RAAF man plans to meet German foe turned friend

[Kyt]

This story is a month old - I hope they have met.

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/...?section=world

A Brisbane World War II veteran is planning to travel to Austria to meet the German who shot down the Lancaster bomber he was crewing in 1945.

Bill (William) Pearce, 85, was a member of the RAAF and went to England to join the 156 Squadron RAF Pathfinder Force in 1941, aged 19.

Mr Pearce flew on 41 sorties over Germany, working as a wireless operator and air-gunner.

But on the night of February 20, 1945 during his 42nd operation, the bomber came under German attack in the middle of the night near Cologne.

Mr Pearce survived the hit but was captured by the Germans five days later and held as a prisoner of war.

In 1999, Mr Pearce came into contact with former German pilot Walter Telsnig.

He soon discovered Mr Telsnig was the German pilot who shot down his Lancaster bomber more than 60 years ago.

Mr Pearce says he and Mr Telsnig are now good friends.

"Sixty or so years ago we were trying to kill each other, but now, I'm Bill and he's Walter," he said.

"We just talk about normal things now-a-days, 'how's your family going', that sort of thing.

"He sends me photos of him and his family and I send him stuff from here.

"We're just communicating like a couple of mates really."

Mr Pearce hopes to travel to Austria to meet with Mr Telsnig face-to-face.

Mr Pearce and his daughter, Gayle Heselwood, visited the National War Memorial in Canberra today, to see one of only two remaining Lancaster bombers, named 'G for George'.

Mr Pearce says it brought back memories.

"I got a bit emotional, it was getting a bit hard to talk, it brought it all back," he said.

[Kyt]

Lancaster PB701 GT-Q
20/21 Feb 1945

Took Off 2242 from Upwood to mark the Rhenania Ossag oil refinery in the Reisholz district. Shot down by a night-fighter.

F/O Sinfield, an Exhibitioner at Bedford Modern school and at nineteen years of age one of the youngest decorated Navigators to be killed on bombing operations.

F/L A.D.Pelly Inj
F/S R.Morgan Inj
F/O D.F.Sinfield DFC KIA
F/O A.J.MacLeod RCAF Inj
Sgt J.D.Routledge Inj
W/O W.G.Pearce RAAF PoW
F/S E.C.Bangs KIA
F/S T.S.Carr KIA
F/L A.D.Pelly,

[Kyt]

And of course, http://www.156squadron.com/ is an excellent site

[spidge]

Another great story for them after all these years.