Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Flying Officer

Unit:

No. 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron, Royal Air Force

Awarded on:

November 12th, 1943

Citation:
"Flying Officer Benner has completed a number of sorties as a navigator. The majority of these have been operations against the Ruhr targets and he also went to Berlin and Peenemunde. On one occasion while attacking Cologne the aircraft in which he was flying was turned on its back by a burst of anti-aircraft fire and fell for fourteen thousand feet before control was regained. Coolly, Flying Officer Benner not only gave his pilot valuable assistance at an extremely difficult moment, but he also heartened the remainder of the crew. His work on the ground as well as in the air has always been most praiseworthy."