Charley Fox RIP

Kyt · Oct 20, 2008

Very sad news

Pilot who wounded Rommel

The Canadian Spitfire pilot often credited with seriously wounding storied German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in a strafing attack in the critical weeks after D-Day, has died. Charley Fox was 88.

The much decorated flyer from London, Ont., was killed in a weekend automobile crash near Tillsonburg, Ont.

It took years before Fox was cited for the attack on Rommel - there were counterclaims by the Americans that one of their aircraft was responsible. As well, a South African pilot is also thought to have carried out the attack.

Rommel was Germany's leading field commander during the Second World War, earning the nickname Desert Fox for his African campaign. He had been summoned to France to prepare for the expected Allied invasion.

The strafing effectively ended Rommel's career. While still recovering from severe head injuries suffered in the incident, he was implicated in a plot to overthrow Adolf Hitler and committed suicide in October of 1944.

Although falsely accused, Rommel was convinced Germany would lose the war and historians now believe he wanted to secretly make peace with the Allies.

How history might have unfolded had Rommel not been incapacitated by the Spitfire remains one of the great "what ifs" of the history.

"He was badly, badly hurt," Fox said in a 2004 interview. "I end up thinking, 'What if I hadn't been airborne at the time? What if I hadn't shot him up? Would that have changed the war? Or would it have lengthened it?' "

On July 17, 1944, Fox and his squadron left their airfield at Bernières-sur-Mer in Normandy.

"As soon as we got airborne ... we started heading toward Caen and we split up into three sections of four, and we were to look for 'targets of opportunity' -- anything that was moving. It was the other side of Caen, and I saw this staff car coming along between a line of trees on a main road," Fox said.

"I made no motion until it was just about nine o'clock, and I did a diving, curving attack down and I probably started firing at about 300 yards. I saw hits on it and I saw it start to curve and go off the road - and by then I'm on my way."

The July 17 entry in his own wartime log book records "staff car damaged."

At the end of the entry, Fox had written: "Rommel - Yes."

A U.S. aircrew initially claimed to have fired on Rommel's car. Other accounts say South African pilot J.J. Le Roux carried out the strike.

But a Quebec historian researching the controversy at Library and Archives Canada says the official operational record book of Fox's unit, 412 Squadron, puts him in the air at the right time and place to have taken out Rommel.

"This is the official account from the time, usually filled out by a clerk with the squadron, recording when planes took off and came back. It's very precise, very exact." "said Michel Lavigne.

Fox had a standout record as an airman. He ended the war with credit for nine enemy aircraft and 153 vehicles and locomotives destroyed or damaged, according to a 412 Squadron description of his exploits.

He was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar - equivalent to a second DFC - for "exceptional courage and skill."

Fox ended his tour of duty in January 1945 and served in the 420 Reserve after the war. He retired in 1956 and began to work at a shoe factory, from which he retired in 1998. In April of 2004, he was named honorary colonel of 412 Squadron.
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http://ww2chat.com/forums/war-air/997-who-shot-up-erwin-rommels-staff-car-day-1944-a.html

liverpool annie · Oct 20, 2008

Kyt said: ↑

Very sad news

Pilot who wounded Rommel

http://ww2chat.com/forums/war-air/997-who-shot-up-erwin-rommels-staff-car-day-1944-a.html
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He was still living his life right up to the very end .... he was coming home from a meeting !

RIP Charley Fox !

Kitty · Oct 20, 2008

what a crying shame.

Antipodean Andy · Oct 20, 2008

A tragic way to end a remarkable life. RIP.

Kyt · Nov 3, 2008

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/sto.../Air-Force-Public-Affairs-Memorial/story.aspx

The life of Charley Fox, Second World War veteran and Honorary Colonel (HCol) for 412 (Transport) Squadron in Ottawa, was celebrated at a memorial service today at the Ottawa Airport.

The ceremony, held at the Transport Canada hangar located at the Ottawa Airport where 412 (Transport) Squadron is based, honoured the significant contributions of this iconic man and passionate promoter of Canadian military history.

"Charley was an extraordinary Honorary Colonel for us at 412 (Transport) Squadron - not just because he was a legendary hero who flew Spitfires with the 412 "Falcons" in the war, but because he genuinely loved every one of us and our families and went to such great lengths to get to know us personally," said Squadron Commanding Officer Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Volstad.

HCol Fox, D-Day veteran and double recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, died unexpectedly on October 18 at 88. He was perhaps best known for strafing German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel's staff car, which affected Rommel's ability to return to active duty, at a critical moment during the invasion of Normandy.

Before he died, HCol Fox spearheaded many causes including his "Torchbearers" project to honour Canadian Forces members, past and present. Among his most passionate desires was to have greater recognition of Canadian prisoners of war, notably those six Canadian airmen who died at Stalag Luft III Prisoner of War Camp during the "Great Escape." He was also adamant that all Polish combatants who served with Canadian air and ground forces be recognized.

A Second World War vintage Spitfire and Mustang, provided by Vintage Wings of Canada, as well as a CC-144 Challenger transport jet were on display during the memorial service.
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Kyt · Nov 5, 2008

Flight Lieutenant Charley Fox - Telegraph

Flight Lieutenant Charley Fox, who has died aged 88, was one of Canada's most successful fighter pilots, credited with destroying many trains and vehicles in addition to shooting down at least four aircraft in combat; among the vehicles he destroyed was a German staff car, and recent research suggests that one of the passengers was Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.

Late on the afternoon of July 17 1944 Fox was leading another Spitfire from his squadron – No 412 RCAF – on an armed reconnaissance sortie over Normandy when he spotted a large staff car carrying four people in addition to the driver. Fox dived on the car and opened fire with his 20mm cannons. The driver lost control of the Horch convertible and Fox and his wingman saw it crash into a ditch.

Later that evening reports were received that Rommel had been severely injured following an attack by Allied aircraft, and by nightfall the pilots of a USAAF fighter, two Typhoons and a Spitfire had claimed the credit. Fox had already submitted his mission report but, on hearing that Rommel's car had been destroyed at the same time as his attack, he and the squadron intelligence officer were convinced that he was responsible. He entered it in his logbook, but rarely mentioned the incident afterwards.

There was some disparity between the various pilots' accounts, and the "Who got Rommel?" debate led to numerous theories and much debate. In 2004 a Canadian aviation historian carried out a detailed assessment of the official RCAF and German military records, and the latter specifically mentioned a Spitfire rather than an American aircraft. After confirming the times, location and sortie profiles, he reviewed the claims of others and concluded that it was Fox who had delivered the damaging attack.

Charles William Fox was born on February 26 1920 at Guelph, Ontario, and educated locally. He started work as a decorator but enlisted in the RCAF in October 1940. On completion of his pilot training he was assessed as above average and retained as a flying instructor. In May 1943 he finally achieved his wish to be a fighter pilot and began training in Quebec. During the course his Harvard was involved in a mid-air collision, and he was forced to bail out. He arrived in England in August, and after further training joined 412 (RCAF) Squadron in January 1944 to fly Spitfires.

Fox led many ground attack sorties in the lead-up to D-Day – including three on the day of the invasion. On June 18 his squadron flew to an improvised airstrip in Normandy, from where it was heavily involved in attacking enemy vehicles and locomotives. During the summer offensive he shot down two enemy fighters and damaged four others, but most of his sorties were against ground targets. Many of these were in the face of intense anti-aircraft fire, and he was awarded a DFC for his "exceptional courage and skill in pressing home his attacks against the enemy".

In December 1944 Fox led No 412 on an attack against enemy airfields in the Munster area and shot down a Focke Wulf 190. Three days later he accounted for another German fighter and damaged a bomber. By the time he was rested at the end of January 1945 he had been credited with destroying or damaging 22 locomotives and 153 vehicles, in addition to his successes against aircraft. He had flown 224 operational sorties, and in February was awarded a Bar to his DFC.

In August 1945, after a period on operational staff duties, during which he managed to fly a few more operations in Spitfires, Fox returned to Canada. He was released from the RCAF a month later. In the peace that followed he joined the RCAF Auxiliary and served with No 420 Reserve Squadron flying Harvards, Mustangs and the early jet fighters. He later transferred to fighter controller duties, finally completing his service in May 1961. Fox was appointed an honorary colonel with 412 Squadron in April 2004, and presented with a painting by Lance Russwurm of his Spitfire attacking Rommel's car.

On his return to Canada after the war Fox had been approached by the grieving mother of a friend of his who had been killed in action. The distraught woman grabbed Fox and asked him: "Why my son, and not you?" – to which he had replied: "I don't know why not me." This encounter affected him deeply, and he committed himself to recounting the stories of fellow Canadian veterans. His crusade to inform school children, historical societies and serving troops became known as Torch Bearers Canada. Fox travelled widely to fulfil speaking engagements and he fought tenaciously with school boards to ensure that Remembrance Day ceremonies continued to be held.

He also campaigned hard for the recognition of Polish veterans who had worked closely with the 1st Canadian Army; and at the time of his death was raising money to send 5,000 Canadian schoolchildren to Holland in 2010 to mark the 65th Anniversary of the Canadian Army's leading role in its liberation. In an interview with The Maple Leaf, a newspaper dealing with defence issues, he said: "I have a passion for seeing groups of veterans recognised, and we must do something to give our fallen heroes the recognition they deserve."

Fox continued to fly for many years and was a member and past president of the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association. In later years he acted as a ground controller for the association's flypasts and was a regular commentator at air shows.

At the time of his death Fox was in the process of telling his story and those of other veterans in a book entitled Why Not Me? His family hopes to complete the work.

Charley Fox died at the wheel of his car in southern Ontario on October 18 while driving from a meeting at the local airport to attend lunch with his Harvard Association colleagues. At his funeral, a formation of nine Harvards, accompanied by a Spitfire and a Hurricane, flew over in salute. His wife Helen died in 1993, and he is survived by a son and two daughters.
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Antipodean Andy · Nov 5, 2008

An excellent obit. Look forward to his book as he led a very full life.

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