Flight Lieutenant Stewart William Rees
RAAF No. 415681
He was born on September 30, 1923 in Cunderdin, Western Australia. When he was drafted into the RAAF on December 7, 1941, he was still a student. During 1942 he underwent basic pilot training in Australia and at the beginning of 1943 he was sent to Great Britain. Here he went through several other flight schools and underwent combat training. In February 1944 he was sent to Italy, where he was assigned to his first combat unit, to 600. squadron RAF, which was armed with night fighters Beaufighter Mk.VIF. Its radar operator became F/O D.C. Bartlett.
He scored his first victory on the night of May 13-14, when he shot down a Ju 88 bomber. On the night of June 1st to 2nd, he shot down Fiat CR. 42 from 2./NSG 9, whose pilot Horst Gressler was injured. This was the very first loss of NSG 9 in air combat. Rees fought the same unit's aircraft again on the night of September 4-5. This time his victims were two Stuky, probably aircraft Ju 87 D-5 E8 + FK a E8 + KK. He won his last victory on the night of December 22-23, 1944, when he certainly shot down two Ju 87s and damaged another. He won 6-1 and on February 23, 1945 was awarded the DFC.
He remained with the unit until January 1945, when he returned to England and in March became an instructor at the 54th OTU, where he underwent combat training in 1943. He then held several positions, for example at the RAF Police Headquarters, before he was in November sent home to Australia. He was released from service on February 15, 1946.
Sources:
Shores C., Williams C .: Aces High, Grub Street, London, 1994
Shores C .: Aces High, volume 2, Grub Street, London, 1999
Beale N .: Ghost Bombers, Calssic Publications, 2001
RAAF No. 415681
He was born on September 30, 1923 in Cunderdin, Western Australia. When he was drafted into the RAAF on December 7, 1941, he was still a student. During 1942 he underwent basic pilot training in Australia and at the beginning of 1943 he was sent to Great Britain. Here he went through several other flight schools and underwent combat training. In February 1944 he was sent to Italy, where he was assigned to his first combat unit, to 600. squadron RAF, which was armed with night fighters Beaufighter Mk.VIF. Its radar operator became F/O D.C. Bartlett.
He scored his first victory on the night of May 13-14, when he shot down a Ju 88 bomber. On the night of June 1st to 2nd, he shot down Fiat CR. 42 from 2./NSG 9, whose pilot Horst Gressler was injured. This was the very first loss of NSG 9 in air combat. Rees fought the same unit's aircraft again on the night of September 4-5. This time his victims were two Stuky, probably aircraft Ju 87 D-5 E8 + FK a E8 + KK. He won his last victory on the night of December 22-23, 1944, when he certainly shot down two Ju 87s and damaged another. He won 6-1 and on February 23, 1945 was awarded the DFC.
He remained with the unit until January 1945, when he returned to England and in March became an instructor at the 54th OTU, where he underwent combat training in 1943. He then held several positions, for example at the RAF Police Headquarters, before he was in November sent home to Australia. He was released from service on February 15, 1946.
Sources:
Shores C., Williams C .: Aces High, Grub Street, London, 1994
Shores C .: Aces High, volume 2, Grub Street, London, 1999
Beale N .: Ghost Bombers, Calssic Publications, 2001