Stress, Fatigue and Consequences
Heroes Remember
Stress, Fatigue and Consequences
Transcript
Description
Mr. Wilson discusses how the continuous stress of combat flying impacted even the most decorated pilots.
Gordon Wilson
Gordon Wilson was born on December 5, 1917 in Limerick, Saskatchewan. The Royal Canadian Air Force was no longer accepting recruits when he enlisted so he joined the Royal Regina Rifles. Six months later, Mr. Wilson joined the Royal Canadian Air Force at Brandon, Manitoba. His first wartime deployment saw him serving in North Africa near El Alamein, where he initially flew Hurricanes in a Royal Air Force squadron. He later piloted Spitfire 9’s in Sicily, Italy and the Middle East. After the war, Mr. Wilson completed a university degree and became a museum curator.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 1:54
- Person Interviewed:
- Gordon Wilson
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- Second World War
- Branch:
- Air Force
- Rank:
- Flying Officer
- Occupation:
- Pilot
Related Videos
Tiger Moths and Harvards
Mr. Wilson compares the experience of training in a single-engine Tiger Moth and the much more powerful twin-engine Harvard.
An Unusual Welcome to England
Mr. Wilson describes arriving in Scotland, traveling by train to Bournemouth and being welcomed there by a German dive bomber.
Different Aircraft and Tough Navigating
Mr. Wilson discusses his surprise at being selected for fighter pilot training, and goes on to describe training on the Miles Master and Hurricanes. He describes the challenge of navigating in industrial cloud cover.
Butterfly Bombs and Strafing
Mr. Wilson describes how the Germans harassed their airfield by dropping butterfly bombs and occasionally strafing the landing strip, once while he sat helplessly in his cockpit.
RAF Air Patrol Tactics
Mr. Wilson describes how the Royal Air Force, after sustaining heavy losses to the Luftwaffe, changed its patrol tactics by stacking groups of four aircraft in three tiers, thus decreasing its losses substantially.
Combat Roles in North Africa
Mr. Wilson itemizes the Royal Air Force's role at El Alamein, namely neutralizing German Stuka dive bombers, supporting the infantry, and strafing German troops and road traffic.
Strafing at Cap Bon
Mr. Wilson describes attacking and destroying five German cargo aircraft on the air strip at Cape Bon, Tunisia.
Dogfights
Mr. Wilson dispels some myths about what a dogfight was, considering how fast World War Two fighter aircraft had become. He adds a personal footnote about privilege.
Oxygen Starvation - A Deadly Adversary
Mr. Wilson describes being mystified by pilots, in sound aircraft, who plummeted from formations and crashed. He finds out that the cause is 'oxygen starvation', and on one sortie experiences its nearly deadly consequences himself.
Attacked by Friendlies
Mr. Wilson describes being attacked by American fighters, evading their fire without engaging, and being advised by his commander to fire back if it happened again.
A Close Call in Sicily
Mr. Wilson describes being forced to land in a field after running low on fuel, and how his Command was relieved by the positive treatment he'd received at the hands of local Sicilians.
Flying an Unencumbered Spitfire 9
Mr. Wilson describes flying his Spitfire 9 out of the farmer’s field in Sicily after removing all unnecessary weight. He tells us that the experience of flying an unencumbered Spitfire 9 was a pilot’s dream.
Advancement and Team Strategy
Mr. Wilson discusses advancing one’s position in a flight’s hierarchy, and the discipline required to maintain a flight’s safety while on patrol.
Regrettable Losses
Mr. Wilson rues the fact that many of Canada’s brightest young men were lost lost while serving with Allied Air Command, and speculates about what their contributions to Canada could have been.
- Date modified: