Beschreibung:

The outstanding Second World War D.S.O., D.F.C. group of eleven awarded to Major H. C. “Nick” Knilans, United States Army Air Forces, late Royal Canadian Air Force, attached Royal Air Force, who somehow survived a spate of hair-raising sorties in 619 and 617 Squadrons in the period May 1943 to October 1944, the majority of them under Cheshire, V.C. and “Willie” Tait. On being ‘grounded’ after the attack on the Tirpitz in September 1944, he had flown over 50 operational sorties, including thirteen when his aircraft had been damaged by flak or night fighters and seven when he had been compelled to return to base on three engines. It was an extraordinary operational record, a record vividly described by Chaz Bowyer in Bomber Barons and one that won him an impressive array of American, British and Canadian awards: yet he wore only the ribbons of his D.S.O. and D.F.C., for fear of being labelled ‘a bragging Yank’. A superb pilot, he was ‘saved’ by the intervention of Cheshire on the occasion he ‘buzzed’ 617’s Officers’ Mess at the Petwood Hotel: his Lancaster roared over the roof with only two or three feet to spare and so frightened a W.A.A.F that she dropped the entire contents of a tea tray over the Station C.O., Group Captain Philpott. Such antics aside, Knilans was deadly serious about operations - ‘flying into combat night after night, to me, was not very funny. It was a cold-blooded battle to kill or be killed’: it was for just such reasons that he refused to have ‘a scantily clad girl’ painted on the nose of his aircraft. Distinguished Service Order, G.VI.R., silver-gilt and enamel, the reverse of the suspension bar officially dated ‘1943’, with integral top riband bar; Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated ‘1945’; 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45, silver; Canadian Voluntary Service Medal 1939-45, with overseas clasp; United States of America, Distinguished Flying Cross; Defense Service Medal; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal; Victory Medal 1945; together with the recipient’s R.C.A.F. cap badge and ‘Operational Wings’ with Bar, his U.S.A.A.F. metalled Wings and identity discs, and his fraternity ring, with ‘Pilot Officer U.S.A.A.F.’ and R.A.F. motto as legends, obverse red enamel badly damaged on the first, reverses with glue stains from old display mounting, otherwise generally very fine or better (Lot) £8,000-£12,000 Footnote The awards of the recipient’s D.S.O. and D.F.C. were not announced in the London Gazette owing to his American citizenship and the fact he was a 1st Lieutenant, United States Army Air Force, on attachment to the Royal Air Force, at the time. D.S.O. submitted to the King in December 1943. The original recommendation for an immediate award states: ‘In an attack on Kassel on 3 October 1943, this officer was captain of a Lancaster which was attacked on the route to the target by an enemy fighter. In spite of the rear turret being put out of action and the gunner killed , he carried on and bombed the target. On the 26 November 1943, Lieutenant Knilans was captain of an aircraft taking part in the attack on Berlin when two enemy fighters intercepted. One damaged the mid-turret and put an engine out of action. In spite of this, the captain manoeuvred his aircraft so that no further damage was sustained while one of the fighters went down on fire and the other was damaged by the fire of the rear gunner. Although still well over two hundred miles from the target, the captain decided to continue, bombed from a low height and obtained a photograph of the target. On return to this country it was found that one wheel was damaged but in spite of this, the aircraft was landed successfully in bad weather. Lieutenant Knilans has made seventeen sorties and throughout shown outstanding airmanship and captaincy.’ D.F.C. submitted to the King in March 1944. The original recommendation states: ‘This officer has been operating with a special duties