Richard Rohmer DFC

[Kyt]

Major General Rohmer was born in Hamilton, Ontario on January 24, 1924. He enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force on his eighteenth birthday. He had received some training in Canada before being shipped overseas to Bournemouth for further training on both Spitfires and Mustangs. He chose to fly a Mustang and was finally able to get into operations in the Fall of 1944.

General Rohmer provided reconnaissance for D-Day, the Falaise Gap and the Liberation of the Netherlands.

After the war, General Rohmer instructed Spitfire pilots on how to attack in the air at Gunnery Instructor School and later went back to college in Ontario, Canada. After graduating from college he went on to practice law. General Rohmer has received several awards throughout his illustrious career including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Canada Defence Medal and is an Officer of the Order of Canada just to name a few. General Rohmer is also a best selling author.

More details:

Alphabetical Search - Veterans Affairs Canada

Details of his DFC:

ROCHELEAU, F/O Joseph Rodolphe Ulysee (J17973) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No

Book:

Amazon.co.uk: Generally Speaking: The Memoirs of Major-General Richard Rohmer: R. Rohmer: Books

Extracts available via Google books:

Generally Speaking: The Memoirs of ... - Google Book Search

And his comments on D-Day:

Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin - Ontario, CA

Today, the 6th day of June, 2008, is the 64th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied assault against the German forces in Normandy in order to liberate France, Belgium, Holland and all of the people of Europe from the aggressive rule of Hitler and his Nazi forces.

For those of us who took part in D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, the liberation of France, Belgium and Holland, this is a day full of strong memories.

They reach across those long 64 years to revisit the images in our minds of that opening moment when Canada's strong army, navy and air force stormed against the shores of Juno Beach shoulder to shoulder with the British (Sword and Gold Beaches) and the Americans (Omaha and Utah Beaches).

For me, I had 'the best seat in the house' in my Mustang fighter, patrolling up and down the Canadian and British beaches at 500 feet as the first landing craft were approaching the mined defences that Field Marshall Rommel had erected on the beaches.

I was there to, among other things, protect the landing army troops against air attacks by the German Luftwaffe.

Under my Mustang, huge explosions were throwing smoke and debris high in the air as massive shells from the guns of scores of battleships well offshore were landing on and near German gun emplacements.

On the horizon out to sea to the north was a band of miles-long black smoke created from the firing warship guns. The band of black was punctuated by winking lights which were the fire from the barrels of the literally hundreds of heavy guns.

And in our Mustangs we were flying through the invisible hail of friendly shells landing beneath us as well as highly visible anti-aircraft shells the enemy was firing at us.

All in all, what I saw and experiencedonthatearlymorningof D-Day was the most impressive my then very young eyes had ever seen -- or my now old eyes have ever seen.

Old? Suffice it to say that I am the only pilot left alive out of the vital gang of my RCAF squadron who fought D-Day and the battles to free Europe. We lost many to the fire of the enemy during those battles. Time has taken the rest of my comrades over the 64 years since.

Generally speaking, those of us who took part in D-Day and/or the Battles to liberate Europe and are still alive and kicking are lucky to have survived this long and fortunate to be citizens of Canada, the best country anywhere.

[Antipodean Andy]

Excellent group of links, thanks Kyt. They provide a well-rounded picture.