Andrew Mynarski is buried in Méharicourt Cemetery, Méharicourt, France. His Victoria Cross is on display at the Air Command Headquarters in Winnipeg and his name is dedicated in various spots across Canada. A chain of three lakes in Manitoba has been named after him. In 1973 he was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame and his native Winnipeg created a park of 8 hectares in his memory. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (Ontario) has reconstructed the Lancaster Mk-X, FM-213 bomber from several other Lancasters and regularly fly it from their base at the Hamilton Airport, Ontario. The Museum produced an book on Mynarski ("Mynarski Lanc" by Betty Page) and has titled the mentioned, reconstructed Lancaster "Mynarski's Lanc". This is the one of only two airworthy Lancs in the world. (The other one is in England). It is a flying tribute to the memory of Andrew Mynarski who symbolizes the bravery of all those who gave so much. The Lanc now bears the markings of the original Mynarski Lancaster: KB-726 VR-A, of the Royal Canadian Air Force 419 "Moose" Squadron. More details about Andrew Mynarski you can find by going to the links below, which are the sources of information for creating this web site. Thank you. |
Andrew Charles Mynarski was born in Winnipeg (Manitoba, CANADA) on the 14th of October 1916, the son of Polish immigrants. He had five other siblings, two brothers and three sisters. He was educated at the King Edward and Isaac Newton Elementary Schools and at St. John's Technical School. To help support his family after his father's death in age of 16, he worked for four years as a leather worker in Winnipeg. He later built furniture and air planes models in a workshop that he built in the basement. In November 1941 (the Second World War) he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He took his training at Calgary and Edmonton (Alberta) and MacDonald (Manitoba) graduating in 1942 as a mid-upper gunner shortly before his 25th birthday. He went overseas in December 1942. Lancaster's Crew / Cambrai Raid (France June 13, 1944) His first operational posting was with Number 9 Squadron in October 1943. In March 1944, he replaced another mid-upper gunner in 419 (Moose) Squadron and joined the crew with whom his name would be forever linked. On the crew's ninth mission together, (June 5th, 1944... D-Day minus 1) they were assigned a brand new Canadian built Lancaster Mk-X, with number KB-726 VR-A . On June 11, 1944 Mynarski was promoted to Pilot Officer / Gunner. On the night of June 12, his crew was to take off on the new Lanc's fourth mission, their target: the rail marshalling yards at Cambrai, France. It would be the 13th mission of the crew. They would be over the target on Friday the thirteenth. While waiting to go, the crew couldn't help but think of these omens related to the number "13". Andrew found a four leaf clover in the grass by the planes. He insisted that his closest buddy in the crew, tail gunner Pat Brophy, should take it. Pat put the leaf into his helmet... The Avro Lancaster ("Lanc") was the most famous allied bomber of World War II. Manufactured by A.V. Roe (AVRO) in wartime in England and Canada (The same Canadian plant where the supersonic Avro Arrow was built in '50). Designed by Roy Chadwick, the Lancaster took part in almost every major bombing raid of Europe from mid-1942 until the end of the war in 1945 becoming the backbone of the British Bomber Command. In fact, it flew more missions and dropped more tones of bombs than all of the other English heavy bombers combined. With fighters unable to escort the large aircraft on its long missions, it was heavily armed with nose, mid-upper and tail turret guns and didn't give much room for the seven-member crew. The three powers operated (hydraulic) turrets, it could not hold its own against determined daylight fighter attacks, but could deliver sufficient firepower to defend itself at night. The seven crew (pilot, flight engineer, navigator, bomb aimer, wireless-operator, mid-upper and rear air gunners) were all specialists, trained to fly as a team. The "Lanc" could easily fly on three engines, could manage on two and limp away on one. In total, 7366 Lancasters rolled off the production lines (400 "Lanc" Mk X were built in Canada). Only two still fly. Specifications: Speed: 460 km/h, Ceiling: 7470 m, Range w/ bombload: 2656 km, Wing Span: 31,1 m, Powerplant: 4 x 1640 HP, Bombload: 6,350-10,000 kg, Crew:7. Shortly after crossing the French coast, the Lancaster was briefly coned by enemy searchlights. After some evasive maneuvers, they were in the safety of darkness again. They began descending to the level of their planned attack when a Ju-88 came in from astern. It's cannons blazed from below. Three explosions tore the aircraft. Both port engines were knocked out and began to flame. The third burst tore into the aircraft between the mid-upper and rear turrets starting a fire. Hydraulic lines to the rear turret were severed and the fluid ignited, turning the rear of the fuselage into an inferno. The captain, Art de Bryne gave the order to bail out... The Last Flight of Lanc KB-726 VR-A by Canadian artist Lance Russwurm ...Pat Brophy, the tail gunner proceeded to exit his turret and bail out. To get out, Pat had to straighten his turret in line with the fuselage, go through the doors, collect his parachute and jump from the fuselage door on the starboard (right) side. Tail gunners stored their parachutes in the fuselage because there wasn't the room in the confines of the rear turret to wear or store one. Unfortunately that third round had split the hydraulic line feeding his turret, it wouldn't move and flames where sweeping down towards him. The alternate route was to rotate the turret with the inner doors facing to the outside and to bail out backwards. Pat managed to open his doors to the inside of the aircraft, enough to grab his parachute and clip it on. He would then manually rotate the turret with a hand crank as far he could to the side, open the doors and bail out into the night. To his horror, the handle broke off. He was now trapped in a burning aircraft heading for the ground. At that time Mynarski left his post at the mid upper turret and began to make his way to the rear escape door... The remainder of this encounter is best left up to Pat Brophy himself: "(...) Then I saw Andy. He had slid down from the mid-upper turret and made his way back to the rear escape hatch, about 15 feet from me, having received the same P signal to bail out from the skipper. He opened the door and was just about to jump when he glanced around and spotted me through the plexiglass part of my turret. One look told him I was trapped. Instantly, he turned away from the hatch - his doorway to safety - and started towards me. All this time the airplane was lurching drunkenly as Art tried to keep it on an even keel without instruments. Andy had to climb over the Elsan chemical toilet and crawl over the tailplane spar, as there is no room at that part of the fuselage. These cramped conditions forced him to crawl on his hands and knees - straight through the blazing hydraulic oil. By the time he reached my position in the tail, his uniform and parachute were on fire. I shook my head; it was hopeless. 'Don't try!' I shouted, and waved him away. "Andy didn't seem to notice. Completely ignoring his own condition in the flames, he grabbed a fire axe and tried to smash the turret free. It gave slightly, but not enough. Wild with desperation and pain, he tore at the doors with his bare hands. By now he was a mass of flames below the waist. Seeing him like that, I forgot everything else. Over the roar of the wind and the whine of our two remaining engines, I screamed, 'Go back, Andy! Get out!' "Finally, with time running out, he realized that he could do nothing to help me. When I waved him away again, he hung his head and nodded, as though he was ashamed to leave - ashamed that sheer heart and courage hadn't been enough. As there was no way to turn around in the confined quarters, Andy had to crawl backwards through the flaming hydraulic fluid fire again, never taking his eyes off me. On his face was a look of mute anguish. "When Andy reached the escape hatch, he stood up. Slowly, as he'd often done before in happier times together, he came to attention. Standing there in his flaming clothes, a grimly magnificent figure, he saluted me! At the same time, just before he jumped, he said something. And even though I couldn't hear, I knew it was 'Good night, Sir'. (...)" |
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Andrew Charles Mynarski was born in Winnipeg (Manitoba, CANADA) on the 14th of October 1916, the son of Polish immigrants. He had five other siblings, two brothers and three sisters. He was educated at the King Edward and Isaac Newton Elementary Schools and at St. John's Technical School. To help support his family after his father's death in age of 16, he worked for four years as a leather worker in Winnipeg. He later built furniture and air planes models in a workshop that he built in the basement. In November 1941 (the Second World War) he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He took his training at Calgary and Edmonton (Alberta) and MacDonald (Manitoba) graduating in 1942 as a mid-upper gunner shortly before his 25th birthday. He went overseas in December 1942. Lancaster's Crew / Cambrai Raid (France June 13, 1944) His first operational posting was with Number 9 Squadron in October 1943. In March 1944, he replaced another mid-upper gunner in 419 (Moose) Squadron and joined the crew with whom his name would be forever linked. On the crew's ninth mission together, (June 5th, 1944... D-Day minus 1) they were assigned a brand new Canadian built Lancaster Mk-X, with number KB-726 VR-A . On June 11, 1944 Mynarski was promoted to Pilot Officer / Gunner. On the night of June 12, his crew was to take off on the new Lanc's fourth mission, their target: the rail marshalling yards at Cambrai, France. It would be the 13th mission of the crew. They would be over the target on Friday the thirteenth. While waiting to go, the crew couldn't help but think of these omens related to the number "13". Andrew found a four leaf clover in the grass by the planes. He insisted that his closest buddy in the crew, tail gunner Pat Brophy, should take it. Pat put the leaf into his helmet... The Avro Lancaster ("Lanc") was the most famous allied bomber of World War II. Manufactured by A.V. Roe (AVRO) in wartime in England and Canada (The same Canadian plant where the supersonic Avro Arrow was built in '50). Designed by Roy Chadwick, the Lancaster took part in almost every major bombing raid of Europe from mid-1942 until the end of the war in 1945 becoming the backbone of the British Bomber Command. In fact, it flew more missions and dropped more tones of bombs than all of the other English heavy bombers combined. With fighters unable to escort the large aircraft on its long missions, it was heavily armed with nose, mid-upper and tail turret guns and didn't give much room for the seven-member crew. The three powers operated (hydraulic) turrets, it could not hold its own against determined daylight fighter attacks, but could deliver sufficient firepower to defend itself at night. The seven crew (pilot, flight engineer, navigator, bomb aimer, wireless-operator, mid-upper and rear air gunners) were all specialists, trained to fly as a team. The "Lanc" could easily fly on three engines, could manage on two and limp away on one. In total, 7366 Lancasters rolled off the production lines (400 "Lanc" Mk X were built in Canada). Only two still fly. Specifications: Speed: 460 km/h, Ceiling: 7470 m, Range w/ bombload: 2656 km, Wing Span: 31,1 m, Powerplant: 4 x 1640 HP, Bombload: 6,350-10,000 kg, Crew:7. Shortly after crossing the French coast, the Lancaster was briefly coned by enemy searchlights. After some evasive maneuvers, they were in the safety of darkness again. They began descending to the level of their planned attack when a Ju-88 came in from astern. It's cannons blazed from below. Three explosions tore the aircraft. Both port engines were knocked out and began to flame. The third burst tore into the aircraft between the mid-upper and rear turrets starting a fire. Hydraulic lines to the rear turret were severed and the fluid ignited, turning the rear of the fuselage into an inferno. The captain, Art de Bryne gave the order to bail out... The Last Flight of Lanc KB-726 VR-A by Canadian artist Lance Russwurm ...Pat Brophy, the tail gunner proceeded to exit his turret and bail out. To get out, Pat had to straighten his turret in line with the fuselage, go through the doors, collect his parachute and jump from the fuselage door on the starboard (right) side. Tail gunners stored their parachutes in the fuselage because there wasn't the room in the confines of the rear turret to wear or store one. Unfortunately that third round had split the hydraulic line feeding his turret, it wouldn't move and flames where sweeping down towards him. The alternate route was to rotate the turret with the inner doors facing to the outside and to bail out backwards. Pat managed to open his doors to the inside of the aircraft, enough to grab his parachute and clip it on. He would then manually rotate the turret with a hand crank as far he could to the side, open the doors and bail out into the night. To his horror, the handle broke off. He was now trapped in a burning aircraft heading for the ground. At that time Mynarski left his post at the mid upper turret and began to make his way to the rear escape door... The remainder of this encounter is best left up to Pat Brophy himself: "(...) Then I saw Andy. He had slid down from the mid-upper turret and made his way back to the rear escape hatch, about 15 feet from me, having received the same P signal to bail out from the skipper. He opened the door and was just about to jump when he glanced around and spotted me through the plexiglass part of my turret. One look told him I was trapped. Instantly, he turned away from the hatch - his doorway to safety - and started towards me. All this time the airplane was lurching drunkenly as Art tried to keep it on an even keel without instruments. Andy had to climb over the Elsan chemical toilet and crawl over the tailplane spar, as there is no room at that part of the fuselage. These cramped conditions forced him to crawl on his hands and knees - straight through the blazing hydraulic oil. By the time he reached my position in the tail, his uniform and parachute were on fire. I shook my head; it was hopeless. 'Don't try!' I shouted, and waved him away. "Andy didn't seem to notice. Completely ignoring his own condition in the flames, he grabbed a fire axe and tried to smash the turret free. It gave slightly, but not enough. Wild with desperation and pain, he tore at the doors with his bare hands. By now he was a mass of flames below the waist. Seeing him like that, I forgot everything else. Over the roar of the wind and the whine of our two remaining engines, I screamed, 'Go back, Andy! Get out!' "Finally, with time running out, he realized that he could do nothing to help me. When I waved him away again, he hung his head and nodded, as though he was ashamed to leave - ashamed that sheer heart and courage hadn't been enough. As there was no way to turn around in the confined quarters, Andy had to crawl backwards through the flaming hydraulic fluid fire again, never taking his eyes off me. On his face was a look of mute anguish. "When Andy reached the escape hatch, he stood up. Slowly, as he'd often done before in happier times together, he came to attention. Standing there in his flaming clothes, a grimly magnificent figure, he saluted me! At the same time, just before he jumped, he said something. And even though I couldn't hear, I knew it was 'Good night, Sir'. (...)" |
Andrew Mynarski is buried in Méharicourt Cemetery, Méharicourt, France. His Victoria Cross is on display at the Air Command Headquarters in Winnipeg and his name is dedicated in various spots across Canada. A chain of three lakes in Manitoba has been named after him. In 1973 he was inducted into the Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame and his native Winnipeg created a park of 8 hectares in his memory. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (Ontario) has reconstructed the Lancaster Mk-X, FM-213 bomber from several other Lancasters and regularly fly it from their base at the Hamilton Airport, Ontario. The Museum produced an book on Mynarski ("Mynarski Lanc" by Betty Page) and has titled the mentioned, reconstructed Lancaster "Mynarski's Lanc". This is the one of only two airworthy Lancs in the world. (The other one is in England). It is a flying tribute to the memory of Andrew Mynarski who symbolizes the bravery of all those who gave so much. The Lanc now bears the markings of the original Mynarski Lancaster: KB-726 VR-A, of the Royal Canadian Air Force 419 "Moose" Squadron. More details about Andrew Mynarski you can find by going to the links below, which are the sources of information for creating this web site. Thank you. |
POLISH CANADIAN HERO Andrew Mynarski Crew member, Lancaster Mk-X, KB-726 VR-A June 13, 1944 "I will always believe that a divine providence intervened to save me because of what I had seen, so that the world might know of a gallant man who laid down his life for a friend" (Pat Brophy - survivour) |
Andrew Mynarski; pilot, officer, 1916-1944 awarded with the Victoria Cross - the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Mynarski was the first member of the R.C.A.F. to be decorated with the Victoria Cross in the Second World War. |
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Andy Mynarski |
Pat Brophy |
Now as Pat sat there alone with five tones of explosives fifty feet from him, in a Lanc that would hit the ground in seconds, he braced himself for the impact. As the aircraft came down in a steady glide, it hit a thick tree with its port (left) wing and spun round. Two of its twenty bombs exploded almost immediately after the first ground impact, throwing the tail gunner clear. He came to rest about fifty feet from the burning remains, against an another tree alive and with no a scratch. His watch stopped at 12:13 a.m., Friday, June 13, 1944. At the time when he picked up his helmet, out of it fell the cloverleaf. |
The seven crew members of Lanc Mk X, KB-726 VR-A (from the left): Pat Brophy (Tail Gunner), Jim Kelly (Wireless Operator), Roy Vigars (Flight Engineer), Art de Breyne (Pilot), Andrew Mynarski (Mid-upper Gunner), Jack Friday (Bomb Aimer), Bob Bodie (Navigator). The seven crew members were now all on the ground. Unfortunately, Andrew Mynarski was dead. He had landed alive with his clothes still on fire. French farmers who had spotted the flaming bomber found him and hustled him off to a doctor but he died shortly of his severe burns. He was buried in a local cemetery in Méharicourt (France). Four of the crew members were hidden by the French and returned to England shortly after the crash. The others were captured by the Germans and were interned until they could be liberated by American troops. It wasn't until 1945 when Pat Brophy was reunited with Art de Breyne and could tell the others what happened to himself and Andy that anyone knew the story. Art de Breyne started the process by recommending an award for Andy at the end of 1945. The recommendation worked it's way up the command structure of the RCAF and RAF until it was decided upon, a Victoria Cross would be awarded for "valour of the highest order". The medal was presented to his mother, Mrs. Stanley Mynarski by the Right Honorable J.A. McWilliams, Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba on 12th December 1946. |
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