John Balmer
John Balmer | |
---|---|
Group Captain | |
Unit | No. 1 FTS (1935–37) |
Commands held | No. 13 Squadron (1940–41) No. 7 Squadron (1942) No. 100 Squadron (1942–43) No. 467 Squadron (1943–44) |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Officer of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Flying Cross |
Other work | Cross-country motorist |
John Raeburn Balmer,
A
Posted to England in June 1943, Balmer took command of No. 467 Squadron RAAF, flying Avro Lancasters in the air war over Europe. He led his unit through the Battle of Berlin from November 1943 to March 1944. In April he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the following month promoted to temporary group captain. Days later, on the night of 11/12 May, the last scheduled operation of his tour as No. 467 Squadron's commanding officer, Balmer failed to return from a mission over Belgium. Initially posted as missing, his plane was later confirmed to have been shot down, and all of the crew killed. Balmer was buried outside Brussels.
Early life
The son of lawyer Sydney Balmer and his wife Catherine ("Kittie"), John Balmer was born in
Promoted to
Parallel to his Air Force career, in the years leading up to the outbreak of World War II Balmer gained national attention as a long-distance motorist. Partnered by a fellow officer, he set a cross-country record of 65 hours and 10 minutes travelling from Perth, Western Australia, to Melbourne in December 1936. He and another driver followed this up with a record-breaking round-Australia journey in October–November 1938, completing their run in 23½ days, almost halving the previous best time.[1][3]
World War II
South West Pacific
When
In January 1942, Balmer briefly took charge of
Balmer was appointed an
Beginning in October 1942, Nos. 6 and 100 Squadrons were given what the official history of the RAAF in World War II called the "huge task" of keeping open the sea lanes between Australia and New Guinea, while disrupting as best they could Japanese lines of communication and supply. The units kept up a punishing schedule of daily long-range reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrols, according to the official history, "practically without navigation aids, frequently through rain storms and heavy cloud" but, "supported by ground staffs as enduring as themselves, the crews maintained an almost inflexibly high standard and achieved considerable success".[28] On the night of 4/5 October, Balmer took ten of his Beauforts from Milne Bay on a far-ranging assault against Japanese ships in the vicinity of the Shortland Islands, near Bougainville. Two aircraft disappeared along the way in storms and the remainder became separated into two flights that nevertheless managed to rendezvous near the target. Seven of these launched their torpedoes against as many ships and the crews believed that four were accurate, but were unable to confirm any hits because of dwindling visibility. The 950-nautical-mile (1,760 km) mission was considered a failure but this was put down to problems with the torpedoes and not the aircrew.[28] Subsequent reports suggested that three ships had in fact been damaged.[26]
Balmer came down with malaria in November 1942, and went on three weeks sick leave the following month; he returned to operations on 2 January 1943.[29] In March, during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, No. 100 Squadron launched its last torpedo attack; bad weather prevented all but two aircraft finding their targets, and no hits were registered. Towards the end of the month the unit dropped 17,000 pounds (7,700 kg) of bombs on Japanese installations in Salamaua.[26][30]
Europe
Balmer relinquished command of No. 100 Squadron in April 1943, and was posted from the
Following the Battle of Berlin, No. 467 Squadron began to concentrate on targets in France and Belgium as the Allied air campaign shifted focus from strategic bombing to destroying airfields and disrupting lines of communication prior to the invasion of the continent. On the night of 10/11 April, Balmer led not only his own unit but a total of 148 aircraft of No. 5 Group RAF in an assault on Toulouse, striking at an airfield, and aircraft and explosives factories. The bombing was highly accurate, and the Australians suffered no losses on the raid.[1][37]
Considered a "dynamic" leader and a "brilliant" pilot,
Balmer was promoted to temporary group captain on 4 May 1944.[1] On 10/11 May, his Lancasters took part in a raid on Lille, losing three of their number. In an effort to shore up the morale of his younger crews, Balmer decided to personally lead their next mission the following night, against a military camp at Bourg-Léopold (Leopoldsburg), Belgium. It was planned to be his last operation before going on to a more senior position. His aircraft failed to return from the raid, causing considerable shock to his unit. The next day, Balmer's place as commanding officer of No. 467 Squadron was taken by Wing Commander William Brill, previously a member of No. 463 Squadron RAAF, which was also based at Waddington.[40]
Initially posted as missing, Balmer and his crew were later confirmed to have died when their Lancaster crashed near
Notes
- ^ ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ a b c "Recommendation: Distinguished Flying Cross". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Grp-Capt Balmer missing". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 30 June 1944. p. 3. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- Trinity College, University of Melbourne: 7, 12. October 1931. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 225–226
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 239
- ^ a b c d King, Song of the Beauforts, pp. 321–323
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, pp. 206–207, 496
- ^ Coulthard-Clark, The Third Brother, p. 329
- ^ a b Odgers, Mr Double Seven, p. 11
- ^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 115
- ^ a b "Group Captain John Raeburn Balmer". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 125–126 Archived 8 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "13 Squadron RAAF". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ Johnston, Whispering Death, p. 45
- ^ a b RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 38–41
- ^ King, Song of the Beauforts, p. 16
- ^ RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 22–26
- ^ a b c Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 552–553 Archived 24 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Roylance, Air Base Richmond, p. 126
- ^ King, Song of the Beauforts, p. 17
- ^ King, Song of the Beauforts, pp. 22–24
- ^ King, Song of the Beauforts, pp. 24–26
- ^ "No. 35586". The London Gazette. 11 June 1942. pp. 2487–2488.
- ^ Johnston, Whispering Death, p. 198
- ^ a b c d RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 99–102
- ^ Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 615–616 Archived 24 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 639–640 Archived 24 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ King, Song of the Beauforts, pp. 7, 771
- ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, p. 162
- ^ King, Song of the Beauforts, pp. 90–91
- ^ Herington, Air War Against Germany and Italy, p. 649 Archived 25 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 144–147
- ^ Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 95–96
- ^ Herington, Air War Against Germany and Italy, pp. 636–637, 642–643 Archived 25 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Herington, Air War Against Germany and Italy, pp. 651, 653, 655, 658–660 Archived 25 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Herington, Air Power Over Europe, pp. 19–21 Archived 26 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "No. 36475". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 April 1944. p. 1779.
- ^ Herington, Air Power Over Europe, pp. 27–28 Archived 26 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Herington, Air Power Over Europe, pp. 37–38 Archived 26 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "467 Squadron RAAF World War 2 Fatalities" (PDF). Australian War Memorial. p. 68. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
- ^ "Roll of Honour – John Raeburn Balmer". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
References
- Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1991). The Third Brother: The Royal Australian Air Force 1921–39. North Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0-04-442307-1. Archived from the originalon 16 December 2013.
- Gillison, Douglas (1962). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume I – Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 2000369.
- Herington, John (1954). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume III – Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939–1943. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 3633363.
- Herington, John (1963). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume IV – Air Power Over Europe 1944–1945. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 3633419.
- ISBN 978-1-74175-901-3.
- King, Colin M. (2008) [2004]. Song of the Beauforts: No 100 Squadron RAAF and Beaufort Bomber Operations. Tuggeranong, Australian Capital Territory: Air Power Development Centre. ISBN 978-1-920800-24-6.
- ISBN 978-1-920800-30-7.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 3: Bomber Units. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-42795-7.
- Roylance, Derek (1991). Air Base Richmond. RAAF Base Richmond: Royal Australian Air Force. ISBN 0-646-05212-8.
- Stephens, Alan (2006) [2001]. The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-555541-4.