Operation: Ramrod, France

Date: 6th June 1944 (Monday)

Unit No: 440 (City of Ottawa) Squadron, RCAF, 143 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force

Type: Typhoon Ib

Serial: MN428

Code: I8:Z

Base: RAF Hurn, Dorset, England

Location: Saint-Mauvieu-Norrey, France

Pilot: Fg Off. Leonard Ralph Allman J13588 RCAF Age 24. KiA

Above Fg Off. Allman from his Service Record

REASON FOR LOSS

On the 6th June 1944 Fg Off. Allman took off from RAF Hurn at 19:10 hrs to join a force of eight Typhoons on Ramrod south of Caen.

Sqn Ldr. William Henry Pentland J3204 RCAF, who was leading this sortie described the circumstances of the loss of MN428 and Fg Off. Allman:

‘On the 6th June 1944 at approximately 20:00 hrs the Squadron was engaged on a Ramrod south of Caen. After the target (MT) had been bombed and strafed. Blue three and four were not with the formation. Blue three called and stated that he had been hit by flak in his main tank. Blue four, Fg Off. Allman, called and asked where blue three was and said that he would return to base with him. Blue three gave a vector of 360^Ofrom the beachhead over the R/T, and Fg Off. Allman acknowledged this vector as well as saying that he would endeavour to find Blue three. This was the last heard of Fg Off. Allman. Blue three landed at Woodchurch and had not seen Fg Off. AIlman since the bombing run’.

Ramrod: Short range bomber attacks to destroy ground targets.

Note: Sqn Ldr. William Henry Pentland DFC was KiA on the 7th October 1944, when his Typhoon Ib MN641 I8:J exploded in mid-air after being hit by flak.

Whilst sweeping the area of Norrey-en-Bessin, the No.1 Missing Research & Enquiry Unit (MREU) found the wreckage of Typhoon MN428. It was determined from local witnesses that the aircraft had been hit by flak. The pilot had tried to bale out but most unfortunately his parachute caught on a damaged wing of the aircraft and was dragged down to his death. The aircraft came down in the enemy lines at Saint-Mauvieu-Norrey about 9¾ km (6 mls) east of Caen. Fg Off. Allman was buried in a makeshift grave beside the wreckage.

On the 18th March 1944 Fg Off. Allman was ferrying Typhoon Ib MM961 from RAF Ayr to RAF Hurn. On the downwind leg of RAF Wood Vale the Typhoon’s engine cut out while he was lowering the undercarriage. He proceeded to hand pump the undercarriage down, and made a dead stick landing on the runway without flaps which he did not have time to pump down. The aircraft overshot the runway and stopped in a nose up position.

Burial details:

Above Initial Grave marker for Fg Off. Leonard Ralph Allman

Fg Off. Leonard Ralph Allman. Recovered and laid to rest at the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, Reviers XIII.H.13 on the 3rd May 1945. Inscription: ‘WE'VE KNOWN SO MUCH OF HAPPINESS, ONE GIFT OF GOD THAT DEATH CANNOT DESTROY’. Born on the 10th March 1919 in Toronto, Ontario. Son of Ephriam (deceased) and Annie (née Bean) Allman. Husband of Regina Mary-Ann Allman of Schenectady, New York State, USA.

He had three brothers who also served:

Sgt. E. Gerald Allman B23616, #1 CSRU Canadian Army based in England.

George Reginald Allman was also in the Canadian Army (No further details found).

Trooper Franklin Russell Allman B69865 of the 2nd Canadian Motorcycle Regiment. He died in an ambulance enroute from Camp Borden Military Hospital to Toronto Military Hospital at about 14:45 hrs on the 4th October 1940 of Cerebral Spinal Meningitis.

Researched by Ralph Snape and dedicated to this pilot and his family.

Other sources as quoted below:

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