Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry Smashing the U-Boat pens
Bomber Barons continues:
‘On 1 August Knilans was again over France, intent on bombing Siracourt, but total cloud cover over the objective meant all aircraft returning with their bombs still aboard. It was officially the end of Knilans’ second operational tour, but Nick volunteered for an additional five bombing sorties. If he survived these, he knew he would then be rested permanently.
On 4 August, still piloting R-Roger, he bombed a bridge at Etaples, while next day he lifted a Tallboy to Brest and made a direct hit on the U-boat pens there. On 6 August he bombed the submarine base at Lorient with a Tallboy, hitting the briefed aiming point, despite a flak barrage which bucked his Lancaster and scarred every bomber taking part in the raid. After a brief spell of leave, Knilans was among the eleven Lancasters detailed on 18 August to bomb U-boat pens at La Pallice with Tallboys - a particularly successful sortie.’
Yet the strain of such protracted active service was beginning to show:
‘By then Knilans sensed that he was having trouble flying accurately - his subconscious seemed to be rebelling at the continuing nerve strain of operations. Nick had been flying sorties for fifteen months without a break - he decided to finish before he killed his faithful crew. For several weeks thereafter he was detailed to fly a series of fuel consumption and all-up weight tests. One such flight involved taking off with maximum fuel possible, total bomb load, which with the Lancaster’s natural weight totted up to 5,000 lb ‘overload’. The main runway was blocked by a stalled Lancaster, so Nick tried to take off from the alternative, shorter runway. At barely more than stalling speed, Nick finally dragged the reluctant Lanc off the ground 100 yards beyond the end of the runway, skimmed closely over some telephone wires, ‘milked up’ the flaps, and finally picked up full flying speed. Engineers from the Avro company watching were astonished that anyone could take a Lancaster so over-loaded off such a short runway - and Nick privately told Willie Tait later that he wouldn’t recommend doing it again either!’
“Tirpitz” - seventh trip home on three engines
Knilans now volunteered to participate in one more sortie - a very special sortie: the attack on the Tirpitz in Alten Fjord, via Russia; an attack duly delivered on 15 September 1944.
During the mission, after a troubled take-off from makeshift ‘staging post’ in Russia, Knilans was compelled to fly on three engines for a seventh - and final - time. Paul Brickhill’s history, The Dambusters, takes up the story:
‘Iveson had just enough petrol to get to Yagodnik and took off at full throttle, barely clearing the trees. The Russians brought more petrol for Knilans; he roared over the grass to take-off but his spark plugs were fouled and the engines were sluggish. Feeling the power lacking (she would have lifted easily enough but for the 6-ton bomb) Knilans shoved the throttles through the ‘gate’, hauled her off the ground and she lunged into the tree-tops and cut a swathe through the foliage for a hundred yards. Boughs shot up all round, twigs and leaves scooped into the radiators, a lopped branch knifed through the nose and shot into the cockpit beside Knilans, and then the engines hauled her clear. Wind howled through the smashed nose into Knilans’ face so that he could hardly see and flew with a hand over his face, peeking between two fingers. One engine cut out because of overheating from the blocked radiator, but they made it safely to Yagodnik and the ground crews set about repairs ... ‘
A piece of birch tree, three feet in length, was recovered from the Lancaster’s main door on landing: it was later displayed at Woodhall Spa with the caption, ‘Believe it or not!’
On his return to England, Knilans was formally ‘grounded’. He was awarded the D.F.C. Of his earlier award of the D.S.O., Brickhill’s The Dambusters states:
‘Knilans was told he had ‘finished’. After two straight tours without rest he had ‘operational fatigue’; his mind still registered mistakes in the air but his muscles would not respond. He had another disappointment too. His D.S.O. medal arrived - in the post. Knilans had set his heart on having it pinned on at an investiture.
Humphries kept it for him in the squadron safe while Knilans miserably waited for his posting, and whenever the inactivity got a little too much for him he used to wander down to the squadron office, moon around bashfully for a while and then say, ‘Humph, can I have a look at my medal?’ Humphries would solemnly take it out of the safe, and Knilans would hold it in his hand and sigh, ‘Heck, I guess that King never will get to meet me now’.’
His attachment to the R.A.F. over, Knilans volunteered to fly Northrop Black Widow night fighters with the U.S.A.A.F. in the Pacific theatre but the war ended before he could get into action.
Post-war
Knilans became a teacher after the war, a lengthy career which included a stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nigeria. In addition, ‘He championed the betterment of the lives of American youths with Mexican roots’ and served as a counsellor within the California prison system. He finally retired in 1978, ‘but continued his championing of the underdog in society, especially underprivileged youth.’ Bomber Barons continues:
‘It is a dedication to serving mankind which resulted from a private vow he made one night high over Berlin in 1943 when, fighting to control a crippled Lancaster, Nick Knilans had sworn to repay his debt to humanity. As he figured it, he had been extraordinarily lucky. He had survived more than fifty operational trips, including thirteen when his aircraft had been flak-damaged, and seven when he’d had to complete the sortie on only three engines. And of the two dozen men who’d graduated from training with him, he was the only survivor. To Nick Knilans it was a huge debt to be repaid.’
Nick Knilans died in June 2012, aged 94. Sold with a large quantity of original documentation, including:
(i) The recipient’s Royal Canadian Air Force Pilot’s Flying Log Book (R.C.A.F. Form R. 95 Type), covering the period March 1942 to October 1944, with signatures of Leonard Cheshire, V.C. and “Willie” Tait, and pasted-down photographs,etc.; the unused pages of the book dedicated to Knilans’ “Recollections of Bombing Trips”, namely his hand written accounts of each of his operational sorties, many of them accompanied by original target photographs, and accordingly an important record in respect of 619 and 617 Squadron, binding worn and re-taped, contents good.
(ii) Congratulatory ‘postagram’ from “Bomber” Harris in respect of his award of the D.S.O., dated 7 December 1943; likewise a congratulatory letter from the Lieutenant-General Commanding the U.S. Eighth Air Force, dated 7 December 1943.
(iii) Typed citations in respect of Knilans’ awards of the D.S.O. and D.F.C., embossed British Embassy, Washington D.C. notepaper with red seals, both dated 17 December 1946, mounted on card.
(iv) Warrant appointing Knilans a Pilot Officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force (Special Reserve), dated 16 November 1943. (v) R.C.A.F. certificate awarding Knilans a Bar to his Operational Wings, dated 14 June 1945.
(vi) A quantity of wartime period R.C.A.F. record cards and reports, together with Certificate of Service, issued in November 1948 and Record of Service issued in July 1952; together with a list of his wartime postings, as sent by the R.A.F. to the U.S.A.A.F., with covering letter, dated 25 January 1944.
www.dnw.co.uk all lots are illustrated on our website and are subject to buyers’ premium at 24% (+VAT where applicable)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260 |
Page 261 |
Page 262 |
Page 263 |
Page 264 |
Page 265 |
Page 266 |
Page 267 |
Page 268 |
Page 269 |
Page 270 |
Page 271 |
Page 272 |
Page 273 |
Page 274 |
Page 275 |
Page 276 |
Page 277 |
Page 278 |
Page 279 |
Page 280 |
Page 281 |
Page 282 |
Page 283 |
Page 284 |
Page 285 |
Page 286 |
Page 287 |
Page 288 |
Page 289 |
Page 290 |
Page 291 |
Page 292 |
Page 293 |
Page 294 |
Page 295 |
Page 296 |
Page 297 |
Page 298 |
Page 299 |
Page 300 |
Page 301 |
Page 302 |
Page 303 |
Page 304 |
Page 305 |
Page 306 |
Page 307 |
Page 308 |
Page 309 |
Page 310 |
Page 311 |
Page 312 |
Page 313 |
Page 314 |
Page 315 |
Page 316 |
Page 317 |
Page 318 |
Page 319 |
Page 320 |
Page 321 |
Page 322 |
Page 323 |
Page 324 |
Page 325 |
Page 326 |
Page 327 |
Page 328 |
Page 329 |
Page 330 |
Page 331 |
Page 332 |
Page 333 |
Page 334 |
Page 335 |
Page 336 |
Page 337 |
Page 338 |
Page 339 |
Page 340 |
Page 341 |
Page 342 |
Page 343 |
Page 344 |
Page 345 |
Page 346 |
Page 347 |
Page 348 |
Page 349 |
Page 350 |
Page 351 |
Page 352 |
Page 353 |
Page 354 |
Page 355 |
Page 356 |
Page 357 |
Page 358 |
Page 359 |
Page 360 |
Page 361 |
Page 362 |
Page 363 |
Page 364 |
Page 365 |
Page 366 |
Page 367 |
Page 368 |
Page 369 |
Page 370 |
Page 371 |
Page 372 |
Page 373 |
Page 374 |
Page 375 |
Page 376 |
Page 377 |
Page 378 |
Page 379 |
Page 380 |
Page 381 |
Page 382 |
Page 383 |
Page 384 |
Page 385 |
Page 386 |
Page 387 |
Page 388 |
Page 389
