Spitfire pilot dies

[Story]

TheStar.com - News - Spitfire pilot dies
Toronto man flew 75 missions
February 05, 2007
Michele Henry
Staff Reporter

The cockpit cover flew off. The wind lashed his exposed head and face. And Ian Keltie felt like he'd been "hit with a hammer."

Keltie, a pilot barely 22 years old and fighting for Canada in World War II, struggled to assess the damage to himself and his aircraft during that mission on Aug. 24, 1942.

He was escorting American B-17 bombers on a daylight raid of a target in France. He was under attack.

"I took violent evasive action and climbed hard and fast," Keltie wrote in Spitfire II, a book about Canadian fighter pilots published in 1999.

But as he mounted his defence and tried to retreat from the German enemy, he was careful not to turn his gaze too far to either side, into the wind.

"He didn't want to lose his sunglasses," Ross Keltie, Ian's son, said yesterday from his Toronto home.

"He had brand new sunglasses. They cost him two weeks' pay. He was always like that."

Ian George Secord Keltie died in Toronto on Jan. 29. He was 86.

Known to his family as "Grampie," Keltie is believed to have been one of the few surviving Canadians to have flown a Spitfire. With a Rolls-Royce engine, it was the top fighter plane of its day.

He flew under Billy Bishop, who was Canada's highest-scoring fighter pilot in World War I.

As a fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force, 402 Winnipeg Squadron, Keltie flew 75 missions over enemy territory between 1940 and 1944.

He was the second pilot to land in Normandy on D-Day, Ross says, noting his dad told him the first plane plowed into a farmer. Keltie flew in support of the Dunkirk evacuations in 1940.

King George VI awarded him the Distinguished Flying Cross at Buckingham Palace.

Throughout his life, Keltie loved to travel and spend time with family.

A modest man, he rarely talked about his life during the war, barely telling his children about his missions.

Ross Keltie knew little about how his father was wounded that "hot" day in 1942 on the flight back to Kenley air force base in southern England.

"He'd tell parts of the stories," Ross Keltie said. "We'd have to squeeze it out of him."

Keltie was halfway over the English Channel when his plane was hit. His leg was numb, he wrote in Spitfire II, so he wasn't in too much pain.

He opened fire on one of the two German Fw190 planes that he could see were closing in on him. Black smoke erupted into the air.

"He kept heading back to England," Ross Keltie, 53, said. "That was the safest thing to do."

Keltie flew low over English land, praying enemy planes would retreat for fear of being hit by ground troops.

Within minutes he landed on the base. Shrapnel had hit him in the leg. His boot was full of blood.

After three weeks in the hospital, Ross Keltie said, his father was back in the cockpit of his Spitfire, which had the spunky cartoon sailor Popeye painted on its nose.

The eldest of five children, Ian Keltie was born May 26, 1920, in Millet, Alta. The son of a farmer who served in a Scottish cavalry regiment in World War I, Keltie joined the air force in 1939.

He was 19, fearless and raring to go.

"He always wanted to fly," Ross Keltie said.

Keltie grew up on a farm before moving to Edmonton to attend high school with his siblings. When he finished his studies the war broke out.

He returned to Edmonton shortly thereafter and married June Martin, who died 14 years ago at the age of 69.

For a while he worked as a bush pilot. After that he sold life insurance, then spent 25 years as a distributor of floor coverings. He flew a plane out of Toronto's Island airport until he was in his 50s.

Keltie was proud of his role in the air force. He let his children play dress-up with his uniforms, even if he wasn't able to talk about his experiences.

Ross Keltie had plans to ask his dad for more stories.

"You keep putting it off and then it's too late," he said.

Ian Keltie leaves his three children – Heather Sloan, Margot Dobson and Ross – seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild, who was born Friday.

 

[Story]

Another last flight

Canadian war hero Syd Shulemson has died

Updated Sat. Feb. 3 2007 11:46 PM ET

Canadian Press

VANCOUVER -- Syd Shulemson never lost the fighter pilot's dash he displayed as Canada's most highly decorated Jewish soldier of the Second World War.

Shulemson, who died in Florida last week at 91 following a heart attack, helped pioneer techniques for low-level rocket attacks on Axis powers' shipping in the North Atlantic. The tactics were used for decades until smart weapons and long-range missiles supplanted unguided rockets.

After the war, he was part of the group that helped equip the embryonic Israeli armed forces for its War of Independence.

And he recruited veteran pilots, including famed Canadian ace George (Buzz) Beurling, to fly for the new Jewish state.

Plans are underway for a memorial service in his hometown of Montreal but arrangements have not been finalized.

Shulemson's Clark Gable moustache might have been white when he settled into 404 Squadron's flight simulator at CFB Greenwood, N.S., last October during the 65th anniversary of squadron he flew for during the war.

But the 90-year-old Shulemson, who hadn't flown in 60 years, astounded his hosts by quickly adapting to the four-engine maritime patrol plane's flying characteristics.

Shulemson set off alarms when he took the Aurora below its 30-metre minimum altitude to perform his trademark low-level attack on a simulated ship.

"He kept trying to fly lower than we were allowed to fly because when they flew during the war, they normally flew at 50 to 75 feet off the water," said squadron historian Maj. Chris Larsen.

Sydney Simon Shulemson, born Oct. 22, 1915, in Montreal, was a natural pilot.

He dreamed of becoming an aeronautical engineer and his high school marks were strong enough to win entrance to McGill University despite its quota on Jewish students at the time.

But money was tight in Depression-era Canada so Shulemson was forced to quit and find work, first with a New York advertising firm, then his uncle's Montreal printing business.

The day Canada declared war on Germany, Sept. 10, 1939, the former army cadet signed up with the RCAF.

Shulemson graduated near the top of his pilot-training class in 1942 and was sent to Charlottetown for advanced training.

He was in hospital recovering from minor surgery when the rest of his class was dispatched to India to fight in the Pacific war against the Japanese.

Shulemson instead was sent to RCAF 404 Squadron, then stationed in Wick, Scotland, as part of a Royal Air Force Coastal Command wing whose role was to attack German shipping along the Norwegian and Dutch coasts.

"The result of that of course is that he's thrown really into the deep end of the pool," said aviation author Wayne Ralph, who interviewed Shulemson for his 2005 book Aces, Warriors and Wingmen.

Shulemson quickly made his mark by shooting down a German flying boat and sharing the destruction of a second on his first mission.

The squadron was equipped with twin-engine Bristol Beaufighters, a powerful, snubnosed fighter-bomber.

Though heavily armed with four 20-millimetre cannon and six machine guns, the Beaufighters suffered heavy losses when attacking ships with torpedoes because they had to fly straight and slow.

The RAF was experimenting with wing-mounted armour-piercing rockets but was on the verge of discarding them because pilots had a hard time making accurate hits with the unguided projectiles.

Shulemson and his British commander, Squadron Leader Ken Gatward, concluded the problem lay in the free-for-all approach to the attacks and pilots' tendency to guess at the right aiming point.

Using his background in aeronautics, Shulemson systematically worked out the proper speeds, angles of attack and release point for the rockets.

He and Gatward also replaced the squadron's cowboy attack style with a methodical approach that quickly paid off.

Rocket-equipped Beaufighters of 404 Squadron - now folded into the RAF's Banff Wing - were not only sinking vital Axis cargo vessels but also powerful warships that protected them, including two 8,000-ton anti-aircraft escort ships during the Normandy invasion.

Shulemson became technical officer in charge of training other pilots on rocket-attack techniques.

"At the end of the war Shulemson was training up to nine squadrons," said historian Stephane Guevremont, who is completing Shulemson's biography.

His expertise was such that even though he was a junior officer, Shulemson led multi-squadron attacks.

"It was quite clear to me that he was leading combat missions as though he were a wing commander," said Ralph.

Eventually he was barred from any more missions, his knowledge deemed to valuable to risk in operations.

Only a few months into his combat tour in 1943, Shulemson earned a Distinguished Service Order, a medal just below the Victoria Cross rarely given to junior officers like him.

After successfully attacking an enemy convoy, he kept a German fighter busy for 18 minutes to allow a damaged wingman to escape.

The more agile Messerschmidt 109 was forced to break off the attack eventually and Shulemson nursed his now-damaged Beaufighter back to base.

Six months later Shulemson won the Distinguished Flying Cross for his work in turning the Banff Wing into a deadly anti-shipping strike force.

Yet Shulemson ended the war as lowly flight lieutenant. It would be 10 years before he was promoted even to squadron leader in the peacetime reserve.

The reasons were probably complicated. Shulemson was never less than candid in stating his views and Guevremont also believes he worried promotion would have meant a desk job.

But there was also a lingering suspicion of anti-Semitism within the higher levels of the British military.

Shulemson told Guevremont of an incident when he was assigned to train some Royal Navy fliers in his rocket-attack techniques.

An admiral called 404 Squadron to find out who he was and what kind of name was Shulemson. The week-long assignment ended after two days.

After the war, Shulemson rejoined his uncle's printing firm but soon became involved in the fight for a Jewish state in Palestine.

Israel's supporters were scrambling to equip and man the infant state's armed forces for the expected Arab onslaught once the UN-mandated partition became final.

Shulemson went to meetings in New York and claimed he persuaded Israel's backers that air power would be crucial to winning the war.

"He said you won't have independence without an air force," said Guevremont. "So he found them airplanes and he found them pilots."

Shulemson was able to acquire 200 surplus British de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers originally purchased by China and divert them to Israel.

He also began recruiting veteran pilots.

The work had a cloak-and-dagger quality because Canada was treading a fine diplomatic line at the United Nations.

Shulemson claimed then-external affairs minister Lester Pearson warned him to keep his efforts under the radar.

"You had this strange situation where there's no question a lot of the activity was under RCMP surveillance," said David Bercuson, director of the University of Calgary's Centre for Military and Strategic Studies, whose 1984 book The Secret Army tells the story of Israel's foreign volunteers.

Shulemson's most famous recruit was George (Buzz) Beurling, Canada's highest-scoring ace of the war with 32 confirmed victories, most during the siege of Malta in 1942.

But Shulemson was leery of Beurling, a maverick loner who he suspected was a mercenary at best or even an agent of the British, who were backing the Arabs.

Worse, Beurling could not resist shooting off his mouth.

"He was meeting Beurling at secret places and trying to hide him, and Beurling was going to the press (saying) 'hey. I'm going to Israel,' " said Guevremont.

Beurling never made it, dying along with copilot Leonard Cohen when a Canadian-built Norseman bushplane he was test flying caught fire and crashed outside Rome in May 1948.

Many, including Shulemson, suspected a British agent sabotaged the plane.

Pearson sent a letter of condolence to Beurling's family in Quebec but declined to pay to bring the legendary flier's body home to Canada.

He was buried in Rome but in 1950, Shulemson arranged for an Israeli navy destroyer to take Beurling's body to Israel. He was buried in Haifa military cemetery and given a posthumous commission in Israel's air force.

Israel honoured Shulemson with a citation as a Fighter for the State of Israel.

Shulemson was also deeply involved in the Canadian Jewish Congress until the early 1990s. He sat on its community relations committee, which dealt with interfaith relations, anti-Semitism and the pursue of Nazi war criminals living in Canada.

"He didn't speak on everything but when he did speak, especially on the issues that he cared passionately for, it came out with such gravitas that you couldn't help but not take into account what he had to say," said Bernie Farber, the congress's regional executive director for Ontario.

Shulemson is survived by his wife Ella, whom he married at age 74 after a lifetime of "playing the field," and stepsons Rick and Jerry Lozoff.

He had a credo, said Guevremont.

" 'I can prove with my life that I can be totally loyal to two nations.' He gave himself to Canada during the war . . . then he devoted his post-war career to the building of the state of Israel."

 

[Spitfire]

The few are getting fewer.

 

[farnham54]

Both Canadians, and not a WORD in the media on their passing :rage:

I'm appaled by this fact.

Cheers
Craig

 

[Smithy]

Both Canadians, and not a WORD in the media on their passing :rage:

I'm appaled by this fact.

Cheers
Craig

That is sad Craig. I will say this for the media here, that when Johnny Checketts (one of NZ's most successful Spitfire pilots) passed away last year, the media had quite a lot on it, stories in the news and the print media.

It's the least we can do for those who gave so much for us.

 

[Story]

Both Canadians, and not a WORD in the media on their passing :rage:

??? The first is from the Toronto Star and the second, Canada Press.
Do you mean TV/radio?

 

[PADDY]

I find these stories very humbling.

Very moving and very humbling. These guys were the David Beckhams and Clark Gables and Joe DiMaggio's of their day. They were true icons and heroes. Yet sadly, 'today' we here little mention of their passing or their deeds to preserve the freedom we now take so much for granted.

 

[Fletch]

Especially when they came from such an unwarlike nation as Canada. Some of us today have a rather odd notion of heroism, all tangled up with blood and pride and politics and notions of a warrior class. These pilots came from a very different time - and place - than that. Brave, idealistic, young citizen-fliers who saw their duty and did it (and indeed, not always as the brass might have wished). And when they returned, didn't necessarily tell their stories, not because of any elite code, but because of a certain humility and a wish to return to their lives as peaceful citizens.

 

[Spitfire]

Very well said, Fletch.:eusa_clap

 

[farnham54]

Story,

My apologies, I should have been more specific--I was referring to AV media, such as you say the television and radio. I regularily watch the National, as well as the news ticker on Citypulse24, and CTV news, as well as CBC Radio via satellite, and there wasn't a mention of it.

Cheers
Craig

 

[rongoms]

Sorry....A bit long.

My father is a member of The Greatest Generation.
He was a Chief Petty officer on the US Naval Armed Guard diuring WWII.

I always knew he was in The War, but he never really talked about it. I knew that he served in the Navy and had crossed the pacific ocean more times that he could count, manning a 5" gun. My dad is a humble man, who's overreaching endeavor was to provide a good home and solid foundation for my mother, brother and myself. He did that, making me who I am today, and allowing me to figure it out myself. I hope I can figure out how he did that, to pass on this gift to my kids.

My mother died last January, after being married to him for 53 years. Since then, we've been spending a great deal more time together, as i've now realized that the sand is almost gone from the hourglass. We can just sit and watch movies, read the paper together over coffee....and chat.

On Saturday, I took the Clint Eastwood movie Flags of our Fathers to his house to watch with him. I'd read the book, and was excited to see this film.
We sat there watching, him not saying much. Then, at one point when they were showing a view from the top of Mount Suribachi of the landing beaches, he said, "Yep, that's about right. there were more planes in the air though...."

I was stunned. I asked him what he meant and he proceeded to tell me that his ship had landed (he was on an LST at that point during the war) on the beach the third day of the invasion. He had delivered ammunition and medical supplies to the Marines on the beach.

40 years of talking to my dad and I never knew this. My Dad...one of the thousands of unsung heros of that war that changed and shaped our world.

I don't want to sounds preachy folks, but for god's sake, don't let life go by without talking to these heroes....it's a better connection with this period in history than ANY piece of clothing.

 

[farnham54]

I don't want to sounds preachy folks, but for god's sake, don't let life go by without talking to these heroes....it's a better connection with this period in history than ANY piece of clothing.

I agree, very well said. You can be into the vintage lifestyle all you want but it's the character of the people who lived it that constantly amazes me.

Cheers
Craig

 

[Smithy]

Well said rongoms and I echo the sentiment about talking to these people if you are able as they are getting very old now.

I am priviledged and lucky to know a former Spitfire pilot who flew with 485 Sqn and I have found talking to him unequalled. So much more illuminating than all the books I have and I personally find it amazing to sit there and talk with a man whose actual eyes have seen it, whose hands have done it.

It's great as well, as after about only a couple of minutes of talking, he falls into full RAF slang!