The heroism of Canadian aviator Andrew Mynarski aboard a Lancaster bomber

Andrew Mynarski was born on October 14, 1916, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to a family of Polish immigrants.

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In 1940, he enlisted in the Canadian Army and later joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), training as a radio operator and gunner. He was posted to the United Kingdom in January 1942, flying Vickers Wellington, Handley Page Halifax, and finally Avro Lancaster bombers. His last mission began on June 12, 1944, in a Lancaster bomber, KB726, targeting Cambrai in northern France. Just after midnight, a German Junkers Ju-88 night fighter attacked his aircraft, causing a fire on board that forced the crew to bail out.

As he was about to bail out, Mynarski saw that the tail gunner, his friend Pat Brophy, was stuck in his position. Displaying impressive heroism, Mynarski traversed the burning area between himself and the tail turret. He reached his friend with his flight suit on fire, but was unable to free him. Brophy finally told him to back off, and Mynarski, resigned, saluted his friend and bailed out. Sadly, burns on his parachute caused him to take a heavy impact upon landing. He died shortly afterward in a German hospital.

Miraculously, Brophy managed to survive the crash and was able to recount his friend's heroic act. On October 11, 1946, Mynarski was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military decoration. It was the last such decoration awarded to a Canadian soldier during World War II. A few days ago, Yarnhub published a video telling the story of this Polish-born Canadian hero:

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Main image: Yarnhub.