Red Deer Advocate, November 10, 2012

Page 1

CRIME DECLINE Lacombe seeing a decrease in serious crime statistics

C2 Rockets too hot to handle

Everglades adventure

The Red Deer Rebels

B1

Florida’s Everglades National Park much more than a swampy wasteland

B4

ended their five-game WHL road trip with a whimper

WEEKEND EDITION CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER $1.00

SATURDAY, NOV. 10, 2012

BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM

Red Deer Advocate special feature R

HEROES OF THE SKIES ‘I tried to overlook the fact there’s a human being in that machine ...

You’re in another state. You’re just locked onto that guy. It’s an amazing sensation.’ BY RANDY FIEDLER ADVOCATE STAFF Comrades in arms, partners in business, friends for life. Don Laubman, 91, and Doug Lindsay, 90, have known each other 70 years, their careers crossing repeatedly and leading them both, ultimately, to Red Deer. Both enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in late 1939 after boyhoods in which they were fascinated by flight. “I loved flying,” said Laubman, Lindsay nodding in agreement. Born in Provost, Laubman grew up in Edmonton watching airport takeoffs and landings. Lindsay, an Arnprior, Ont., native, had a flying neighbour who took him up and let him pilot often. After earning their wings, they became flight instructors until they enthusiastically joined overseas fighter squadrons in 1943. “We met in England as part of a group,” recalls Lindsay. “My squadron was posted only eight km from Don’s. The air force did everything alphabetically back then and Lindsay wasn’t far behind Laubman for pay parades. We got to know each other well there.” Getting to know the Germans wasn’t as easy. “Ninety-five per cent of the time we didn’t see a damn thing,” said Laubman. “Probably 97 per cent,” added Lindsay of their twice, sometimes thrice, daily patrols in Spitfires. Laubman’s first encounter yielded “beautiful pictures” and no kill: he’d fired a camera instead of

PLEASE RECYCLE

Photo by RANDY FIEDLER/Advocate staff

Don Laubman, left, and Doug Lindsay of Red Deer hold their Second World War Spitfire flight logs: both became Canadian aces flying over Europe and businessmen who launched the city’s first Canadian Tire store. his guns. When superiors saw the film, they mistook glinting sunlight off the German’s wings for hits. “I was awarded damage and never fired a shot!” His contact with the enemy was sporadic until flying over Holland during Rhine River bridge battles, when the Nazis sent hundreds of planes to keep the Allies out of Germany. In four September 1944 missions over two days, Laubman downed seven enemy planes, a feat earning him the Distinguished Flying Cross. By war’s end, he had destroyed 15 and damaged three, becoming Canada’s fourth ranking ace. Lindsay shot down three planes in under two minutes on July 2, 1944, when his squadron and another faced the enemy over Normandy. “I had quite a tussle with that third one. Eight of us had been mixed up with about 20 planes and then there was dead silence. I went home by myself.” He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, finishing the war with eight destroyed and five damaged. Neither man feels remorse for doing their duty.

WEATHER

INDEX

Light snow. High -13. Low -25.

Five sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C7,C8 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E1-E6 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . .C6,D7,D8 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . C4,C5 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B9

FORECAST ON A2

“I was shooting at an airplane, not an individual,” Lindsay said frankly. “I tried to overlook the fact there’s a human being in that machine,” said Laubman. “You’re in another state. You’re just locked onto that guy. It’s an amazing sensation.” On one patrol, Lindsay saw that intense focus turn fatal. “A young American flying with us strafed a convoy and he flew right into it. It was his first mission.” Laubman was briefly a prisoner of war before the war’s end in May 1945. He attacked two gas trucks and both exploded, damaging his Spitfire and forcing him to bail out. Hitler Youth brandishing Luger pistols captured him and in three weeks of captivity, he was briefly held with other Canadians who were captured at Dieppe. Both men re-enlisted after returning to Canada to continue their military careers.

Please see COMRADES on Page A2

LOCAL

CANADA

FUNDRAISER TODAY OMBUDSMAN’S FOR MEXICAN WORKER INVESTIGATION HALTED Red Deer’s Spanish community is puling together to help a Mexican worker who is facing cancer without health-care coverage due to federal cuts. A2

An investigation by Canada’s veterans ombudsman into a controversial breach of privacy was quietly shut down las year on the instructions of Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney. A3


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.