zombola
04-26-2015, 12:14 PM
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Wilf DeMarco, an almost forgotten Canadian war hero, is finally being honoured — in the Austrian village where he died 70 years ago.
DeMarco, a native of Timmins, Ont., was a bomber pilot shot down in the final days of the Second World War while flying his Lancaster bomber in a daylight raid on Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat, known as the Eagle's Nest.
The Allies concocted the mission because they were worried Hitler might find a way to get to the retreat, which was in Berchtesgaden, Germany, near the border with Austria, for a bloody last stand that might prolong the war.
DeMarco, who completed 28 risky missions before the attempt on the Eagle's Nest, was shot down on April 25, 1945, over Adnet, Austria, after dropping his bombs. When his plane was hit, he did his best to keep it aloft, allowing three of his crew members to escape. DeMarco and three others, two of whom were Canadians, died.
DeMarco's Lancaster bomber is thought to be the last one lost by the Royal Air Force in combat before the war ended.
Pieces of the airplane were collected and saved by residents of Adnet, and now, at the urging of the town's mayor, they have been turned into a memorial for the four men that will be unveiled at the crash site on Saturday.
cbc
Wilf DeMarco, an almost forgotten Canadian war hero, is finally being honoured — in the Austrian village where he died 70 years ago.
DeMarco, a native of Timmins, Ont., was a bomber pilot shot down in the final days of the Second World War while flying his Lancaster bomber in a daylight raid on Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat, known as the Eagle's Nest.
The Allies concocted the mission because they were worried Hitler might find a way to get to the retreat, which was in Berchtesgaden, Germany, near the border with Austria, for a bloody last stand that might prolong the war.
DeMarco, who completed 28 risky missions before the attempt on the Eagle's Nest, was shot down on April 25, 1945, over Adnet, Austria, after dropping his bombs. When his plane was hit, he did his best to keep it aloft, allowing three of his crew members to escape. DeMarco and three others, two of whom were Canadians, died.
DeMarco's Lancaster bomber is thought to be the last one lost by the Royal Air Force in combat before the war ended.
Pieces of the airplane were collected and saved by residents of Adnet, and now, at the urging of the town's mayor, they have been turned into a memorial for the four men that will be unveiled at the crash site on Saturday.
cbc