Andrew Magee J17298

May 11, 1922 - September 25, 1990

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RAF 247 & 56 & 438 Squadrons

Thank you to John Martinello of Brighton, Ontario for this story. See the links below for his story about F/Lt Magee.

"It was published in the Chatham (Ontario) Daily News in 2011. F/Lt Magee was a Canadian flying Typhoons with 247 Sqn RAF. When he crash-landed in Telgte, Germany, he was flying Typhoon Mk 1B coded ZY-G, serial number MN471. I have never forgotten that July 1967 day when Magee spoke about his experiences as a Typhoon pilot." Magee and his wife were friends of John's parents. John was a nine year old boy at the time he met Magee.

John provides more detail about Magee from handwritten notes included in the last pages of F/Lt Magee's Flying Logbook.

In F/Lt Magee’s Flying Log Book there is an entry for 10 May 1945. That day he flew for 2 hrs, 40 mins – from Straubing, Germany to Rheimes, France – on a C-47. The next day, 11 May 1945 (his birthday), Magee recorded that he flew for 1 hr, 5 mins – from Juvincourt, France to Westcott, England – on a Lancaster. 'Free at last. Heading home to Wallaceburg, Ontario.' "What these guys did is beyond belief," says John.

John Martinello adds, "These notes were transcribed – unrevised & unredacted - from hand-written notes at the back of F/Lt EA Magee’s Flying Log Book. The Log Book I worked from is a copy of a copy (of probably many copies); so the writing is faded. To the best of my ability, the preceding Notes preserve the format, form, punctuation & mistakes of the original hand-written notes. I have capitalized the notes because Magee wrote them in all capitalized letters. Remarks about Note #1
(a) The note seems to have been pasted into the Log Book. The original lines & columns of the Log Book are covered over.
(b) The note was divided into four pages; each page with the number 1, 2, 3 & 4 at the top of the page .
(c) F/Lt Magee wrote “PADERBARM KASSEL.” There are two towns in Germany called Paderborn & Kassel.
(d) F/Lt Magee wrote “NURNBERG STALAG XVIII D.” The various Stalag Luft XVIII camps were located in & around Salzburg. Because Magee consistently wrote “NURNBERG” when he refers to a Stalag, I believe Magee was held at Stalag Luft XIIID in the Nuremburg area..
(e) F/Lt Magee wrote “”MOSSIES.” This was a reference to the de Havilland DH.98 twin-engine, multi-purpose, fighter-bomber, Mosquito airplane.
5. Remarks about Note #2
(a) Unlike Note #1, this note was written directly into F/Lt Magee’s Flying Log Book.
(b) F/Lt Magee wrote “FORCE LANDED JUST OUTSIDE TEGELE IN GERMANY.” On the day he force-landed, Magee took-off from airfield B.86, Helmond, The Netherlands. After force-landing, Magee walked - for 4 days & nights - to Greven, Germany. Based on the facts that Magee took-off from Helmond & that it took 4 days & nights to walk to Greven, I believe that Magee force-landed in Telgte, Germany instead of “TEGELE.”
(c) F/Lt Magee wrote “MOVED TO LUFT III AT NURNBURG.” The various Stalag Luft III camps were in & around Berlin. I believe Magee was held at Stalag Luft XIIID in the Nuremburg area.
(d) F/Lt Magee wrote, “FORCED TO MARCH TO MOOSBURG (STALAG VIIA).” Magee was part of one of the infamous winter “Marches.” In his case, a march of more than 250 km – through one of the coldest European winters on record - from Nuremburg to Moosburg."

In Typhoon and Tempest by Hugh Halliday, there is mention of Sgt. Emmett Andrew Magee with No. 56 Squadron, November 1942 on pages 19 and 20. Could this be the same Mageee? In the book, it says that at 0930 hours, F/L Piltingsrud lead F/O R. H. Duego and Sgt. Magee, on an attack of military huts on Walcheren Island, flew at sea level until they were a mile from the coast, climbed to height, and swooped in. On February 26, 1943, Magee was hit by bullets and shrapnel off the Dutch coast, and was saved by the armour plating on the Typhoon.

Photos courtesy of John Martinello. "Please note that they are all really dark/grainy; they are copies of copies of..... But I have attached the two that copy best. The first is a copy of three 56 Sqn Typhoons taken from a page (at the end of Apr 1942, when Magee was on 56) of Magee's FLB. The second photo is at the very front of Magee's FLB. It is also from his time on 56. And it also partly answers the questions you (Anne) asked: "Could this be the same Magee?" In the book, it says that at "0930 hours, F/L Piltingsrud lead F/O R. H. Duego and Sgt. Magee, on an attack of military huts on Walcheren Island, flew at sea level until they were a mile from the coast, climbed to height, and swooped in. On February 26, 1943, Magee was hit by bullets and shrapnel off the Dutch coast, and was saved by the armour plating on the Typhoon." In photo, (just right of centre) is Piltingsrud as FLT-Comd (Killed). Also, in his FLB, Magee noted - for 26 Feb 43 - "CO TWO & MYSELF FIRED AT 4 ARMED TRAWLERS & I SET ONE ON FIRE (WAS HIT TWICE MYSELF)"

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