70 years ago tonight, 13th June……..
…….Pilot Office Andy Mynarski was mid upper gunner aboard Lancaster KB726, VR-A, of 419 Moose Squadron, RCAF,taking part in a raid on northern France. They reached their target at midnight. The Lancaster was attacked by a Junkers Ju 88 over Cambrai, France. Raked by cannon fire with major strikes on the port engines and centre fuselage, a hydraulic fire engulfed the bomber. Losing both port engines, pilot Flying Officer Art de Breyne ordered the crew to bail out. As Mynarski approached the rear escape door, he saw through the inferno in the rear, that tail gunner Pilot Officer Pat Brophy was trapped in his turret. The tail turret had been jammed part way through its rotation to the escape position.
Without hesitation, Mynarski made his way through the flames to Brophy’s assistance. All his efforts were in vain, initially using a fire axe to try to pry open the doors before finally resorting to beating at the turret with his hands. With Mynarski’s flight suit and parachute on fire, Brophy eventually waved him away. Mynarski crawled back through the hydraulic fire, returned to the rear door where he paused and saluted. He then said “Good night, sir,” and jumped.
Except for Brophy, all crew members of the Lancaster managed to escape the burning bomber.
Mynarski’s descent was rapid due to the burnt parachute and shroud lines, resulting in a heavy impact on landing. He landed alive though severely burned. French farmers who spotted the flaming bomber found him and took him to a German field hospital but he died shortly afterwards of his burns. He was buried in a local cemetery.
Brophy remained trapped in the bomber and remained there when it crashed in a farm field. As the bomber disintegrated, and began breaking apart, Brophy survived the crash and the subsequent detonation of the bomb load. Still lodged in his turret, the crash broke the turret open with him pitched out, striking a tree and being temporarily knocked out.
Brophy joined the French Resistance and returned to London in September 1944, where he learned of Mynarski’s death. It was not until 1945 when Brophy was reunited with the rest of the crew that the details of his final moments on the aircraft were revealed.
Mynarski lies buried in Grave 20 of the CWGC plot in the Méharicourt Communal Cemetery, near Amiens, France.
On 11 October 1946, a Victoria Cross was posthumously awarded for “valour of the highest order” to Andrew Charles Mynarski.
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