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to provide ground support for these troops. The squadron flew intensive multiple bombing and strafing missions daily throughout the two-week battle, running a gauntlet of small arms and light anti-aircraft fire in the process. On 18 April 1944 Whalen was leading a flight of the squadron's
Hurricanes
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attacked his
Hurricane, however his Flight Leader, Flight Lieutenant Bob Davidson, also of Vancouver, downed the Zero chasing Whalen. By the end of the action 27 RAF and FAA (Navy) aircraft had been lost in the battle, with 17 airmen killed and 11 injured. The pilots of 30 Squadron claimed 14 enemy
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was finished. I could see nothing but Gerrys around me and I beat it for
England as fast as I could go doing all kinds of queer maneuvers to keep the ME 109's away from me. That was my first fight and yesterday I had my second. We were on a sweep just crossing the coast when 90 + ME 109's attacked
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We were flying from
Dergaon when Jimmy was killed. He led six Hurricanes on an attack on the Rifle Range and I was his No. 2. We bombed in sections of two and Jimmy and I were first in bombing with two 250 lb. Bombs with 11 second delays fitted. I was slightly behind Jimmy and we dropped our
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I was on a sweep leading green section when I saw a ME 109F about to attack my number two. I turned after him and shot him down and then lost our squadron. I was going to head for
England when I saw a squadron above about ten to twenty miles inside France. I didn't know who they were so I headed
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and crashed. It was a very sad day on the
Squadron because he was by far the most popular officer and pilot in both the Officers and Sergeants Mess. We carried out two more attacks that day and on both occasions we looked for his plane but there was nothing to be seen in the dense
686:, the last Hurricane built. From 2012, the Hurricane wears a colour scheme replicating Hurricane Mk.IIC HW840, coded 'EG-S', of 34 Squadron, South East Asia Command during 1944, the personal aircraft of Canadian pilot, Flight Lieutenant Jimmy Whalen DFC.
433:, 129 Squadron ran into a large group of enemy fighters. In the ensuing melee Squadron Leader Armitage and Pilot Officer Lloyd MacDonald were both shot down (Armitage survived and was taken prisoner). Whalen downed his third Bf 109E and damaged another.
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towards them. When I was close enough I saw that they were ME 109E's. About 12-15 flying in formation . I attacked shooting down the first Gerry. I missed the next then damaged a third, who might have crashed, and was going to shoot at a fourth when my
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us. I had a couple of unsuccessful brushes and being separated from the rest my number two and I started to fight our way home. We were attacked by four ME 109's out over the
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targets. With
British interests in Asia threatened, Whalen volunteered to be sent to defend India and Burma. On 3 January 1942 Whalen was on his way to India and at
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aircraft destroyed, 6 more probably destroyed, and 5 more damaged, out of a total of 19 destroyed, 7 probably destroyed, and 9 damaged in air combat.
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assigned to defend the large Royal Navy fleet stationed at
Colombo. On 4 April 1942, a Japanese strike force under the command of
329:(RCAF) formed the Royal Canadian Air Cadets with the first squadron starting in Vancouver, and so he transferred to 111 Squadron.
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against
Japanese troops at the rifle range at Kohima. The incident was related by his wingman Flight Sgt. Jack Morton:
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was attacked by the
Japanese 31st Division, defended by a mere 3000 strong Allied force. No. 34 squadron was moved to
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Whalen downed a Bf 190E and a Bf 109F. The dogfight consumed much of his fuel and he crashed landed at
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with some 120 carrier-based aircraft. The RAF had 40 defending fighters, consisting of Royal Navy
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Whalen's tally was now six confirmed enemy aircraft and 1 damaged. He was now officially a
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After his RCAF application was accepted, he became one of the first candidates of the new
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In March 1941, Whalen was posted to the No. 2 AACU (Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit) in
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On 6 March 1942, the squadron took off from the aircraft carrier for their new base at
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This article is about the Canadian pilot. For the song by Peter, Paul & Mary, see
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backdated to 17 April 1944. He is buried, with the other defenders of Kohima, at the
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Hawker Hurricane PZ865, in the livery of HW840, code letters EG-S, flown by Whalen
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bombs at about 50 feet and as we left the target area Jimmy's plane did a
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Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
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receiving his wings on 25 January 1941. He received a commission as a
298:(23 April 1920 – 18 April 1944) was a Canadian Second World War
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Whalen flew over Colombo at 15000 feet and attacked a formation of
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On 17 September 1941, 129 Squadron was on a fighter sweep near
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741:"Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942"
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Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941-1942
666:. A photo of the headstone of his grave in the cemetery is
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Jimmy described the engagements in a letter to his family:
513:. On 27 February the squadron was embarked onto the
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823:Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II
818:Canadian military personnel killed in World War II
360:, England. In June ,1941 he was posted to 57 OTU (
833:Canadian military personnel from British Columbia
454:On 20 October, the squadron made a strike on
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505:On 22 February 1942, Whalen was assigned to
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542:, fresh from their attack on Pearl Harbor,
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658:Flight Lieutenant Whalen was awarded the
569:. In December 1942 he was transferred to
494:he started familiarisation flying on the
80:Learn how and when to remove this message
631:saw the Japanese attack directly toward
368:, Wales for operational training on the
43:This article includes a list of general
838:Seaforth Highlanders of Canada soldiers
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580:In June 1943, 17 Squadron was moved to
375:On 1 August 1941, Whalen was posted to
410:when they ran into a flight of German
334:British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
591:In August, Whalen was transferred to
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748:This article incorporates text from
725:'RAF History - The Battle of Ceylon'
603:, converted to hold two 250 lb
317:on 23 April 1920. He graduated from
715:from the original on 30 June 2012.
325:Army Cadets in 1937. In 1940, the
323:The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada
49:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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788:Canadian World War II flying aces
778:Royal Canadian Air Force officers
680:Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
674:Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
425:Four days later, on a sweep over
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27:Canadian World War II flying ace
751:released under the GFDL License
509:, which had seen action in the
828:Burials at Kohima War Cemetery
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763:Jimmy Whalen at acesofww2.com
705:"Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo"
399:, taking delivery of the new
321:in June, 1938. He had joined
615:Battles of Kohima and Imphal
540:Vice-Admiral Chūichi Nagumo
315:Vancouver, British Columbia
144:Vancouver, British Columbia
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660:Distinguished Flying Cross
635:from Burma. To the north,
319:Kitsilano Secondary School
281:Distinguished Flying Cross
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377:No. 129 (Mysore) Squadron
362:Operational Training Unit
313:Jimmy Whalen was born in
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478:On 7 December 1941, the
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327:Royal Canadian Air Force
212:Royal Canadian Air Force
703:Klemen, L (1999–2000).
64:more precise citations.
684:Hawker Hurricane PZ865
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813:People from Vancouver
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230:Years of service
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593:No. 34 Squadron RAF
571:No. 17 Squadron RAF
507:No. 30 Squadron RAF
462:and ran into heavy
793:Shot-down aviators
739:L, Klemen (2000).
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291:James Henry Whalen
289:Flight Lieutenant
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783:Canadian aviators
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651:barrel roll
599:flying the
567:fighter ace
555:Val bombers
523:headed for
520:Indomitable
429:, near the
379:, based at
62:introducing
772:Categories
733:References
492:Port Sudan
468:flak ships
443:ammunition
179:Allegiance
137:1920-04-23
45:references
595:based at
500:Kittyhawk
496:Hurricane
482:attacked
309:Biography
233:1940–1944
713:Archived
682:rebuilt
575:Calcutta
480:Japanese
456:Le Havre
416:dogfight
401:Spitfire
370:Spitfire
206:Service/
654:jungle.
609:Manipur
586:sampans
548:Fulmars
525:Colombo
448:Channel
412:Bf 109s
403:Mk Vb.
366:Wrexham
358:Gosport
342:Ontario
162:, India
58:improve
637:Kohima
633:Imphal
597:Madras
529:Ceylon
460:Dieppe
427:Gosnay
408:Fruges
393:Sussex
338:Ottawa
276:Awards
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188:Canada
167:Buried
160:Kohima
47:, but
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605:bombs
559:Zeros
385:Ju 88
364:) in
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518:HMS
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