In Hot Water (Part 3 of 3)
Heroes Remember
In Hot Water (Part 3 of 3)
Transcript
Description
Mr. Rohmer continues his story of spotting Tiger Tanks in an unexpected area in Normandy, and how his reporting of it got him in hot water...
Richard Heath Rohmer
Major General Rohmer was born in Hamilton, Ontario on January 24, 1924. He enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force on his eighteenth birthday. He had received some training in Canada before being shipped overseas to Bournemouth for further training on both Spitfires and Mustangs. He chose to fly a Mustang and was finally able to get into operations in the Fall of 1944.
General Rohmer provided reconnaissance for D-Day, the Falaise Gap and the Liberation of the Netherlands.
After the war, General Rohmer instructed Spitfire pilots on how to attack in the air at Gunnery Instructor School and later went back to college in Ontario, Canada. After graduating from college he went on to practice law. General Rohmer has received several awards throughout his illustrious career including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Canada Defence Medal and is an Officer of the Order of Canada just to name a few. General Rohmer is also a best selling author.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 01:49
- Person Interviewed:
- Richard Heath Rohmer
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- Second World War
- Location/Theatre:
- France
- Battle/Campaign:
- Battle of Normandy
- Branch:
- Air Force
- Units/Ship:
- 403 Squadron
- Rank:
- Major-General
- Occupation:
- Pilot
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Flying a Mustang
Mr. Rohmer experiences both Spitfires and Mustangs, and elects to join aerial reconnaissance in Mustangs. He describes the nature of their duties.
Flying Operations
Mr. Rohmer describes the kinds of operations that his squadron would fly into while in France during early 1944.
Moving from Gatwick to Odiham
Mr. Rohmer describes photographing the "noball" sites in France, and describes what "noball" sites were. He also recalls the movement of his squadron from Gatwick to Odiham.
The Flying Circus
Mr. Rohmer discusses how their operations changed as D-Day approached. He also describes his involvement with a flying circus that was being used to educate the ground troops.
Meeting General Patton
Mr. Rohmer describes an encounter he had with General George Patton.
Flying the Beaches on D-Day
Mr. Rohmer talks about flying reconnaissance over the beaches early on D-Day.
Flying on Empty
Mr. Rohmer recalls a time when he had been flying longer than he'd anticipated, and found his gas gauge on empty. He was trying to make it back across the channel.
Deceiving Hitler
Mr. Rohmer talks about making it back to an island that he'd known about from his experiences with the flying circus. He then goes on to talk about how D-Day ended up being just the beginning of the Battle of Normandy.
Mistaken Plane Identities
Mr. Rohmer talks about the huge amount of activity that he could see as a Recce Pilot. He also talks about how their Mustangs were sometimes mistaken for ME-109s.
Flying Over a German Staff Car (1 of 2)
Mr. Rohmer talks about flying a Recce over Normandy and spotting a German staff car.
Flying over a German staff car (2 of 2)
As he flies closer, Mr. Rohmer determines that this car belongs to Field Marshall Rommel. The car runs off the road in an attempt to avoid what it thinks is an air attack.
In Hot Water (1 of 3)
Mr. Rohmer tells a story of spotting Tiger Tanks in an unexpected area in Normandy, and how his reporting of it got him in hot water.
In Hot Water (2 of 3)
Mr. Rohmer continues the story of spotting Tiger Tanks in an unexpected area in Normandy, and how his reporting of it got him in hot water.
Diving from Enemy Fire
The Squadron moves into Eindhoven and Mr. Rohmer describes one particularly close call he experienced.
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