Flying
Officer Paul James Elfner
Royal
Canadian Air Force
Son
of Grace P. Elfner, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Died
on 10-Apr-1944 while based at Funtington, England, on a wartime
mission.
The
following entry is from 439's War Operations Record Book (Form 540): While
heading for Beachy Head at deck level, the clouds closed down and we
were forced to climb through the 4,000' layer of cloud. All
aircraft started up through okay, but we were one short coming out on
top. The missing man was F/O Paul Elfner in Typhoon "H"
(JR264). After receiving a fix & vector above the clouds, we were
given permission to jettison bombs and proceeded to return to home and
what a trip that was! Some above cloud, in cloud, and below cloud,
practice galore !*?!?!*!! (sic)
After we had landed with Elfner
still missing, we were informed that an aircraft had crashed into the
water, just off Beachy Head.
The
following entry is from 439's War Operations Record Book (Form 541): The
trip down to Beachy Head was made under very low cloud, which was
reported broken over the Channel. Suddenly, still overland near beachy
head, the cloud came down to meet the land. The
C.O. (S/L Norsworthy) gave the order "climbing" and the
closely packed formation nosed upwards into the heavy cloud blanket.
F/O MacDonald, flying as spare, had previously returned to base. Of
the seven aircraft which started into cloud together, only six broke
cloud at 6,000 feet. F/O P.J. Elfner J22201 was never seen or heard
from after the formation began the climb in cloud. He was in position
when the climb first began. Flying at 8,000 feet, S/L Norsworthy
requested a vector out into the Channel and received it from Control.
All aircraft in the formation jettisoned their bombs into the cloud
blanket over the Channel and set course for home on a homing. S/L
Norsworthy spotted a hole in the cloud and he and two other aircraft
managed to get down through it, and came home on the deck. The
remaining three aircraft reached base on separate homings. Mission
abortive. One aircraft and pilot missing.
Following
entry is from The
Canadian Virtual War Memorial website courtesy
of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
F/O
Paul Elfner (J/22281) is buried at RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL, United Kingdom,
Grave Reference: Panel 246.
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