Not quite, but close!
Not quite, but close!
This WWII bomber jacket belonged to Rowan “Bob” Hutchinson of the No. 414 “Black Knight” Squadron. Born in Toronto, he enlisted in August of 1940 in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Originally flying Spitfires with the No. 401 Squadron, he was transferred the summer of 1942 to the No. 414 Squadron flying Mustang fighters from a base at Croydon, Surrey. After a year flying defensive patrols and strafing raids over occupied France, Hutchinson was sent on a secret mission to escort a naval vessel on the English Channel.
Also on that mission was pilot Larry Doherty. Three German FW-190s caught the pair by surprise, with Doherty having just enough time after spotting them to warn Hutchinson. Doherty’s Mustang was then shot out of the sky. Hutchinson spent the next twenty minutes fending off the three fighters until his German attackers actually gave up and left. As Hutchinson described it, “Larry saved my life. He was behind me and he must have seen the tracers from the 190s. The warning gave me time to take evasive action. The Germans came right out of the sun for us.”
By 1944 Hutchinson had become squadron leader of the No. 414 Squadron. Tasked with photo reconnaissance, Hutchinson was able to obtain highly valuable photos of the German Seventh and Fifth Panzer divisions trying to slip through the ever tightening knot of Allied Forces in the Falaise Gap.
Discover more about the air force and the role of ground observers in WWII.