Kick the Bomb Away From the Plane

Heroes Remember

Kick the Bomb Away From the Plane

Transcript

One time we were bombing this oil field in Zeitz. I still remember that name Zeitz and oil fields were really heavily defended. So our flight engineer he counted ninety search lights over this oil field and there was flak all over the place and so the bomb aimer says, "Bombs gone," Okay.," "Oh" he says,"The cookie's hung up." The light didn't go out, the cookie, the two ton bomb was still hung up. So it was my job, there''s a little trap door in the floor halfway back in the Lancaster I lifted that little trap door and there was a, there was a lever there, and ya pull that lever, and away she went. Okay, so I get a little oxygen mask a portable oxygen mask and we're at about 23,000, went back, and in the meantime the Lancaster's bouncing, bouncing. So I reach down and I let the... and then I see this big, big big casing falling. And you know what? It wasn't the slip screen that was bouncing us around it was flak. And here's this bomb of course it's now it's going our speed, and it's starting to fall. Oh no, I felt like getting my foot and kicking it, you know get away, get away, get away. Cause here it's falling through all this flak, and, I kept looking through that hole, and I said,"Oh no!" The funny part was I felt like getting my leg and kicking it. But I was, you know a couple hundred feet below by now but there she fell right through all that flak. It just takes one piece of flak and it's gone. Cause it wasn't a very thick drum, it was full of TNT and explosives, it was called a blockbuster.

Description

Mr. Taschuk recalls having to manually release a bomb stuck in the bay, and watching it fall through flak.

Neil Taschuk

Mr. Taschuk was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His father, a Russian immigrant, fought for Canada in the First World War. Mr. Taschuk joined the air force along with many others from the community, and was sent overseas as soon as he had earned his wireless air gunner (WAG) wings. He was assigned to a Lancaster in Bomber Command's 434 Squadron. Given the casualty rate at the time, it was a near death sentence. Against huge odds and having experienced numerous near misses, he and the rest of his crew were one of few in bomber command who were never injured in any action, training, or other mishaps.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 02:15
Person Interviewed:: Neil Taschuk
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Germany
Branch:: Air Force
Units/Ship:: 434 Squadron
Occupation:: Wireless Air Gunner

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Kick the Bomb Away From the Plane

Heroes Remember