William John Vocasivich

Warrant Officer

Conflict:

WW2

Additional Information:

Son of William Joseph and Mildred A. May Vocasivich, of Palmerston North, Wellington, New Zealand.

References:

CWGC

NZ WAR GRAVES

CONTRIBUTED

Public Contributions:

On the 2nd of September 1943, Liberator GR.V FL938 'G' of RAF No.224 Squadron, failed to return from an anti-submarine patrol over the Bay of Biscay. It was shot down by a German Air Force Ju 88s of ...V/KG40. Lost in Action were: J/6942 F/Lt (Pilot) Joseph Vernon GIBSON DFC RCAF + 119546 P/O Keith Tarrant EVERY RAFVR + 143871 P/O Vivian LOWER RAFVR + J/8633 F/O Ralph Henderson TIERNEY RCAF + R/87936 WO1 (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) Albert Arthur THOMPSON RCAF + 49812 F/O Phillip Ronald McINTOSH RAF + NZ402228 W/O (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) William John VOCASIVICH RNZAF + 564328 F/Sgt Harry Thomas FRENCH RAF. From the material I have, it appears that F/Lt Joe Gibson’s Liberator was shot down by a German Ace named Ltn Knud Gmelin. The Liberator was the ninth of Ltn Knud Gmelin's fourteen Allied kills. I assume is F/Lt J.V. Gibson’s Liberator was attacked and destroyed from an altitude of 1,500 meters at 9:39 AM on Thursday, 2 September 1943 (see “Listed as”). Further, I found a photo of a German JU88 attacking a Liberator. I believe I have a photo of Gmelin attacking a Liberator and since he only shot one Liberator, it must be F/Lt Joe Gibson’s. Although a fighter would prefer to shoot a bomber at their rear (6 o’clock low or high) and out of the majority of the bomber’s gun arcs or from high so that he would have speed and surprise; this fighter attacks the Liberator from above, in the front on the co-pilot’s side. This Liberator has the sun glinting off of its fuselage indicating the attacking JU88 is coming out of the sun at a low altitude (morning sun) and clearly got the jump on the Liberator. My information also reveals that Ltn Knud Gmelin was killed on 9 June 1944. His JU 88 was hit by AA fire over Caen, in Normandy during an early morning mission against the Allied D-Day landings and he was wounded, but managed to reach German lines before crash-landing. His wounded crew brought him out of the wreck but he died the same day in a hospital. I read once, that in Normandy at D Day that there were few German fighters in the air or available and the few that were fought valiantly in the face of overwhelming Allied air power. http://joegibson942.wordpress.com. Read More

Add a Story or Photo

Casualty

Service Number:

402228

Name:

William John Vocasivich

Rank:

Warrant Officer

Date of Birth:

Not known

Date of Enlistment:

Not known

Armed Force:

Air Force

Unit:

Royal New Zealand Air Force, 224 Squadron

Casualty Details

Cause of Death:

Not known

Date of Death:

02 September 1943

Day of Death:

Thursday

Age at Death:

Conflict:

WW2

Embarkation Details

Embarkation Body:

Royal New Zealand Air Force

Text in italics supplied by Cenotaph Online, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Cemetery

Cemetery:

Runnymede Memorial

Cemetery Reference:

Panel 198.

Cemetery Location:

United Kingdom