(click
here for a comprehensive story about the
fellowship and pictures of the handing over
of the Typhoons by the Brazilian ambassador
to the UK.)
On 24 February 1944, after making dozens of
training flights with the squadron, FO
Langille, or "Pete" as he was known as
on the squadron, made his first operational
sortie. He was part of an escort of 18
Mitchell bombers on a mission to France and
bombing "No Ball" targets (V-1 sites) south
east of Dieppe. Up untill late may, he flew
many training misisons and few operational
mission. These were stepped up late May, in
preparation for the invasion of Normandy.
Between 20 May and 30 June he seems not to
have been flying, but then assumes mission
over Normandy. On 17 Jult 1944, he is part
of a section that attacks a coloumn of
German staff cars. The coloumn is shot up
and the press reports that this attack
killed German Field Marschall Erwin Rommel,
then the commander of German forces in
Normandy. The report of his killing is
premature. Rommel is wounded in the attack.
This newspaper
article appeard in the Globe and Mail on 21
october 1944, and quotes FO Langille (source:
Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation
(CMCC)
Canadian War Museum)
The remainder of July and August were spent
with ground support missions, fighter sweeps,
armed recces and more practise flights to
help the ground forces in Normandy. After
the break out in August 193 squadron
undertook many ground support missions while
the Allied armies were chasing the Germans
in their retreat.
Killy
Kilpatrick, Pete Langille, and Jimmy Simpson
at Banville, near Ste Croix Sur Mer, 1944. (picture
courtesy of Tim Darling,
http://www.amnesta.net/other/ )
In September and October the missions were
flown to targets more and more North;
Belgium and the Netherlands. 193 squadron
and FO Langille mostly supported ground
troops again by shooting up any kind of
obstacle that they were called to; gun
emplacements, troop concentrations, railways
and other means of transportation and the
ever present fighter sweeps end recce's.
On 25 November 1944, FO Langille was tasked,
together with 285 other single engined
aircraft (184 of which were Typhoons) with
offensive patrols in support of ground
troops. Special attention was given to rail
roads and reports mentioned two locomotives
destroyed and one damaged, 18 boxcars
destroyed and ten damaged. Besides many
railway points were attacked and demolished.
FO Langille was on one of these missions
when his Typhoon was hit by flak and shot
down. His plane crashed in the vicinity of
Putten and he died in the crash.
Fo Langille was 22. He lies buried at Putten
General Cemetery.
