COSMAN, F/O William Nathan (J23397) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.248 Squadron - Award effective 17 November 1944 as per London Gazette of that date and AFRO 1/45 dated 5 January 1945. Born 25 January 1918 at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Home there. Road worker for one year, clerk in family store for two years, and then for two years a machine operator at La Tuque, Quebec (St. Lawrence Power Corporation). Enlisted Halifax, 24 August 1940, originally as an air gunner; posted to No.1 BGS, 30 September 1940 and then to No.4 (BR) Squadron, 28 October 1940; promoted Sergeant, 26 November 1940 and Flight Sergeant, 1 December 1941. Remustered for pilot training, 7 May 1942 at which point he reverted to Sergeant. To No.4 ITS, 7 May 1942; graduated 3 July 1942 but not posted to No.5 EFTS until 15 August 1942; graduated 9 October 1942 and posted next day to No.3 SFTS; graduated and commissioned 5 February 1943. Posted on 20 February 1943 to No.1 General Reconnaissance School; to “Y” Depot, Halifax, 9 May 1943. Embarked from Canada, 27 May 1943. Disembarked in Britain, 4 June 1943. To No.20 (P) AFU, 6 July 1943. Promoted Flying Officer, 5 August 1943. Attached to No.1519 Beam Approach Training Flight, 17-24 August 1943. Posted to No.547 Squadron, 21 September 1943. Posted to No.281 Squadron, 22 November 1943. Temporary Duty to Station Newcastle, 10-15 December 1943. Temporary Duty at Daindoter (?) Moor, 16 February to 14 March 1944. To No.9 OTU, 14 March 1944. To No.132 OTU, 17 May 1944. To No.248 Squadron, 4 June 1944. Killed in action 7 December 1944 (Mosquito NR225); name on Runnymede Memorial. Award sent by registered mail to next-of-kin. // This officer, now on his second operational tour, has unfailingly pressed home his attacks with outstanding courage and determination. He has taken part in attacks on submarines, a destroyer and minesweepers. Flying Officer Cosman has displayed great skill and his devotion to duty has been of a high order. // Circumstances of death: Mosquito NT225 “O” (F/O Cosman and 152972 F/O L.M. Freedman) and PZ346 “Z”(J23429 F/O K.C. Wing and Aus 428055 Flight Sergeant V.R. Shield) were in a formation detailed to attack shipping in Aelesund Harbour on the afternoon of 7 December 1944. The formation overshot the harbour and were turning over Gossen airfield to go back for an attack when 15 to 20 Bf.109s intercepted and attacked. There were no further details available. // RCAF Press Release No.7498 dated 23 November 1944 from “Stubbings”, transcribed by Huguette Mondor Oates, reads: // WITH THE RCAF IN COASTAL COMMAND: -- One of the Canadians who is flying as pilot in a six-pounder cannon firing Mosquito is F/O W.N. Cosman, DFC, of Yarmouth, N.S., who has taken part in numerous sorties against enemy shipping both in the Bay of Biscay and along the Norwegian Coast. // He started in the RCAF as an air gunner but after a tour of ‘ops’, he managed to transfer and become a pilot. Since D-Day, he has made 40 operational trips. One of the most exciting was when his squadron went into Jironde Harbour to tackle a heavily armed M-class minesweeper, two destroyers, and armed trawler and a merchant vessel. // “When we left the minesweeper was on fire and sinking. All the rest of the ships in the harbour were either on fire or severely damaged. We took the Jerry by surprise,” said F/O Cosman. On another occasion, we found a U-boat in convoy with a sperrbrecher (a heavily armed converted merchant vessel used as a flak ship for escorting valuable convoys), an M-class minesweeper and a tanker just off Brest. We went in. Our share was severe damage to the U-boat while the rest of the squadron certainly beat up that convoy.” // F/O Cosman likes the six-pounder which he describes as being “a mighty good gun”. “When it goes off,” he added, “it feels as though someone has punched your aircraft right on the nose, but after the first few rounds you get the feel of it”. // Before he joined up, F/O Cosman was working at a Quebec engineering works. Another Canadian pilot, F/O K.C. Wing, of North Battleford, Sask., has made 15 operational trips and has been on two successful strikes with six-pounders. On the first occasion, the strike force went in through Sogne Fjord where they found two merchantmen without escorting flak ships. “We went right in and on the first run, I saw four of the six rounds I fired hit the merchantman. Then I came in again, with the rest of the force for the second attack. We had the other vessel for our target this time,” said F/O Wing. “As we came in, fires were started aboard the merchantman we had already attacked, and the crew had run it aground. I got only five rounds away on the second attack but two hits were scored.” // The second successful attack was just north of Stadlandet where the Mosquitos came upon an armed trawler. It was not considered large enough for a concentrated six-pounder attack, but in breaking away and forming up again for the journey home, F/O Wing found he was formatting on two anti-flak Mosquitos which were attacking with 20 mm cannon. He fired his six-pounder as they dived down to attack. “There were no splashes of water so one can safely say these six-pounder cannons their target,” said F/O Wing.