Jonsson, Thorsteinn Elton

Flying Officer Thorsteinn Elton Jonsson

RAF Well.143687, 1006762 (officer)

He was born 19. October 1921 in Reykjavik. His father was an Icelander, the mother, who died in 1936, English and a little Thorsteinn so in her native land, he spent a lot of time.
In April 1940, after the Germans occupied Denmark, with which Iceland has been affiliated personnel union, he sailed Jonsson to the Uk. He wanted to join the RAF and become a pilot.

The RAF was adopted in June 1940, his pilot training began in October 1940 and completed it in July 1941, when he was in the rank of Sergeant sent to Scotland to 17. squadron. The to your Hurricanes carried out mainly patrols over the convoy. For her, however, Jonnson only stayed less than two months, because in September was sent to the 111. squadron to North Weald. On her Spitfire then took action over occupied Europe, but no success in aerial combat gained. In September 1942, the squadron moved to Suffolk, where he began to prepare for service overseas. In October, the pilots moved to Gibraltar, where 11. November, 1942 they flew to Algeria, where he participated in the protection of the allied landings (operation Torch). During this month, he shot down three aircraft certainly, one probably and another damaged. The last victory on the black continent received 18. January 1943, when the Bou Arada shot down a fighter Bf 109.

In march 1943 he finished an operational tour, he was promoted to an officer and returned back to the Uk. Here he received from the hands of the king of George VI. honors DFM. The rest of the year he spent as an instructor at the 56. OTA and TEU (Tactical Exercise Unit) in Tealingu.

The action was returned in January 1944, when he was sent to the 65. squadron, which just finished overkill for fighters , the Mustang Mk.III. His unit formed part of the 122. the wings, which in addition to šedesátpětky accounted for even squadron numbers 19. and 122. The first victory in the new units acquired 19. April, when he damaged one Bf 109, the greatest achievements, however, achieved during support landings in Normandy in June and July.

The main task of the squadron Mustangs of the RAF were attacks on shipping and airfields in the rear of the enemy and the fighter sweepy. Jonsson was successful the first time on the morning of 24. June during the event, which is attended by all the squadron wings. In the vicinity of the city of Dreux come across fighters of the RAF for about thirty enemy fighters, probably from III./JG 54. A battle ensued, in which the pilots of the Mustangs claimed 9-0-2 victory, they lost but four of its own aircraft, coincidentally all from 65. squadron. Fortunately, the three pilots were rescued, and even with all escape captivity. Jonsson from this flight brought two victory over Fw 190.

Another success Jonsson scored a month later. 25. July his unit was on an armed reconnaissance and in the field of Dreux – Rambouillet ran into German fighters. Jonsson notched 1-0-1 victory over stodevítkami. The last success then received four days later, when his unit encountered in the area of Dreux – Conches on the formation stodevítek, which probably belonged to III./HC 3. The pilots of 65. the squadron immediately drop their bombs, they rushed up to stodevítky, and with only one own loss, their 2-0-2 victory, successful shooters was Jonsson and squadron commander S/Ldr D. P. Lamb. It was also the last victory Mustangs the RAF in support of the landing.

Squadron Mustangs will then have started to pay more attention to escort heavy bombers and Jonsson so by the end of his second tour of duty in December 1944 no other success did not score and his score stopped at 8-1-3 victory.

Jonsson is then returned to Iceland and worked there for neoperačních units. In may 1945, but was back in Britain, where he went for training on multi-engine aircraft, and then he joined 187. squadron. The to your Dakotami flying mainly to India. The RAF left the Jonsson finally in December 1946.

He returned home to Iceland, where 20 years had flown by airlines Loftleidir and Icelandair, three year spent on an internship at the belgian Sabena in the Congo. During the civil war in Nigeria at the end of the 60. years has taken over 400 humanitarian flights into the area of the Biafran, which fought for the independence. Then until 1987 he flew to luxembourg's Cargolux, inter alia, with the DC-8 and a Boing 747.

On retirement he returned home to Iceland, he wrote two autobiographical books, one about his childhood and experiences during the war, in the second he described the life of the pilot airlines. Both belong on the Island among the bestsellers.

Thorsteinn Elton Jonsson, the only icelandic fighter ace 2. world war ii, died in December 2001.


Sources:
Shores C.... Williams C....: Aces High, Grub Street, London, 1994
Shores C....: The 2nd TAF, Osprey, Oxford, 1970
Foreman J.: Fighter Comand war diaries, part 4, Air Research Publication, Walton-on-Thames, 2002
Foreman J.: Fighter Comand war diaries, part 5, Air Research Publication, Walton-on-Thames, 2004
www.ww2talk.com
www.geocities.com.

Air Victory of T. E. Jonsson





* Shores reports July 26 and 30, using data from Foreman and Franks.

In 1994, the London publishing house Grub Street published his memoirs of war under the title Dancing in the Skies (227 pages).