The Pyramid Power

Video of today’s Canadian Forces doing its thing.

written by admin \\ tags: Army, Canada, Canadian Forces, Military Operations

The English version of the TV spot currently on air from the Canadian Forces.

written by admin \\ tags: Advertisements, Army, Canada, Canadian Forces, Commercial, Military Operations

This is an advertisement put out by the Canadian Forces to recruit people for the Canadian Forces.

written by admin \\ tags: Advertisements, Army, Canada, Canadian Expeditionary Forces Command (CEFCOM), Canadian Forces, Canadian Forces Air Command (AIRCOM), Canadian Forces Land Force Command (LFC), Canadian Forces Maritime Command (MARCOM), Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM), Commercial, Fighter Jets, Helicopters, Military Operations, Planes, Tanks

In early October, after Market Garden had failed with heavy losses, Allied forces led by the First Canadian Army set out to bring the Antwerp ports under control. But the well-established German defenders staged an effective delaying action. Complicated by the waterlogged terrain, the Battle of the Scheldt proved to be an especially grueling and costly campaign. Historians have largely ignored it until recent years. After five weeks of difficult fighting, the First Canadian Army, bolstered by attached troops from several other countries, was successful in winning the Scheldt after numerous amphibious assaults, crossing of canals, and fighting over open ground. Both land and water were mined, and the Germans defended their retreating line with artillery and snipers. The Allies finally cleared the port areas on November 8, but at a cost of 12,873 Allied casualties (killed, wounded, or missing), half of them Canadians.

Battle of the Scheldt

Part of World War II

 

The Battle of the Scheldt was a series of military operations of the First Canadian Army, led by Lieutenant General Guy Simonds. The battle took place in northern Belgium and southwestern Netherlands during World War II from October 2, 1944 to November 8, 1944[1]

By September, 1944, it had become urgent for the Allies to clear both banks of the Scheldt estuary in order to open the port of Antwerp to Allied shipping, thus easing logistical burdens in their supply lines stretching hundreds of miles from Normandy eastward to the Siegfried Line.[2] Since the Allied forces had landed in Normandy, France on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the British Second Army had pushed forward into the Low Countries and captured Brussels and Antwerp, the latter with its ports still intact. But the advance halted with the British in possession of Antwerp, while the Germans still controlled the Scheldt Estuary.

Nothing was done about the blocked Antwerp ports during September because most of the strained Allied resources were allocated to Operation Market Garden, a bold plan for a single thrust into Germany which began on September 17. In the meantime, German forces in the Scheldt were able to plan a defense.

In early October, after Market Garden had failed with heavy losses, Allied forces led by the First Canadian Army set out to bring the Antwerp ports under control. But the well-established German defenders staged an effective delaying action. Complicated by the waterlogged terrain, the Battle of the Scheldt proved to be an especially gruelling and costly campaign. Historians have largely ignored it until recent years.

After five weeks of difficult fighting, the First Canadian Army, bolstered by attached troops from several other countries, was successful in winning the Scheldt after numerous amphibious assaults, crossing of canals, and fighting over open ground. Both land and water were mined, and the Germans defended their retreating line with artillery and snipers.

The Allies finally cleared the port areas on November 8, but at a cost of 12,873 Allied casualties (killed, wounded, or missing), half of them Canadians.[3]

Once the German defenders were no longer a threat, it was an additional three weeks before the first ship carrying Allied supplies was able to unload in Antwerp (on November 29, 1944) due to the necessity of de-mining the harbors.

Contents

1 Opening the Scheldt
1.1 Fighting North from Antwerp
1.2 Operation Switchback
1.3 Operation Vitality
1.4 Operation Infatuate: Capture of Walcheren Island
2 Battle components
3 Importance of the campaign
4 References
5 Further reading
6 External links 
 

Opening the Scheldt

On September 12, 1944, the First Canadian Army under temporary command of Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds was given the task of clearing the Scheldt. Under command at that time was II Canadian Corps, with the Polish 1st Armoured Division, British 49th and 52nd Divisions attached, as well as British I Corps.

The plan for opening the Scheldt estuary involved four main operations conducted over daunting geography. 

• The first task was to clear the area north of Antwerp and secure access to South Beveland.
• Second was to clear the Breskens pocket north of the Leopold Canal (”Operation Switchback”).
• Third, dubbed “Operation Vitality”, was the capture of South Beveland.
• The final phase would be the capture of Walcheren Island, which had been fortified into a powerful German stronghold. As part of the Atlantic Wall, Walcheren Island was considered to be the “strongest concentration of defences the Nazis had ever constructed.”[4]

Column of Alligator amphibious vehicles passing Terrapin amphibious vehicles on the Scheldt river, October 1944.On September 21, the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division moved northwards roughly along the line of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, given the task of clearing an area on the south shore of the Scheldt around the Dutch town of Breskens called the “Breskens pocket”. The Polish 1st Armoured Division headed for the Dutch-Belgian border further east and the crucial area north of Antwerp.

The 4th Canadian Armoured advanced from a hard-won bridgehead over the Ghent Canal at Moerbrugge to find themselves the first Allied troops facing the formidable obstacle of the double line of the Leopold and Dérivation de la Lys Canals. An attack was mounted in the vicinity of Moerkerke, crossing the canals and establishing a bridgehead before counter-attacks forced a withdrawal with heavy casualties.

 The Northern Front.The 1st Polish Armoured Division enjoyed greater success to the east as it advanced northeast from Ghent. In country unsuitable for armour, and against stiffening resistance, the Division advanced to the coast by September 20, occupying Terneuzen and clearing the south bank of the Scheldt eastwards to Antwerp.

It became apparent to Simonds that any further gains in the Scheldt would come at heavy cost, as the Breskens pocket, extending from Zeebrugge to the Braakman Inlet and inland to the Leopold Canal, was strongly held by the enemy.

Fighting North from Antwerp

On October 2, the 2nd Canadian Division began its advance north from Antwerp. Stiff fighting at Woensdrecht ensued on October 6, the objective of the first phase. The Germans, reinforced by Battle Group Chill, saw the priority in holding there, controlling direct access to South Beveland and Walcheren Island.

There were heavy casualties as the Canadians attacked over open, flooded land. Driving rain, booby traps and land mines made advance very difficult. On October 13, 1944, what would come to be known as “Black Friday,” saw the Canadian 5th Infantry Brigade’s Black Watch virtually wiped out in an unsuccessful attack. The Calgary Highlanders would follow up with a more successful action, and their Carrier Platoon succeeded in taking the rail station at Korteven. Heavy fighting at Hoogerheide also ensued but by October 16, Woensdrecht was secured, cutting the land link to South Beveland and Walcheren. The Canadians had achieved their first objective, but suffered heavy casualties.

Member of Canadian Provost Corps talking to members of the Belgian Resistance, Bruges, September 1944.At this point, recognizing the opportunity, Field-Marshal Bernard Montgomery, issued a directive that made the opening of the Scheldt estuary the top priority of 21st Army Group. To the east, the British Second Army attacked westwards to clear the Netherlands south of the Maas River, securing the Scheldt region from counter-attacks.

Meanwhile, Simonds concentrated forces at the neck of the South Beveland peninsula. The 4th Canadian Armoured moved north from the Leopold Canal and took Bergen-op-Zoom. By October 24 Allied lines were pushed out further from the neck of the peninsula, ensuring German counterattacks wouldn’t cut off the 2nd Canadian Division, now moving west along it towards Walcheren Island.

Operation Switchback

The second main operation of the Battle of the Scheldt opened with fierce fighting to reduce the Breskens pocket. Here, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division encountered tenacious German resistance as it fought to cross the Leopold Canal.[5]

An earlier failed attempt by the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division at Moerbrugge had demonstrated the challenge they faced. In addition to the formidable German defences on both the Leopold Canal and the Dérivation de la Lys Canal, much of the approach area was flooded.

It was decided that the best place for an assault would be immediately east of where the two canals divided: a narrow strip of dry ground only a few hundred metres wide at its base beyond the Leopold Canal (described as a long triangle with its base on the Maldegem-Aardenburg road and its apex near the village of Moershoofd some five kilometres east).

Members of the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division demonstrating the use of flame throwers across a canal, Maldegem, October 1944.A two-pronged assault commenced. The 3rd Canadian Division’s 7th Brigade made the initial assault across the Leopold Canal, while the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade mounted an amphibious attack from the northern or coastal side of the pocket. The assault began on October 6, supported by extensive artillery and Canadian-built Wasp Universal Carriers, which were equipped with flamethrowers. The Wasps launched their barrage of flame across the Leopold Canal, allowing the 7th Brigade troops to scramble up over the steep banks and launch their assault boats. Two precarious, separate footholds were established, but the enemy recovered from the shock of the flamethrowers and counter-attacked, though they were unable to move the Canadians from their extremely vulnerable bridgeheads. By October 9, the gap between the bridgeheads was closed, and by early morning on October 12, a position had been gained across the Aardenburg road.

Corporal Kormendy, a scout from the Calgary Highlanders Scout and Sniper Platoon, in a shot from a series of staged photos by Army photographer Ken Bell, taken near Kappellen, October, 1944. PAC PhotoThe 9th Canadian Brigade conducted an amphibious operation with the aid of Terrapin (the first such use of this vehicle in Europe) and Buffalo amphibious vehicles, crewed by the British 5th Assault Regiment from the Royal Engineers. The brigade planned to cross the mouth of the Braakman Inlet in amphibious vehicles and to land in the vicinity of Hoofdplaat, a tiny hamlet in the rear or coastal side of the pocket, thus exerting pressure from two directions at once. In spite of difficulties in maneuvering vehicles through the canals and the resulting 24-hour delay, the Germans were taken by surprise and a bridgehead was established. Once again, the Germans recovered quickly and counter-attacked with ferocity; however, they were slowly forced back. The 10th Canadian Brigade, from the 4th Armoured Division, crossed the Leopold Canal and advanced at Isabella Polder. Then the 3rd Division’s 8th Canadian Brigade was called to move southwards from the coastal side of the pocket. This opened up a land-based supply route into the pocket.

The 3rd Division fought additional actions to clear German troops from the towns of Breskens, Oostburg, Zuidzande and Cadzand, as well as the coastal fortress Fort Frederik Hendrik. Operation “Switchback” ended on November 3 when the First Canadian Army liberated the Belgian towns of Knokke and Zeebrugge, officially closing the Breskens Pocket and eliminating all German forces south of the Scheldt.

Operation Vitality

The third major operation of the Battle of the Scheldt opened on October 24 when the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division began its advance down the South Beveland peninsula. The Canadians hoped to advance rapidly, bypassing opposition and seizing bridgeheads over the Beveland Canal, but they too were slowed by mines, mud and strong enemy defences.

An amphibious attack was made across the West Scheldt by the British 52nd (Lowland) Division to get in behind the German’s Beveland Canal defensive positions. Thus this formidable defence was outflanked, and the Canadian 6th Infantry Brigade began a frontal attack in assault boats. The engineers were able to bridge the canal on the main road.

With the canal line gone, the German defence crumbled and South Beveland was cleared. The third phase of the Battle of the Scheldt was now complete.

Operation Infatuate: Capture of Walcheren Island

Soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Canada rest in Blankenberge, September 1944.As the fourth phase of the Battle of the Scheldt opened, only the island of Walcheren at the mouth of the West Scheldt remained in German hands. The island’s defences were extremely strong: heavy coastal batteries on the western and southern coasts defended both the island and the Scheldt estuary, and the coastline has been strongly fortified against amphibious assaults. Furthermore, a landward-facing defensive perimeter had been built around the town of Vlissingen to further defend its port facilities should an Allied landing on Walcheren succeed. The only land approach was the Sloedam—a long, narrow causeway from South Beveland, little more than a raised two-lane road. To make matters more difficult, the flats that surrounded this causeway were too saturated with sea water for movement on foot, but had too little water for an assault in storm boats.

To hamper German defence, the island’s dykes were breached by attacks from RAF Bomber Command: on 3 October at Westkapelle with severe loss of civilian life; on 7 October at two places, west and east of Vlissingen; and on 11 October at Veere. This flooded the central part of the island, forcing the German defenders onto the high ground around the outside and in the towns, but it also allowed the use of amphibious vehicles.

The island was attacked from three directions: across the causeway from the east, across the Scheldt from the south, and by sea from the west.

The Canadian 2nd Infantry Division attacked the causeway on October 31, 1944. An initial attack by the Black Watch was rebuffed; The Calgary Highlanders then sent a company over which was also stopped halfway across the causeway. A second attack by the Highlanders on the morning of 1 November managed to gain a precarious foothold; a day of fighting followed, and then the Highlanders were relieved by Le Regiment de Maisonneuve who struggled to maintain the bridgehead. The “Maisies” withdrew onto the Causeway on 2 November, to be relieved by a battalion of the Glasgow Highlanders of the British 52nd (Lowland) Division. In conjunction with the waterborne attacks, the 52nd continued the advance.[6]

The amphibious landings were conducted in two parts on 1 November. Operation Infatuate I consisted mainly of infantry of the British 155th Infantry Brigade (4th and 5th battalions King’s Own Scottish Borderers, 7/9th battalion The Royal Scots) and No. 4 Commando, who were ferried across from Breskens in small landing craft to an assault beach in the south-eastern area of Vlissingen, codenamed “Uncle” Beach. During the next few days they engaged in heavy street fighting against the German defenders.

Operation Infatuate II was the amphibious landing at Westkapelle, also conducted on the morning of 1 November. After a heavy naval bombardment by the British Royal Navy, troops of 4th Special Service Brigade (Nos. 41, 47, and 48 Royal Marine Commando and No. 10 Inter Allied Commando, consisting mainly of Belgian and Norwegian troops) supported by specialized armored vehicles (amphibious transports, mine-clearing tanks, bulldozers, etc.) of the 79th Armoured Division were landed on both sides of the gap in the sea dyke, using large landing craft as well as amphibious vehicles to bring men and tanks ashore. Heavy fighting ensued here as well before the ruins of the town were captured. Part of the troops moved south-eastward, toward Vlissingen, while the main force went north-east to clear the northern half of Walcheren and link up with the Canadian troops who had established a bridgehead on the eastern part of the island. Fierce resistance was again offered by some of the German troops defending this area, so that fighting continued until 7 November.

On 6 November, the island’s capital Middelburg fell after a calculated gamble on the Allies’ part when the German commander was invited to consider surrendering only to an armored force. Since Middelburg was impossible to reach with tanks, a force of amphibious Landing Vehicle Tracked (”Buffaloes”) were driven into Middelburg, forcing an end to all German resistance on 8 November.

Meanwhile, the 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division had pushed eastwards past Bergen-op-Zoom to Sint Philipsland where it sank several German vessels in Zijpe harbor.

With the approaches to Antwerp clear, the fourth phase of the Battle of the Scheldt was complete. The Scheldt was then swept of naval mines, and on 28 November (after much repair of harbor facilities), the first convoy entered the port, led by the Canadian-built freighter Fort Cataraqui.

Battle components

From October 23 until November 5, 1944, the U. S. 104th Infantry Division experienced its first battle while attached to the British 1st Corps. The division succeeded in pushing through the central portion of North Brabant(51°33′08″N 4°39′10″E / 51.552313, 4.65271[7]) against resistance from German snipers and artillery.

Importance of the campaign

At the end of the five-week offensive, the First Canadian Army had taken 41,043 German prisoners. After the first ship arrived on November 28, convoys started bringing a steady stream of supplies to the continent, which began to reenergize the stalled Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine. Germany recognised the importance of the Allies having a deep water port, so in an attempt to destroy it, or at least disrupt the flow of supplies, the German military fired more V-2 ballistic missiles at Antwerp than any other city. In fact, nearly half of the V-2s launched during the war were fired at Antwerp. The port of Antwerp was so strategically vital, that during the Battle of the Bulge one of the primary German objectives was to retake the city and its port.

References

^ Veterans Affairs Canada. The Battle of the Scheldt. Retrieved on: August 30, 2008.
^ “The Siegfried Line Campaign”. http://www.army.mil/+(1944-1945).+Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
^ Montgomery also bestowed the nickname “Water Rats” on the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, a play on the Desert Rats title the 7th Armoured Division had earned in the Western Desert. General Crerar reportedly hated the term, though it was meant as a tribute to their success in amphibious operations in Normandy and the Scheldt. (Granatstein, Jack. The Generals: Canadian Senior Commanders in the Second World War.)
^ Williams, Jeffery (1988). The Long Left Flank. London: Leo Cooper. ISBN 0850528801. 
^ In the Shadow of Arnhem – Ken Tout – 2003
^ Copp, Terry. The Brigade: The 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade in the Second World War
^ “Google maps hybrid view of North Brabant”. http://maps.google.com/+(2007).+Retrieved on 2007-02-05.

Further reading

• Moulton, James L. ‘Battle for Antwerp’
• Stacey, C.P. Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War. Volume III: The Victory Campaign: The Operations in North-West Europe, 1944-1945 (Ottawa: The Queens Printer, 1960)
• Whitaker, Denis and Shelagh Whitaker. Tug of War: Eisenhower’s Lost Opportunity: Allied Command & the Story Behind the Battle of the Scheldt (Beaufort Books, 1985) ISBN 0-8253-0257-9

External links

• Canadians on the Scheldt Photos, battle information, video and more on the Canadian role in the battle.
• Testaments of Honor, The Scheldt Official digital collection of experiences from WWII.
• BBC, The Peoples War.
• War Amps of Canada Against All Odds, a documentary by Cliff Chadderton
• Liberation of the Netherlands at the online Canadian War Museum
• The Calgary Highlanders Includes detailed history section with maps and descriptions of key battles such as Hoogerheide, The Coffin, and the storming of Walcheren Causeway.
• Canadiansoldiers.com article on the battle, including maps and detailed information on German formations.
• Petty Officer Basil Woolf Royal Navy and his account of LCH.269 and the Battle for Walcheren

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Battle of the Scheldt”

written by admin \\ tags: Allies, Battle of the Scheldt, Canada, Canadian Forces, Canadians, D-Day, Normandy, Siegfried Line, World War II, WW2

Hitler’s Canadians is a documentary about German World War Two POW’s held in Canada from 1939-1946.

List of POW camps in Canada

There were 40 known prisoner-of-war camps across Canada during World War II. The camps were identified by letters at first, then by numbers.[1] The prisoners were given various tasks; many worked in the forests as logging crews. In addition to the main camps there were branch camps and labour camps.

The largest number of prisoners of war was recorded as 33,798. (One source claims that at its peak, Canada interned 35,046 prisoners of war and Japanese-Canadians.[2]) There were an additional 6,437 civil internees, members of the merchant marine and refugees.

Conditions in the Canadian camps tended to be better than average, and many times better than the conditions of the barracks that Canadian troops were kept in. It is believed that this treatment foiled many escape attempts before they even started. Notably, a group of German prisoners returned to Ozada camp after escaping because of encountering a Grizzly Bear.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “List of POW camps in Canada”

written by admin \\ tags: Canadians, documentary, germans, Hitler, POW, prisoner of war, prisoner of war camps, World War II, WW2

Canadian Forces Snowbirds 2003 Vectren Dayton Airshow Dayton International Airport Dayton, Ohio Thursday July 17, 2003 IN THIS VIDEO, watch as the Snowbirds put on a fantastic performance over the skies of Dayton International Airport. Like what you’ve seen? Well, if you are interested in purchasing DVDs of specific aircraft and/or of airshows, interested in anything and everything related to airshows (where the jet teams will show up, all airshow performers, airshow reports from airshows I have attended, previews of airshows I will be attending, etc.), a much more easier to navigate “version” of all of my videos, and/or everything there is related to aviation – including spotting guides to my favorite airports and military bases and aircraft factfiles, please take time to check out Steve’s Airshow World at http://www.stevesairshow.com

Snowbirds

Officially known as the Canadian Forces 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, the Snowbirds are Canada’s military aerobatics or air show flight demonstration team.

The 431 Air Demonstration Squadron is under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Forces Air Command. Approximately 80 Canadian Forces personnel work with the squadron full-time; 24 personnel are in the show team that travels during the show season.

The show team flies 11 CT-114 Tutors — nine for aerobatic performances, including two solo aircraft, and two as spares, flown by the team coordinators.

Squadron history

Second World War

No. 431 Squadron was a product of the Second World War. It was formed on 11 November 1942, at Burn, England, flying Wellington X heavy bombers with No. 4 Group RAF Bomber Command. The squadron moved to RAF Tholthorpe in mid-1943, was transferred to No. 6 Group RCAF, and converted to Halifax V aircraft. In December 1943 the squadron moved to RAF Croft where it was re-equipped with Halifax III’s and later, Lancaster X aircraft. The squadron moved to RCAF Station Dartmouth, Nova Scotia after the war, disbanding there on 5 September 1945.

Battle honours

• English Channel and North Sea 1943-1944
• Baltic 1943-1944
• Fortress Europe 1943-1944
• Rhine, France and Germany 1944-1945
• Biscay Ports 1943-1944
• Ruhr 1943-1945, Berlin 1943-1944
• German Ports 1943-1945
• Normandy 1944
• Biscay 1943-1944

Postwar

Squadron re-formed
No. 431 (Fighter) Squadron re-formed at RCAF Station Bagotville on 18 January 1954, using the new F-86 Sabre. The squadron was formed on a temporary basis until there were enough new CF-100s available to fulfill RCAF squadron needs. No. 431’s duties included aerial combat training and displaying the capabilities of the Sabre to the public at air shows, the largest being Operation Prairie Pacific – a 50 minute exhibition that travelled to selected locations across western Canada. This was the first Sabre team to be authorized to perform formation aerobatics in Canada.[1] The unit was disbanded on 1 October 1954.

Tutor prototype on display at Southport Aerospace, Manitoba in Golden Centennaires livery
CT-114 Tutor of the Snowbirds

2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School Formation Team
In 1969, Colonel O.B. Philp, former leader of the Golden Centennaires aerobatic team obtained permission to use seven of the leftover Golden Centennaire CT-114 Tutor aircraft still fitted for aerobatic flying. The Tutors had some minor corrosion and were painted with white anti-corrosive paint. Philp and three others from 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School (2CFFTS) began unofficially training for aerobatic flight at CFB Moose Jaw and performing at shows around the country. Known as the 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School Formation Team, or informally as the Tutor Whites, the team grew in size and gradually gained recognition.

“The Snowbirds”
A contest to give the air demonstration team a formal name was held at the CFB Moose Jaw base elementary school (Bushell Park Elementary) and resulted in the name Snowbirds. The name reflected the aircraft’s distinctive all-white paint scheme used at the time, connoted grace and beauty and was clearly linked to its Canadian origins. Coincidentally, “Snowbird” was the name of an Anne Murray hit song that was popular at the time.[2] The name was formally adopted on 25 June 1971. The team became official when it was formed into its own squadron by reactivating 431 Squadron (renamed 431 Air Demonstration Squadron) on 1 April 1978.

Awards and honours

The Snowbirds were awarded the 1994 “Belt of Orion” by Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame. The squadron continues to fly the CT-114 Tutor, and was presented their Squadron Colours on 15 October 1999 for 25 years of service. For a time, the Red Knight, a solo show of a single Canadair (Lockheed) CT-33 Silver Star, also flew with the 431.

 
The Snowbirds in the “mini Concorde” formation over Toronto in 2005In 1982, Canada Post released a 17 cent stamp of an inverted Snowbird No.5 with the airframe number 114155.

On 28 June 2006, Canada Post released two domestic rate (51 cent Canadian) stamps to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the team. The Royal Canadian Mint jointly released a $5.00 silver commemorative coin.

Notable performances

• The first performance of the team with the new name of “Snowbirds” was on 11 July 1971 at their home base of CFB Moose Jaw during the Homecoming ‘71 Air Show.
• The first formal public performance that included opposing solos was flown at Yellowknife on 13 May 1972.
• The opening ceremonies at the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics was the first time the Snowbirds used coloured smoke. The colours represented the five colours of the Olympic rings.
• In 1990 red smoke was incorporated into the Snowbirds’ routine at major performances to commemorate the team’s 20th anniversary and the silver anniversary of the Canadian flag.
• The team performed for the first time outside of Canada and the U.S. in October 1993 at Zapopan Military Air Base near Guadalajara, Mexico.
• The Snowbirds overfly the Canada Day celebrations at Parliament Hill, Ottawa on 1 July.

Accidents

The Snowbirds have had several accidents, with eight deaths resulting:

• 1972: Captain Lloyd Waterer died during a demonstration at the Trenton Airshow at CFB Trenton, Ontario
• 1978: Captain Gordon de Jong died at an air show in Grande Prairie, Alberta. The horizontal stabilizer failed rendering the aircraft uncontrollable. Although ejection was initiated, it was not successful.
• 3 September 1989: Captain Shane Antaya died after a midair collision during a demonstration at the Canadian International Air Show during the CNE in Toronto, Ontario when his Tutor crashed into Lake Ontario. During the same accident, team commander Major Dan Dempsey safely ejected from his aircraft.
• 1991: A Snowbird jet crashed during a routine training flight near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The two pilots were not seriously injured.
• 1992: A crash near Moose Jaw was blamed on a failed engine bearing. There were no injuries.
• 1994: Two pilots ejected from their aircraft near Moose Jaw, sustaining minor injuries.
• 1997: Two jets touched wingtips in mid-air in Glen Falls, N.Y. There were no injuries.
• 10 December 1998: Captain Michael VandenBos died in a midair collision during training near Moose Jaw.
• 4 September 2000: Aircraft #4 and #1 touched in midair causing minor damage to the wing of one and the tail of another shortly after takeoff before a demonstration for the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto on the Labour Day weekend. Both planes landed safely with no injuries. [3]
• 10 April 2001: As it landed in Comox, British Columbia in a nine-plane diamond formation, the nose and right-wing landing gear of aircraft #5 collapsed. No one was injured. [4]
• 21 June 2001: Major Robert Painchaud and his passenger ejected after a mid-air collision between planes #1 and #5 as they attempted to rejoin the “Concorde” nine-jet formation for a media shoot over Lake Erie near London, Ontario. The passenger sustained serious injury, but Major Painchaud suffered only bruising and the other aircraft was safely flown back to base. [5]
• 10 December 2004: Captain Miles Selby died in a training accident near Mossbank, Saskatchewan. The other pilot, Captain Chuck Mallett, was thrown from his destroyed aircraft while still strapped into his seat. While tumbling towards the ground, he was able to unstrap, deploy his parachute and land with only minor injuries.[6]]
• 24 August 2005: Capt. Andrew Mackay safely ejected from his aircraft near Thunder Bay, Ontario, during the warm-up for the Thunder in the Air Airshow.[7]
• 18 May 2007: Snowbird 2, Capt. Shawn McCaughey fatally crashed during practice at Malmstrom Air Force Base near Great Falls, Montana due to a restraining strap malfunction [8][9].
• 9 Oct 2008: A Snowbird Tutor piloted by newly-recruited team member Capt. Bryan Mitchell with military photographer Sgt. Charles Senecal crashed, with fatal results, near the Snowbird’s home base of 15 Wing Moose Jaw while on a routine, non-exhibition flight.[10]

 

References

 Notes
^ Dempsey 2002, p. 95.
^ Dempsey 2002, p. 538.
^ Snowbirds Accident report 2000
^ Snowbirds Accident report April 2001
^ Snowbirds Accident report June 2001
^ [1]Snowbirds Accident report 2004
^ [2]Snowbirds Accident report 2005
^ Canadian Snowbird Killed In Practice Crash – CablePulse 24. Retrieved: 18 May 2007.
^ Snowbirds report 2007
^ CBC News Story, 2008/10/10

 Bibliography

• Dempsey, Daniel V. A Tradition of Excellence: Canada’s Airshow Team Heritage. Victoria, BC: High Flight Enterprises, 2002. ISBN 0-9687817-0-5.
• Fast, Beverley G. Snowbirds: Flying High, Canada’s Snowbirds Celebrate 25 Years. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: Lapel Marketing & Associates Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-96993127-0-7.
• Milberry, Larry. Canada’s Air Force At War And Peace, Volume 3. Toronto: CANAV Books, 2000. ISBN 0-921022-12-3.
• Mummery, Robert. Snowbirds: Canada’s Ambassadors of the Sky. Edmonton, Alberta: Reidmore Books, 1984. ISBN 0-919091-37-7.
• Rycquart, Barbara. The Snowbirds Story. London, Ontario, Canada: Third Eye, 1987. ISBN 0-919581-41-2.
• Sroka, Mike. Snowbirds: Behind The Scenes With Canada’s Air Demonstration Team. Toronto, ON: Fifth House Publishers, 2006. ISBN 1-89485-686-4.

External links

• Canadian Forces Snowbirds official site
• Squadron history at RCAF.com
• Squadron history, Department of National Defence
• 431 Squadron During the Second World War

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Snowbirds”

written by admin \\ tags: aerobatics, air show, airshow, Canada, Canadian Forces, flight demonstration, Snowbirds, squadron