Date of birth:

March 3rd, 1920 (Melbourne/Victoria, Australia)

Date of death:

July 29th, 2013

Service number:

60096

Nationality:

Australian (1901-present, Federal Monarchy)

Frederick Anthony Owen "Tony" Gaze was born February 3rd, 1920 in Melbourne, Australia. He was the son of Irvine Gaze, a member of the 1914 Ross Sea Party which was to drop food for the Shackleton expedition to the South Pole, which later failed. Later on, his father served in the R.A.F. as a fighterpilot during World War One. Tony Gaze studied at Cambridge and joined the RAFVR in 1939.
In March 1941, Tony joined 610 Squadron in which Douglas Bader also flew. The following year he served in 616 Squadron and was commander of 64 Squadron. In september 1943, Tony was posted to 66 Squadron and was shot down over Le Tréport. He managed however to escape to England. He was the first Western-Allied pilot to land on the European continent after D-Day. At the end of the war, he switched from the Supermarine Spitfire to the Gloster Meteor of 616 Squadron, the first operational Allied jetfighter squadron.
During World War Two, Tony Gaze was credited with 14.5 victories including a Messerschmidt Me 262 and a V1 flying bomb.
In July 1947 he left the R.A.F.V.R. and in June 1946 he enlisted in the R.A.A.F. He retired as early as 1950.
After the war he concerned himself with bike- and car racing. In 1948 he had a part in he establishment of the Goodwood Motorrace track. He made his debut in car racing in June 1952 in the Belgian Grand Prix. In 1955 he participated in the founding of the Australian Race Team, the Kangaroo Stable which was disbanded following a series of accidents in Le Mans in 1955. In 1960 he represented Australia at the World Gliding Championship in Germany. Tony Gaze was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2006 for his contribution to sports and motorracing.

Promotions:
January 15th, 1941: Pilot Officer on probation (Seniority: 9 januari 1941);
January 15th, 1942: Flying Officer (Seniority: 9 januari 1942);
January 15th, 1943: Flight Lieutenant (war sub., Seniority 9 januari 1943);
March 8th, 1948: Squadron Leader.

Career:
1940 - March 1941: Training Royal Air Force;
March 1941 - November 1941: Pilot No. 610 Squadron;
November 1941 - June 1942: Pilot No. 57 Operational Training Unit;
June 1942 - August 1942: Flight Commander No. 616 Squadron;
August 1942 - September 1942: Commander No. 64 Squadron;
September 1942 - January 1943: Flight Commander No. 616 Squadron;
January 1943 - May 1943: Flight Commander PR 2 AM;
May 1943 - June 1943: Commander No. 453 Squadron;
June 1943 - July 1943: Commander No. 268 TRS;
July 1943 - September 1943: Commander No. 129/222 Squadron;
September 1943: Flight Commander No. 66 Squadron;
September 1943 - October 1943: escaped from France;
January 1944: testpilot AFDU;
July 1944 - March 1945: Flight Commander No. 610 Squadron;
March 1945 - April 1945: Flight Commander No. 83 GSU;
April 5th, 1945 - April 30th, 1945: Flight Commander No. 41 Squadron;
May 1945 - October 1945: Flight Commander No. 616 Squadron.

Victories:
No. 610 Squadron:
1: June 26th, 1941; Messerschmitt Me 109E, Gravelines;
(June 26th, 1941; probable a Messerschmitt Me 109E, Gravelines);
(July 2nd, 1941; damaged a Messerschmitt Me 109E, west of Lille);
1,5: July 6th, 1941; Messerschmitt Me 109E, south of Lille;
2,5: July 10th, 1941; Messerschmitt Me 109F, Hardelot;
3,5: July 10th, 1941; Messerschmit 109E, Hardelot;
(July 17th, 1941; probable a Messerschmitt Me 109F, Le Touquet);
No. 616 Squadron:
(July 13th, 1942; probable Focke-Wulff Fw190, west of Abbéville);
4,5: July 18th, 1942; Focke-Wullf Fw 190, west of Le Touquet;
(July 18th, 1942; damaged Focke-Wulff Fw 190, westen of Le Touquet);
5,5: August 19th, 1942; Dornier Do 217, Dieppe;
(September 6th, 1942; damaged Focke-Wulff Fw 190, St. Omer);
No. 64 Squadron:
(October 11th, 1942; damaged Focke-Wulff Fw 190, south of Dunkirk);
No. 129 Squadron:
(August 16th, 1943; damaged Focke-Wulff Fw 190, northeast of Eeckloo);
6,5: August 17th, 1943; Focke-Wulff Fw 190, west of Antwerp;
(August 19th, 1943; probable Messerschmitt Me 109G);
No. 66 Squadron:
7,5: September 4th, 1943; Focke-Wulff Fw 190, Beauchamps;
No. 610 Squadron:
8,5: August 5th, 1944; V-1;
9,5: January 1945; Focke-Wulff Fw 190D, air base Y-32;
10,5: February 14th, 1945; Messerschmitt Me 262, Münster;
No. 41 Squadron;
11,5: April 10th, 1945: Junkers Ju 52/3m, Bremen-Nieuberg;
12,5: April 12th, 1945; Arado Ar 234, Bremen;
13,5: April 28th, 1945; Focke-Wulff Fw 190D, Schwerin air base;
14,5: April 30th, 1945; Focke-Wulff Fw 190D, near the River Elbe

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Pilot Officer

Unit:

No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron, Royal Air Force

Awarded on:

August 5th, 1941

Citation:
"This officer has shown a persistent desire to engage the enemy on all occasions. In a recent combat he undoubtedly saved his squadron commander from being shot down over enemy territory by destroying his two attackers. He has now destroyed at least three enemy aircraft."

Published in The London Gazette dated 5th August 1941.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Acting Flight Lieutenant

Unit:

No. 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron, Royal Air Force

Awarded on:

January 19th, 1943

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Flight Lieutenant

Unit:

No. 610 (County of Chester) Squadron, Royal Air Force

Awarded on:

June 1st, 1945

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

• Photo: RAF photo
  
• - The London Gazette of 14th February 1941, Issue 35076
  - The London Gazette of 5th August 1941, Issue 35238
  - The London Gazette of 24th February 1942, Issue 35467
  - Second Supplement to The London Gazette of 15th January 1943, Issue 35868, dated 19th January 1943
  - Third Supplement to The London Gazette of 11th May 1943, Issue 36015, dated 14th May 1943
  - Fifth Supplement to The London Gazette of 29th May 1945, Issue 37105, dated 1st June 1945
  - Fourth Supplement to The London Gazette of 5th March 1948, Issue 38231, dated 9th March 1948
  - Australian war Memorial
  - Ciel de Gloire
  - Medal Mounting And Framing
  - Flight Global - Archive
  

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Crash Site Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 600380

Millen - Nordrhein-Westfalen