Group Captain Gerry South DSO DFC (deceased)

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Gerald John South was born in 1922 and educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham. In 1940 he joined the RAF. After gaining his wings in 1941 he went to a navigation training school, but early in 1943 was posted to 405 Squadron, a Canadian Halifax unit. This became the first RCAF bomber squadron to be selected for the newly formed Pathfinders, with which South spent the rest of his frontline war. In November 1943 he was wounded when his aircraft was hit during a raid on Hanover, but he was able to bring the Halifax and its crew safely home to base. He was awarded the DFC. After two months in hospital he was back on operations with 7 Squadron flying Lancasters, again in the Pathfinders. He was now involved with marking for raids over some of Germany's most formidably defended targets, notably Berlin, over which he flew eight sorties. On the night of February 24-25, 1944, 7 Squadron was part of a force of 734 aircraft that attacked the ball-bearing factories at Schweinfurt. It was not an easy target to hit and both the RAF and the US 8th Army Air Force had suffered frightful losses to flak and night fighters while attempting it. For his leadership in Pathfinder operations, South was awarded the DSO in October 1944. After finishing his third tour of operations, South was posted to Transport Command, involved in supplying forces in the Far East theatre. Postwar, he served during the Malayan Emergency at Advanced Air Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, where from 1953 to 1955 he was on the air staff for joint army/air operations against communist insurgents. He subsequently commanded 115 (Canberra) Squadron, 1955-57, during which period it supported the military operation at Suez. From 1962 to 1964 he commanded an operations wing at Changi, Singapore during President Sukarno of Indonesia's attempt to subvert the creation of Malaysia through insurrection in Brunei and military action in Borneo. His final appointment was in 1969 as Group Captain Administration at HQ Near East Air Force, based in Cyprus and responsible for an area stretching from Malta to Oman. Group Captain Gerry South, DSO, DFC, died on February 28, 2010, aged 87.

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