, JP (5 April 1919 - 4 August 2015) was a Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot during World War II and the last surviving pilot of the Dambusters Raid of May 1943. Munro learned to fly in Tiger Moths at the RNZAF's Flying Training School at Bell Block near New Plymouth, and on graduation chose to fly bombers so was posted to Canada for initial bomber training. He trained on twin-engine aircraft in Saskatchewan[5] at RCAF Station Saskatoon, the present-day John G. Diefenbaker International Airport in Canada. He moved to England in October 1941 for further training, and joined 97 Squadron at Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire. There, he flew Avro Manchesters and then Avro Lancasters in 1942/43 and while there his Distinguished Flying Cross was gazetted, on 11 June 1943. On 25 March 1943, Munro, along with Flight Lieutenant Joe McCarthy and Squadron Leader David Maltby, were transferred to 617 Squadron to be part of the secretive Dambusters raid forming at RAF Scampton. The squadron was created to attack the dams of the Ruhr in an effort to wreck the industrial capacity of Germany. It was initially called Squadron X, as the speed of its formation outstripped the RAF process for naming squadrons. Twenty-one bomber crews were selected from existing squadrons in 5 Group. These crews included RAF personnel of several different nationalities, as well as members of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), who were frequently attached to RAF squadrons under the Empire Air Training Scheme. Munro (the only RNZAF pilot in the squadron) took part in the Upkeep trials on 12 May; flying ED921. In Operation Chastise Munro was in Wave 2 in ED921 W. Of the 19 Lancasters that flew on that full-moon night, only 11 returned. Munro, as pilot of W-Willie, was scheduled to bomb the Sorpe dam. Over the Netherlands, his aircraft was damaged by flak which knocked out all communications, so it turned back to land in Lincolnshire, still carrying its mine. His Distinguished Service Order was awarded while he was with 617, on 28 March 1943. Munro was promoted to squadron leader on 14 February 1944 and was posted to command 1690 BDTF Squadron (Bomber Defence Training Flight) on 13 July 1944. His logbook shows that when departing Scampton to bomb Bremen with four 500 lb general-purpose bombs, his aircraft crashed and burned shortly after take-off, but the crew escaped. Munro took part in Operation Taxable in conjunction with the D Day landings in Normandy in which the Lancasters flew precise, elongated circuits dropping Window (aluminium strips), to convince German radar installations that a huge flotilla of ships was approaching Cap d'Antifer. The ruse was successful and the last of No. 617 Squadron Window droppers witnessed German shore batteries firing on the Ghost convoy. Munro described the operation in his logbook as: The creation of a tactical surprise to support the landing of troops on the opening of the second front. The most hazardous, difficult and most dangerous operation ever undertaken in the history of air warfare. Involved flying within at least nine miles of the enemy coast without fighter cover, and in conditions of bright moonlight and at a height of not more than 3000 ft (three thousand) at which the aircraft was open to attack by the deadliest of all weapons - light flak. Munro's co-pilot on this operation was Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire, the squadron's commanding officer who later was awarded the Victoria Cross. When Cheshire was stood down, Cochrane also stood down 617's three flight commanders Dave Shannon from Australia, Joe McCarthy from Canada, and Les Munro. Munro was not happy as he had flown 59 ops and said: I would have preferred the round figure of sixty ops. I never thought it would have been pressing my luck to go on. I don't think any of us did. We were all very close-knit and ran a very efficient operation during the Cheshire era. He exuded confidence in his own abilities, in flying, in operations and running the squadron, and that skill and professionalism filtered down to all of us. So Munro was released from the Royal Air Force on 5 February 1946, and retired from flying. He was known (sarcastically) as Happy or Smiler because he was famed for his dour demeanour. In a 2006 interview, Munro said of his war experiences that he . would be the first to admit that I was pretty lucky. Most blokes who survived even a couple of operational tours would say that luck was on their side. Good condition. All autographs come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £5.99, EU from £7.99, Rest of World from £9.99
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Autograph Auction WW2 Space Battle Of Britain Luftwaffe Uboats Bomber Command Dambusters Great War US aces.
Auction dates
06 Nov 2024 18:00 GMT
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All autographs and first day covers will come securely packaged with an envelope stiffener in a board-backed envelope. Larger photographs and prints are sent in a tough tube, and books and oversized/framed items will be packaged with bubble wrap and sent in a box.
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All items are sent by either Recorded or Royal Mail Special Delivery. The UK delivery cost will be £4.95 for items up to £50 and £6.95 for items over £50, plus any additional insurance to cover the full lot value. Overseas orders will be charged at cost. If you have special delivery instructions, do not hesitate to call us on 0800 1701314
All autographs and first day covers will come securely packaged with an envelope stiffener in a board-backed envelope. Larger photographs and prints are sent in a tough tube, and books and oversized/framed items will be packaged with bubble wrap and sent in a box.