Don C. Laubman
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Donald Currie Laubman, AOE
, DFC & Bar
, CD
(born 16 October 1921) began his military career in December 1939. In 1942 he was posted to 133 Squadron in Boundary Bay, British Columbia
, Canada
. In 1943 he was sent to Red Hill/Staplehurst in the United Kingdom
and assigned a new posting to 412 Squadron, 126 Wing (83 Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force).
In the late spring and early summer of 1944, Flight Lieutenant
Laubman and 412 Squadron were based in Tangmere
, West Sussex
, and flew many beachhead patrols. After witnessing an impassioned speech given by General Dwight D. Eisenhower
, 412 crossed the English Channel
on June 6, 1944, arriving at Juno Beach
. From D-Day
to VE Day
, 13 RCAF
Fighter pilots in service on the continent accounted for more than 120 German aircraft claimed destroyed. The top scorer was Squadron Leader
Don Laubman, with 15 victories.
On September 26th and 27th, Laubman flew four missions and downed seven enemy aircraft; four FW 190's and three BF 109's (plus another BF 109 damaged). This happened in the Nijmegen area (the location of Operation Market-Garden, the airborne operation to capture the Dutch Rhine bridges.) After his tour ended he arrived back in Canada in November 1944, and Laubman applied to return to active duty and was assigned command of 402 Squadron as Squadron Leader. Laubman ended the war as a prisoner of war
(April 1945) in Germany.
Laubman's final count was 15 destroyed, 3 damaged. 14 of those 15 were in the time span of June - October, 1944. His decorations include the DFC
and Bar as well as the the Canadian Forces Decoration
with 2 Bars. He is the fourth ranking RCAF ace, retiring in 1972 as a Lieutenant General
.
In 2007, he was awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence
"for distinguished service as a fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force and as a central Alberta business and community leader".http://www.gov.ab.ca/acn/200703/2124199732A8C-F35A-C1BD-5BE8217B3D0D5FD2.html
Lieutenant-General (Canada)
In the Canadian Forces, the rank of lieutenant-general is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a vice-admiral of the Navy. A lieutenant-general is a general officer, the equivalent of a Naval flag officer. A lieutenant-general is senior to a major general or rear-admiral, and junior to a general or...
Donald Currie Laubman, AOE
Alberta Order of Excellence
The Alberta Order of Excellence is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C...
, DFC & Bar
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
, CD
Canadian Forces Decoration
The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the...
(born 16 October 1921) began his military career in December 1939. In 1942 he was posted to 133 Squadron in Boundary Bay, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1943 he was sent to Red Hill/Staplehurst in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and assigned a new posting to 412 Squadron, 126 Wing (83 Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force).
In the late spring and early summer of 1944, Flight Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Laubman and 412 Squadron were based in Tangmere
Tangmere
Tangmere is a village and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. Located three miles north east of Chichester it is twinned with Hermanville-sur-Mer in Lower Normandy, France....
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, and flew many beachhead patrols. After witnessing an impassioned speech given by General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, 412 crossed the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
on June 6, 1944, arriving at Juno Beach
Juno Beach
Juno or Juno Beach was one of five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during the Second World War. The sector spanned from Saint-Aubin, a village just east of the British Gold sector, to Courseulles, just west of the British Sword sector...
. From D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
to VE Day
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
, 13 RCAF
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
Fighter pilots in service on the continent accounted for more than 120 German aircraft claimed destroyed. The top scorer was Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Don Laubman, with 15 victories.
On September 26th and 27th, Laubman flew four missions and downed seven enemy aircraft; four FW 190's and three BF 109's (plus another BF 109 damaged). This happened in the Nijmegen area (the location of Operation Market-Garden, the airborne operation to capture the Dutch Rhine bridges.) After his tour ended he arrived back in Canada in November 1944, and Laubman applied to return to active duty and was assigned command of 402 Squadron as Squadron Leader. Laubman ended the war as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
(April 1945) in Germany.
Laubman's final count was 15 destroyed, 3 damaged. 14 of those 15 were in the time span of June - October, 1944. His decorations include the DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
and Bar as well as the the Canadian Forces Decoration
Canadian Forces Decoration
The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the...
with 2 Bars. He is the fourth ranking RCAF ace, retiring in 1972 as a Lieutenant General
Lieutenant-General (Canada)
In the Canadian Forces, the rank of lieutenant-general is an Army or Air Force rank equal to a vice-admiral of the Navy. A lieutenant-general is a general officer, the equivalent of a Naval flag officer. A lieutenant-general is senior to a major general or rear-admiral, and junior to a general or...
.
In 2007, he was awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence
Alberta Order of Excellence
The Alberta Order of Excellence is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C...
"for distinguished service as a fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force and as a central Alberta business and community leader".http://www.gov.ab.ca/acn/200703/2124199732A8C-F35A-C1BD-5BE8217B3D0D5FD2.html