Mynarski, Andrew Charles

Personal Information

Rank P/O
Forename(s) Andrew Charles
Surname Mynarski
Gender M
Age 27
Decorations VC
Date of Death 13-06-1944
Next of Kin Son of Anna Mynarski, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
MYNARSKI AC

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Avro Lancaster X
Serial Number KB726
Markings VR-A A-Apple

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country France
Burial/Memorial Place Meharicourt Communal Cemetery
Grave Reference Brit. Plot. Grave 40.
Epitaph IN MEMORY HE WILL ALWAYS LIVE. EVER REMEMBERED BY MOTHER AND FAMILY

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 2
Panel Number 217

Enlistment Information

Service Number J/87544
Service Royal Canadian Air Force
Group 6
Squadron 419 (Moose)
Squadron Motto Moosa aswayita
Trade Air Gunner
Country of Origin Canada

Other Memorials

Location Outside Former St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Metal Statue and inscribed metal plaque
Memorial Text A statue and memorial to Plt Off A C Mynarski VC, 419 Sqn RCAF
View On Google Maps View On what3words
Location Mynarski Lakes, Manitoba; Between Amisk Park Reserve and Hwy 391
Country Canada
Memorial Type Lakes
Memorial Text
View On Google Maps View On what3words
Location Outside Former St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Slate Memorial Tablet on Stone Memorial
Memorial Text A memorial to Nos 419, 420 and 428 Sqns RCAF who flew from RAF Middleton St George during WW2
View On Google Maps View On what3words

Miscellaneous Information

VC Citation (London Gazette 11th October 1946): "“Pilot Officer Mynarski was the mid-upper gunner of a Lancaster aircraft, detailed to attack a target at Cambrai in France, on the night of 12th June, 1944. The aircraft was attacked from below and astern by an enemy fighter and ultimately came down in flames. As an immediate result of the attack, both port engines failed. Fire broke out between the mid-upper turret and the rear turret, as well as in the port wing. The flames soon became fierce and the captain ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft. Pilot Officer Mynarski left his turret and went towards the escape hatch. He then saw that the rear gunner was still in his turret and apparently unable to leave it. The turret was, in fact, immovable, since the hydraulic gear had been put out of action when the port engines failed, and the manual gear had been broken by the gunner in his attempts to escape. Without hesitation, Pilot Officer Mynarski made his way through the flames in an endeavour to reach the rear turret and release the gunner. Whilst so doing, his parachute and his clothing, up to the waist, were set on fire. All his efforts to move the turret and free the gunner were in vain. Eventually the rear gunner clearly indicated to him that there was nothing more he could do and that he should try to save his own life. Pilot Officer Mynarski reluctantly went back through the flames to the escape hatch. There, as a last gesture to the trapper gunner, he turned towards him, stood to attention in his flaming clothing and saluted, before he jumped out of the aircraft. Pilot Officer Mynarski’s descent was seen by French people on the ground. Both his parachute and clothing were on fire. He was found eventually by the French, but was so severely burnt that he died from his injuries. The rear gunner had a miraculous escape when the aircraft crashed. He subsequently testified that, had Pilot Officer Mynarski not attempted to save his comrade’s life, he could have left the aircraft in safety and would, doubtless, have escaped death. Pilot Officer Mynarski must have been fully aware that in trying to free the rear gunner he was almost certain to lose his own life. Despite this, with outstanding courage and complete disregard for his own safety, he went to the rescue. Willingly accepting the danger, Pilot Officer Mynarski lost his life by a most conspicuous act of heroism which called for valour of the highest order.”
Andrew was born on 14 October 1916 at Winnipeg, Manitoba the second son of Anna and Stanley Mynarski of Winnipeg. His parents were both recent Polish immigrants. He had five siblings, two brothers and three sisters, one of whom was named Stephanie. He attended King Edward and Isaac Newton schools, both elementary. He later graduated from St. John‘s Technical college. After his father died when Andrew was sixteen, he left his studies and became a leather worker as a chamois cutter for four years to help support his mother. He briefly worked with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles and then enlisted in the RCAF in September 1941.
A group of lakes in Manitoba are named in his honour (Grid reference: 56.158, -99.030)

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The National Archives

Last Operation Information

Start Date 12-06-1944
End Date 13-06-1944
Takeoff Station Middleton St. George
Day/Night Raid Night (58% moon)
Operation Cambrai- to bomb railway facilities. Part of a 671 aircraft force to further hamper lines of communications leading to the Normandy area. Cambrai and Caen attacks were scattered but Amiens, Arras and Poitiers were accurate. 23 aircraft were Lost (3.4%) including that of Charles Mynarski VC, the subject of the Canadian Lancaster 'Vera'.
Reason for Loss Shot down by a night-fighter (Ju 88) whose cannon fire destroyed both port engines and the hydraulic lines in the fuselage. WO2 Mynarski attempted to free the rear gunner who was trapped in the turret due to the failure of the hydraulics, despite the fire raging in the fuselage. Without success, the rear gunner waved Mynarski away but by then his clothes were ablaze and he did not survive for more than a few minutes on the ground. He was posthumously awarded the VC for his outstanding bravery and the Canadian Lancaster 'Vera' is dedicated in his honour.
 
 
 
 

Please Wait

Close

Request An Edit

Submit a Photo

Once submitted, your photo will be submitted for verification and will be shown on the database record shortly.

Disclaimer I acknowledge that I remain the copyright holder of the original document(s). I hereby grant copyright in the digital version to the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) and I consent to IBCC making digital copies freely available online under a Creative Commons non-commercial licence. IBCC may also use, reproduce or incorporate it into other works in any media, or licence its use for purposes of ensuring the sustainability of its Digital Archive and Losses Database. I understand that digital copies will be owned and controlled by IBCC, and I irrevocably agree to IBCC using and publishing digital copies however it sees fit, but always in line with its responsibilities to preserve and protect such ephemera.

Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.