Knilans, Hubert Clarence

Date of birth:: December 27th, 1917 (Delavan/Wisconsin, United States)
Date of death:: June 1st, 2012 (King/Wisconsin, United States)
Nationality:: American (1776 - present, Republic)

Biography

Nick Knilans was raised on a farm in Wisconsin. He was drafted by the Army but life as a rifleman did not appeal to him and he lacked the necessary university education to be trained as a pilot. Therefore he left for Canada in October 1941 and enlisted in the RCAF.
In 1943 he was posted to 619 Squadron and took part in the bombing missions against Hamburg and Berlin.
February 1944 he was transferred to 617 Squadron which was tasked with Pathfinder missions and precision bombing missions in France, Italy and Germany.
In April he completed his first operational tour but he and his crew decided to keep flying. In the night of 5/6 June 1944 he took part in Operation Taxable, dropping strips of metal foil to mislead German radar as to where an Allied operation was to take place.
He flew his 50th and final operational mission on September 15th, 1944 in which squadrons 9 and 617 took off from bases in Russia to deal a final blow to the German battleship Tirpitz which was lying at anchor in the Kaa Fjord.
With two tours under his belt, he volunteered for duty in the Pacific but the war was over before he could go into action.
After the war he left the USAAF in the rank of Major and became a teacher in California. He retired in 1978.

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Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: 1st Lieutenant
Unit:: No. 619 Squadron, Royal Air Force
Awarded on:: December 1943

Recommendation:
"In an attack on Kassel on 3 October 1943, this officer was captain of a Lancaster which was attacked on the route to the target by an enemy fighter. In spite of the rear turret being put out of action and the gunner killed , he carried on and bombed the target. On the 26 November 1943, Lieutenant Knilans was captain of an aircraft taking part in the attack on Berlin when two enemy fighters intercepted. One damaged the mid-turret and put an engine out of action. In spite of this, the captain manoeuvred his aircraft so that no further damage was sustained while one of the fighters went down on fire and the other was damaged by the fire of the rear gunner. Although still well over two hundred miles from the target, the captain decided to continue, bombed from a low height and obtained a photograph of the target. On return to this country it was found that one wheel was damaged but in spite of this, the aircraft was landed successfully in bad weather. Lieutenant Knilans has made seventeen sorties and throughout shown outstanding airmanship and captaincy."

Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: 1st Lieutenant
Awarded on:: March 1944

Recommendation:
"This officer has been operating with a special duties squadron and participated in many sorties against small and precise targets, vital to the enemy’s war effort. These attacks have been made in daylight and from low altitude in the face of intense enemy opposition from the ground. Lieutenant Knilans has participated in sorties against flying bomb and rocket installations and submarine pens at Brest, Lorient and Le Havre and by his imperturbability, courage and efficiency he has contributed largely to the successes achieved."