Richard Joseph "Dick" Audet
Dec. 29, 1944 - Audet gets 5 kills in under 5 minutes (an RCAF record), then,
3 weeks later, becomes the only RCAF pilot of the War to destroy 2 jet fighters *

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Downs Five Germans in Five Hot Minutes

London, Dec. 30, 1944 — (CP Cable) — Flt.-Lieut. Richard J. Audet, 22-year-old Spitfire pilot of a Canadian wing operating with the British 2nd Tactical Air Force, had never before downed an enemy aircraft — but in five blazing minutes over Osnabruck he racked up five kills yesterday.
His feat was performed as Canadian flyers smashing at German communication targets in the Rhineland were met by stiff enemy aerial opposition.

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"Strafing trains was especially dangerous since flatcars attached to the trains were heavily armed. On March 3rd Audet was flying an armed reconnaissance in the munster area. He spotted a train and started down. A roar from the train's guns met Audet's oncoming Spitfire. His body was found in the wreckage of his aircraft."                            -     from "The Dangerous Sky" by Tom Coughlin

Another source says his body was never recovered and his name is recorded on the Runnymede War Memorial, Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey, England. A Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial "For those who have no known grave"

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Canadians lost 3 Planes Knocking Down 11 Germans

Show Big Margin Battling Strong Luftwaffe Fleets

London, Dec, 30, 1944 — (CP Cable) — Continent-based Canadian Spitfires and Typhoons, battling powerful Luftwaffe forces seeking to protect Rhineland rail and pipe lines Friday, destroyed at least 11 enemy craft at a cost of three Canadian planes, the R.C.A.F, announced today.
Flight-Lieut. Richard J. Audet, 22, of Lethbridge, Alta., a Spitfire pilot, paced the R.A.F. 2nd T.A.F. effort with the destruction of five German planes within five minutes near Osnabruck.
Canadian Spitfire and Typhoon wings, returning to their assault on the German supply system from which they had been diverted at the opening of Field Marshal von Rundstedt's counter-offensive, flew more than 250 sorties — a quarter of the T.A.F. total — destroyed or damaged 60 railway cars and four locomotives, slashed rail lines at a number of strategical points, and carried out low-level strafing and bombing attacks in clear weather.

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Canadian Pilot Downs 5 Huns In 5-Minute Battle Over Reich

London, Dec. 31, 1944 - (CP) – F/L Richard J. Audet, 22-year-old Spitfire pilot of a Canadian wing operating with the British 2nd Tactical Air Force, had never before downed an enemy aircraft — but in five blazing minutes over Osnabruck he racked up five kills on Friday.
His feat was performed as Canadian fliers smashing at German communication targets in the Rhineland were met by stiff enemy aerial opposition.
Audet's victims were three Focke-Wulf 190's, one Messersehmitt 109 and an unspecified aircraft.
Pilots in this wing destroyed a total of nine German aircraft, probably destroyed another two and damaged six. They also smashed at Nazi rail traffic, destroying four locomotives, damaging 13 and damaging 75 freight cars.
The wing's four remaining kills were scored by F/L E.C. Ireland of Toronto, F/L M. Cook of Boston Creek, Ont., F/O Arthur McCracken of Lakefield, Ont., and F/O Cameron of Toronto. All their victims were Focke Wulf 190's.
The other two kills went to F/O Robert Lawrence of Edson, Alta., without firing his guns. He was attacked by five German aircraft over a distance of about 10 miles and was taking evasive action, turning first toward an "FW" on his beam. When the latter attempted to follow in tight circles, it crashed and burst into flames. As he circled he bounced past an ME. 109 and was just about to open fire when the German, attempting to make too tight a circle, crashed.

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1945

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Canadian Fighter Pilots Get Biggest Bag of Huns

London, Jan. 2, 1945 - (CP) - Canadian fighter pilots accounted for at least half of the 94 German planes destroyed by the RAF's 2nd Tactical Air Force New Year's Day when the Luftwaffe made an attempt to cripple west front airfield operations.
A compilation tonight, based on the latest reports received from the Continent, showed that RCAF fighters in their biggest day of the war destroyed at least 36 enemy aircraft and half-a-dozen others fel1 to Canadian sharpshooters in RAF Squadrons.
The top scoring wing in the 2nd Tactical Air Force during the day of close to 100 "kills" was the Canadian Spitfire unit which brought down 24 German machines, probably destroyed another three and damaged seven. An untold number of probables and damaged planes was claimed by other Canadians.
The wing’s scorers included two airmen who downed three planes apiece, both from the Ram Squadron. FO G. D. Cameron of Toronto destroyed a trio of ME-109s while Flt. Lt. John Mackay of Cloverdale, B.C. destroyed two ME-109s and an FW-190. Mackay got the last two without using his guns because they dived into the ground when he chased them.
Flt. Lt. D. Pieri of Toronto and Elmhurst, Ill., destroyed two ME-190s and probably destroyed two others.
Flt. Lt. Dick Audet of Lethbridge, Alta., who last Friday shot down five enemy planes in little more than five minutes, brought his total to seven with two FW-190s bagged as they roared low over his field. Friday's quintet were the first aircraft the 22 year-old Lethbridge airman had downed.
Others from the Canadian wing, who helped to set up the day's record - the previous top mark for the Canadians in a single day was 22 planes - included Sqdn, Ldr. Dean Dover, DFC, and Bar, of Toronto, who destroyed an ME-109 and shared another with FO. Dean Kelly of Peterborough, Ont. and Flt. Lt Donald Gordon of Vancouver with two ME-109's.
Double scorers included Flt. Lt. J. W. Garland. Richmond, Ont., PO. Steve Butte, Michel. B.C.; PO. Mac Reeves, Madoc, Ont.; and FO. A. H. Fraser, Westmount, Que.
Single scorers included Flt. Lt. W. Banks, Toronto; Flt. Lt. B. MacPherson, St. Thomas, Ont.; Flt Lt. Basil Doak, Cowansville, Que.; FO. Vic Smith, Toronto; FO. J. C. Lee, Ottawa; PO. D. M. Horsburgh, Carnduff, Sask.; Flt. Lt. N. Keen, White Lake. B.C.; FO. H. Laurence, Edson. Alta.; and Flt. Sgt. Keith Lindsay. 10764 95th St. Edmonton. Lindsay also claimed one probable.

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Lethbridge Airman Destroys German Plane

London, Jan. 5, 1945 — (CP Cable) — Flt.-Lt. Dick Audet, of Lethbridge, Alta., destroyed a German Focke-Wulf 190 yesterday and shared in the destruction of another to raise to 8½ his bag of enemy planes knocked down in a week, the R.C. A.F. reported.
Flt.-Lt. Audet, who shot down five German planes in a little more than five minutes last Friday and got two more New Year's Day, shared one plane yesterday with Flt.-Lt. J. J. Boyle, of Toronto.
The German planes downed were among six destroyed by the R.C.A.F. Grizzly Bear Squadron in a mid-afternoon fight against seven aircraft just northeast of Hengelo, Holland.

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One Pilot Gets Triple Kill As Canadians Destroy 11

London, Jan. 15, 1945 - (CP) - Flt. Lt. J. Mackay of Cloverdale, B.C., an RCAF Ram Squadron pilot, scored a triple victory Sunday when planes of a Canadian Spitfire wing destroyed 11 Focke-Wulf 190's in 15 minutes over Enschede, Holland, near the German border.
Flt. Lt. MacKay's triple kill, his second in a fortnight, was scored in a dog fight that developed after the Canadians saw 15 German planes taking off from Enschede air field.
Others to destroy single enemy planes included:
Flt. Lt. Dick Audet, DFC, of Lethbridge, Alta., a Grizzly Bear Squadron sharpshooter who boosted his total of downed planes to 9½. Five of that total were destroyed in a single engagement recently.
Flt. Lt. J. J. Boyle, Toronto, and FO. J. A. Doran of Victoria, both Grizzly Bear Squadron members.
Fit. Lt. J. H. G. Dick of Montreal and Flt. Lt. J. E. G. Reade, an American, both of the Caribou Squadron.
Flt. Lt. F. Murray, Saint John, N.B., and FO. D. B. Dack of Calgary and Taber, Alta.
Passing over the airfield, the Ram Squadron airmen saw 12 Focke Wulfs flying east over the airdrome at 1,000 feet and others taking off. The Canadians attacked.

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Canadians Down 8 Nazi Planes; Audet Gets 2 Jets

London, Jan. 23, 1945 – (CP) – Canadian fighter pilots in continuous strikes today destroyed at least eight German aircraft in combat, damaged as many others and blew up ground targets with withering cannon and machine-gun fire.
Five of the destroyed planes and six of those damaged were twin jet-propelled ME262s.
They fell to the planes of the Ram and Grizzly Bear Spitfire Squadrons in two separate engagements. This is believed to be a record day’s bag of jet-propelled aircraft.
Two of the jets were shot down by F/L Dick Audet, DFC, of Lethbridge Alta., and the double kill brought his score to 11½. Audet, a Grizzly Bear Squadron pilot, only started scoring a few weeks ago when he destroyed five German planes in one dogfight, in one of the greatest single triumphs of aerial warfare.
The latest victims were about to land at an airfield near the city of Rheine on the Ems River, 65 miles north of Dortmund.
Ram pilots destroyed the three remaining jet craft when they encountered more than 15 of the jets either landing or taking off an airfield near Osnabruck. F/O D. F. Church of Peterborough, Ont., was credited with one.

Attack Near Hamm
Remainder of the planes destroyed were FW190’s. The Red Indian Squadron pounced on several near Hamm, big rail center east of the Ruhr, and shot down two in flames. F/L M. J. Gordon of Edmonton and F/O Fred Evans of 310 Durle St. Toronto shared one of them.
During the day Spitfires of this wing destroyed a locomotive and damaged four others and 15 freight cars. They also destroyed eight motor vehicles.
RCAF squadrons flew almost 400 sorties and among other achievements, 17 cuts were made in German rail lines carrying supplies and reinforcements to the front.
The day-long activities cost the RCAF five planes but one of the pilots is safe.

Audet Is Modest
F/L Dick Audet, the young Canadian who made air-war history in a Spitfire over Germany by destroying five German aircraft in a single dogfight failed to claim a fifth kill at first interrogation, the Maple Leaf reports from Holland.
It wasn’t until he and his squadron mates returned from a subsequent mission and retraced the battle Hun by Hun that the 22-year-old Lethbridge Alberta pilot claimed two Me109s and three FW190s destroyed.
It was all the more remarkable in that it was his first success in the air. He had no luck at all on his first operational tour from English bases.
Audet’s five-to-seven minute dream battle materialized 14,000 feet over Osnabruck where, leading a section of the high-scoring grizzly Bear Squadron, he spotted a mixed gaggle of 12 MEs and FWs

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AUDET, F/O Richard Joseph (J20126) - Distinguished Flying Cross -No.411 Squadron
Award effective 16 February 1945 as per London Gazette of that date and
AFRO 563/45 dated 29 March 1945

This officer has proved himself to be a highly skilled and courageous fighter. In December 1944 the squadron was involved in an engagement against twelve enemy fighters in the Rheine/Osnabruck area. In a most spirited action, Flying Officer Audet achieved outstanding success by destroying five enemy aircraft. This feat is a splendid tribute to his brilliant shooting, great gallantry and tenacity.

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RCAF Awards

Ottawa, March 9, 1945 - (CP) - Air Force Headquarters announced tonight the award of one bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Distinguished Flying Medals to members of the RCAF serving overseas.
Award of one British Empire Medal and one King's Commendation for valuable services to two other airmen was announced through publication in the official Canada Gazette.
The recipients include:

BAR TO THE DFC

F/L R. J. Audet, Lethbridge, Alta. (Audet now missing and believed killed). The 22-year-old Audet, member of the high-scoring RCAF Grizzly Bear Squadron of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, accounted for 11½ German planes in air battles. Five of them, his first kills, were destroyed in a five-minute battle over Osnabruck last Dec. 29 — a feat which won him the DFC.

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AUDET, F/L Richard Joseph (J20136) - Bar to DFC - No.411 Squadron
Award effective 9 March 1945 as per London Gazette of that date and
AFRO 625/45 dated 13 April 1945

This officer is an outstanding fighter pilot. Since his first engagements towards the end of December 1944, he has completed numerous sorties during which he has destroyed a further six enemy aircraft bringing his total victories to eleven. Flight Lieutenant Audet has also most effectively attacked numerous locomotives and mechanical vehicles. His skill and daring have won the highest praise.

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Air Force Casualties

Ottawa, March 16, 1945 — The Department of National Defense for Air today issued casualty list No. 1,143 of the Royal Canadian Air Force, showing next-of-kin of those named from Ontario include:

OVERSEAS
Missing, Believed Killed in Air operations

AUDET, Richard Joseph. D.F.C., F/L, Lethbridge, Alta. (wife overseas)

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Air Force Casualties - Sept 24th 1945

OVERSEAS
Previously Missing Believed Killed, Now Presumed Dead

AUDET, R. J., D.F.C. and Bar, F/L, Lethbridge, Alta.

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Photographs:
PL-35524 portrait with hat;
PL-41715 to PL-41719 a series of
individual shots posed in and around his Spitfire.

See H.A. Halliday, The Tumbling Sky, for biographical details.

See Peter Mossman, "F/L Richard Joseph Audet, DFC and Bar",
Journal of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, Fall 1964.

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--- Canadian Aces ---

--- Other Canadian Fighter Pilots ---

--- Canadian Air Gunners ---

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