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Lancaster KB726 |
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Type : Lancaster Mark : X Last Flew : 13th June 1944 Known Codes : VR-A |
| Known information | |
| 13th June 1944 | Shot down by Ju88 over Cambrai. Andrew Mynarski VC died of injuries sustained after baling out with fire-damaged parachute. Pat Brophy survived the crash and evaded capture. Art de Breyne, Robert Bodie and James Kelly all baled out and evaded capture. Jack Friday was knocked unconscious and was baled out by Roy Vigars, who was captured alongside the injured Friday. |
| Pilots and Aircrew who flew : Lancaster X KB726 | ||
| A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | ||
| Name | Info | |
| Bodie, Robert Click the name above to see a profile of Bodie, Robert | Bodie, Robert On 13th June 1944, as part of the crew of Lancaster KB726 VR-A of No.419 Sqn RCAF, Robert Bodie managed to bale out of the burning Lancaster after it was hit by a Ju88 night fighter over Cambrai, and evade capture. Andrew Mynarski famously received his Victoria Cross in the same incident. | |
| Breyne, Art de Click the name above to see a profile of Breyne, Art de | Breyne, Art de Pilot of 'Mynarski's Lanc', the Lancaster in which Andrew Mynarski earned his VC after attempting to rescue the rear gunner of the Lancaster, which was on fire as it lurched towards it's doom after losing two engines to a Ju88. After allowing time for the crew to escape, De Breyne parachuted out of the doomed Lancaster at about 800ft. | |
| Brophy, Pat Click the name above to see a profile of Brophy, Pat
| Brophy, Pat Brophy was the rear gunner in 'Mynarski's Lanc', the Lancaster in which Andrew Mynarski earned his VC after a failed attempt to save the trapped tailgunner. Mynarski, with his parachute and clothing on fire, jumped clear of the aircraft, mortally burned. Brophy survived the subsequent crash without injury, being thrown miraculously clear of the fully laden bomber. Pat Brophy died in 1991. | |
| Friday, Jack Click the name above to see a profile of Friday, Jack | Friday, Jack Part of the crew of Lancaster KB726 VR-A of No.419 Sqn RCAF which was involved in the incident which gave Andrew Mynarski his Victoria Cross. Jack Friday was knocked unconscious by the hatch he opened in trying to escape the burning Lancaster after it was hit by a Ju88 night fighter. Roy Vigars forced him from the aircraft, ensuring his parachute was pulled, and stayed with him as they were captured on the ground. | |
| Mynarski, Andrew Charles Click the name above to see a profile of Mynarski, Andrew Charles
| Mynarski, Andrew Charles On 13th June 1944, he was the mid-upper gunner on Lancaster KN726 VR-A on No.419 Sqn RCAF when it was attacked and shot down by a Ju88 night fighter over Cambrai. As five of the crew baled out of the burning aircraft, Mynarski tried to help the remaining crew member, tail gunner Pat Brophy, who was trapped in his turret. Despite his best efforts, he could not free Brophy, and with his own parachute now badly burned by the flames, he too leaped from the doomed aircraft. It was the damage to the parachute which caused him to be fatally injured when he hit the ground. Ironically, Brophy was forced to stay with the aircraft through the subsequent crash and the explosion of its ordnance, and yet survived, his turret being blown clear. Mynarski was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. He is buried in Meharicourt Communal Cemetery | |
| Vigars, Roy Click the name above to see a profile of Vigars, Roy | Vigars, Roy Part of the crew of Lancaster KB726 VR-A of No.419 Sqn RCAF which on 13th June 1944 was involved in the incident which gained Andrew Mynarski his Victoria Cross. Another of the crew, Jack Friday, had been knocked out by the hatch he had opened to escape the aircraft, and Roy Vigars pulled Jack's parachute as he ejected him from the hatch. Roy stayed with the unconscious Jack as they were captured on the ground. | |
Died : 0 / 0 / 1991| Squadrons for : Lancaster X KB726 | ||
| A list of all squadrons known to have flown Lancaster X KB726. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
| Squadron | Info | |
No.419 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada Founded : 15th December 1941 Fate : Disbanded 5th September 1945 Moose Moosa aswayita - Beware of the moose | No.419 Sqn RCAF No. 419 Squadron was formed at Mildenhall, Suffolk, on 15th December 1941, as the third RCAF bomber squadron overseas. The first CO was Wing Commander John "Moose" Fulton, DSO, DFC, AFC, a native of Kam1oops, British Columbia, and it was from him that the unit gained its nickname. Originally in No. 3 Group of Bomber Command, the squadron joined No. 6 (RCAF) Group upon the latter's formation on 1st January 1943. From Mildenha1l it moved to Leeming, Topcliffe and Croft for short periods before settling down, in November 1942, at Middleton St George, where it remained based until the end of the European war. Beginning operations with Wellington medium bombers, No. 419 later converted to Halifax heavy bombers and then to Lancaster Xs. Over a span of roughly three-and-a-quarter years it logged 400 operational missions (342 bombing missions, 53 mining excursions, 3 leaflet raids and 1 "spoof") involving 4,325 sorties. One hundred and twenty nine aircraft were lost on these operations. W/C J. Fulton 21 December 1941 - 28 July 1942 (KIA) W/C A. P. Walsh 5 August 1942 - 2 September 1942 (KIA) W/C M. M. Fleming 8 September 1942 - 8 October 1943 W/C G. A. McMurdy 11 October 1943 - 22 October 1943 (KIA) W/C W. P. Pleasance 25 October 1943 - 21 August 1944 W/C D. C. Hagerman 22 August 1944 - 25 January 1945 W/C M. E. Ferguson 26 January 1945 - 6 August 1945 W/C R. F. Dyer 7 August 1945 - 5 September 1945 | |
| Aircraft type : Lancaster | ||
| A profile page including a list of all art prints for the Lancaster is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | Info | |
Lancaster 
Manufacturer : Avro Production Began : 1942 Retired : 1963 Number Built : 7377 | Lancaster The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' Operation Gomorrah in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992. | |
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