COMMANDER DISCOVERS A SURPRISING CLIP REVEALING WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS GRANDPA AFTER HE WENT MIA DURING WWII

 

Phil Richardson had earned a big name for himself for being a brave and patriotic army man. The man always wanted to be like his grandfather who went missing during a battle. Phil had grown up listening to the bravery stories of his grandfather that became an inspiration for him. He had not seen his grandfather ever as the airman disappeared decades before he was born but still felt attached to him. What happened to him after he went missing remained a mystery to the family until Phil got his hands on a Youtube clip. The footage made him take some drastic decision and he embarked on a difficult journey that ended on some astonishing revelation.

The Impact 

World War II was the most devastating war ever to be fought in history. Those who partook in it either died or remained scarred for their whole life. Philip’s grandfather was one of them although nobody knows what actually happened with him. The man was one of those whose existence remained a mystery to the world. 

Uncomparable

World War II was way more destructive in comparison to World War I. New technologies had been invented and new methods of war were discovered by the human race. Battles were fought not only on land and sea but also in the sky. The war was fought between two groups namely Axis and Allied powers.    

Becoming Popular

The aircraft catapulted to massive popularity during World War I. Though the credit of initiating the bombing raids goes to zeppelins, soon after both sides started to use fighter planes against their enemy. The aerial bombings proved to be very advantageous for the groups as the pilots managed to save the day on several occasions. Aerial warfare was becoming a new favorite for the fighters.  

Aerial Combat

No need to say everyone was highly impressed by the ability of aerial combat. The aircrafts had the potential of winning a war. No wonder, both the group Axis and Allied powers namely, came up with the military aircraft that came in use in World War II. Soon the war knocked at the door and by then Britain, Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States had equipped themselves with a strong air force.

Strategizing

The assertion was made on strong military leadership in the U.S. and Britain. They placed great importance on strategic bombing. Not only that but they also developed fleets having the potential of traveling long distances on raids. Despite that, Germany’s mighty Luftwaffe triggered terror in the enemy’s hearts with its Stuka dive bombers.  

Emerging Britain

With the progression of the war, Britain strengthened its position by making its grasp of radar technology stronger. Their understanding of radar enabled them to plan more disastrous raids. Notably, the Allies became nearly invincible when they got their hands on seismic bombs. Now the group was capable of unleashing all sorts of destruction.  

First Aerial Major Campaign

However, a new chapter of air conflict was added to the war when German Luftwaffe attacked Britain in July 1940. The war was fought in the air and was later called the Battle of Britain. In the war, German Luftwaffe triggered a chain of bombing raids and the British force fought to save their home. The battle is considered to be the first-ever aerial major campaign.    

Not The End

The Royal Air Force managed to win that war but the aggression of the Luftwaffe did not end there. In fact, the German force launched a series of raids, popular as Blitz in the United Kingdom. Scaringly, the raids destroyed a major part of Britain. Well, the exact casualties are not known but it is believed that about 20,000 civilians died in the capital solely.          

Not Good Results

One of the greatest reasons Allies emerged victorious in the war was their ability to fight air conflict. As we all know wars only lead to destruction here too the battle saw 60,000 RAF Bomber Command airmen losing their lives. For those who don’t know, it is a fatality rate of 50 percent.  

Years After

Many decades have passed by and gladly, the mortality rate of British airmen is not that high, in fact, it is quite low. Well, this news is a good one for the commander Phil Richardson who is a pilot himself in the Royal Navy. The commander always wanted to know what exactly had happened with his grandfather Ron who got disappeared in 1944 during the war. Unfortunately, his existence always remained a mystery to the family.

Missing Grandfather

Phil had been hearing his grandfather’s stories since his childhood. He knew him but never got a chance to see him as he had gone missing long before he was born. The commander said in an interview, “He was in the Navy, he was a fighter pilot in World War II and did incredibly brave things. The inspiration that it gave me made me want to join the Navy and try to emulate him.”

The Inspiration

He had taken inspiration from his grandfather and grew up to be a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm, a branch of the Royal Navy that runs naval aircraft. His grandfather even though wasn’t present with him, always guided him through his way. Phil had never expected that after 72 years of his grandfather’s disappearance, he was going to find something astonishing about his grandfather. 

The Clue

In 2017, Phil found the clip of a plane crash site on YouTube. No need to say, the footage showed the residues of a Grumman F6F Hellcat. This is just the type of plane Ron had been piloting the day he got disappeared. The parts were also found in Norway that was the setting of the final mission of the pilot.

Arctic Circle

Phil was unsure when he found the object and so decided to do some investigation. A  few days in research and he found that the site of the crash was situated somewhere in the remote mountain inside the Arctic Circle.

Melting Ice

The hill having a height of 3,000 feet was capped with ice and snow. However, the ice melted considerably due to the warming of weather in recent times. The melting ice uncovered the wreckage that remained hidden inside the snow for decades. The person who discovered the wreckage decided to record and post it online.          

German Battleship

However, this was not it, Phil found out that the crash site towered Kåfjord- an inlet located on Norway’s northern coast. When the war broke out, A German battleship namely, Tirpitz also German navy’s pride was anchored in this fjord. Ron was one of those men chosen to destruct the significant vessel.     

His Aircraft

After doing all the research work and having knowledge of Ron’s final mission, Phil and his dad Alistair concluded something unbelievable. Phil explained, “Three Hellcats were lost during the operation, and this crash site corresponds with the location, flight plan, attack route. We are certain it is my grandfather’s aircraft.”

During The Time

Ron’s family explained that Ron was residing in Newzealand at the time World War II started. He used to work as an electrical engineer. The man came forward to volunteer in the war when announcements for volunteers were made by the Commonwealth. Soon, he was in Britain to become a part of Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy.

The Pilot

Ron came to the scene with the title of a pilot and had his three years spent in the Hellcat and Spitfire planes’ cockpit. Many things changed in his life during those days. He found his soulmate while serving in England. However, his love story begun at a weird note. The man received a letter that was for another man who had the same name as Ron.      

Letter To Stranger

Ron knew that the letter wasn’t for him despite that he replied to the letter. And this is how his love life kickstarted. The girl who sent the letter was Sheila and much to Ron’s surprise she responded to his letter and the duo began to chit chat with each other. Soon their casual talks bloomed into love. And in a matter of years, the couple tied the knot in 1942. They chose Esher, a southern England town to start their new life.

Growing Family

Alistair Phil’s father came to the family after two years of their marriage. Ron was there at the time of Aliaster’s birth but the infant was not going to see his father for the coming six weeks. The man got to spend just one night with his family after he came back to Esher. However, this time Sheila was not getting a good feeling. She felt as if something wrong was going to happen very soon.       

Last Time

Phil referred to his grandmother and said, “My grandmother remembered him walking off down the garden path knowing that she would never see him again,” “She had some sort of premonition.” Ron who had no idea what was going on inside Shila’s mind bid adieu to his family. Ron joined HMS Indefatigable soon after returning to the work. The man was set to become a part of a mission that was not only dangerous but far away from home too. 

Most Important Vessel

The Royal Navy attacked the Tirpitz at is mooring located in Kåfjord on August 22, 1944. The ship was a significant vessel as it was the heaviest battleship made by a European navy. The battleship was so dangerous that Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister commanded complete distortion of it.      

Fleet Of Air Carriers

The Royal Navy was more than determined to destroy the Tirpitz and so they launched a fleet of air carriers to unleash attacks. They began their first bombing raid that morning. Well, the things did not go quite the way they had planned. Their endeavors died down without causing any harm to the vessel. It was a FAILURE.       

Another Attack

Yet the British air force was far from giving up. They launched yet another attack on the Tirpitz just a couple days after their first attack. Ron Richardson was one of the pilots in that group. The airman was leading a squadron of military aircraft. Ron filled with confidence and patriotism flew over Norway. The mission was dangerous but Ron was all set to give whatever it takes to destroy that battleship. 

Not Easy

Well, the mission was tougher than they had anticipated. The battleship Tirpitz was surrounded by a  protective smokescreen. Apparently, the presence of smokescreen confused Ron and his team members. They could not figure out where the vessel was kept. In addition to that, the anchorage was guarded by German anti-aircraft. Despite all these obstacles, Ron managed to drop down his cargo of bombs.    

A Hit

Ron and his team did everything they could to achieve the target and to some extent they had but things took a horrific turn when his plane suffered a blow. According to reports, the plane moved up into clouds and that was the last information about the plane and Ron that the airforce managed to procure.

Heart-Breaking Message

Back at home, Esher saw her life falling apart when she received a telegram from the army telling her that no trace of her husband was found and so he is assumed dead. The message broke her completely. She had this premonition when he had left for the duty. How much she wanted to be wrong.  The woman was in her mid-20s when she became a widow. 

Shattered

Phil later said, “From what she has told me, my grandmother was devastated.” “She had lost her husband but was never sure what happened to him and lived her life with lots of unanswered questions. But she is an extremely stoic lady, and she had a responsibility to bring up their son and get on with life,” the commander added. 

Life Ahead

Keep looking back at the past and not moving on with one’s life is not good for anyone. Sheila wasn’t alone, she had her children to look after and she had to move on for them. The woman remarried. She became the wife of submariner Patrick Thompson. The woman had started her new life but she never forgot Ron and kept him remained alive in memories by telling and retelling his stories to her kids.

Knowing The Truth

For Ron’s family, the emergence of the video was more than a coincidence. It was an opportunity for them to know what exactly had happened with their grandfather. Phil contacted the person who had made the video.
He said, “I emailed him, and I said, ‘Would you be willing to share the coordinates of where you found this aircraft because I am the grandson and I would just like to try and find closure.’”

Asking For Help

Help is the best thing you can offer to someone. The person who had posted the video originally agreed to help Phil. Thanks to the YouTuber, Phil found the location where his grandfather’s plane crashed. The spot was very far from and at a difficult place but that was not going to shake their determination. He told his father about it. 

The Team

Alistair too wanted to know what had happened with his father and so he too decided to accompany his son. Phil and Alistair had made the plan of investigating the place themselves. After a five-hour trek through the Norwegian jungles, they finally fond the spot where the Hellcat hid for centuries.

The Spot

The site was situated 300 miles into the Arctic circle. Surprisingly, even though the decades had passed the wreckage seemed well preserved. Phil described, “We found an almost complete but disintegrated Hellcat aircraft that had hardly weathered or perished as it has spent most of every year since covered in snow.”

Intact

Phil added, “there was virtually no rust on it, as if it had crashed last week.” “The rubber seals on the fuel pipes were as if they were still new.” They spotted wings that laid on the site and was torn during the crash. What more, they saw debris spread over an area of 2,152 square feet. 

Overwhelmed

So, how did he feel on seeing the Hellcat, “We saw parts of the fuselage still riddled with bullet holes. And the tail was very clearly still intact one piece.” He added, “Seeing the extent of the wreckage really moves me. I compare it to my own flying career in the navy, and know how close to dangerous situations I have been in. But, fortunately I have always come out the other side of them.”

A Grave

While examining the site, Phil and his family came across a shallow grave on a farm close to the site. According to locals, the grave is of Richardson. Germans buried him thereafter the plane crashed. Now it is difficult to confirm their belief as the grave has nothing in it.

No Name

Philip believes that the remains of his grandfather must have gone exhumed post the war and were re-buried in the vicinity of the crash site where the Tirpitz was sunk. There is no name on the grave that adds to the hardships.

Memorial Service

Phil has planned a memorial service for Ron though there is no formal information whether or not if he died in the plane crash. The New Zealand Defence Force, David Crossman will be one of the attendees. Phil wants to honor his grandfather for his selfless and heroic act.

History

Sheila, who has turned 95 now still has memories of Ron fresh in her mind. Even though many decades have passed by, she still remembers everything about him.