On the Eve of Anzac Day we remember them
Special thanks to Mercia Henderson nee Milich for giving me her brother's story…...
Flying Officer Mate Alexander Milich 1921-1945 from Waiharara.
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| Houhora Cemetery, Northland, NZ |
The airman from Kaitaia who flew with one of the British Typhoon wings in France.
In March 1941 Alex applied for war service in the RNZAF while engaged on general farm duties for M Srhoj. He served nine months in the home guard before he was enlisted for aircrew training on the 6th August 1942.
On the 9th July 1943 in Uplands, Canada Alex was presented with his wings at ‘Wings Parade’. He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer, then in January 1944 in England, Alex was promoted to Flying Officer. Once his training was completed in June 1944, he was posted to No 198 Squadron, Thorney Island, Hampshire. With this squadron, as a pilot of a Typhoon rocket fighter, he took part in 101 operational flights, comprising of 73 low level attacks on enemy objectives and 28 armed reconnaissance flights.
Alex was regarded as one of the best pilots in his squadron, operating rocket projectile Typhoons. He was acknowledged as a “typical example of the fine airmen Maoris have made.” His ancestry being half Maori and half Dalmatian - and yet the Dalmatian parentage was not mentioned.
News clippings saved by his family reported Flying Officer Milich took his share in the fighting in the Battle of Normandy. The German flak was so intense that several pilots were lost and many aircraft so badly damaged that they could not be landed and the pilots had to bail out. He was the first pilot to land on improvised landing mats in Normandy immediately after the invasion. Alex frequently led his section. At Vimoutiers, he executed a neat bit of work when, having set a German transport on fire, as he pulled out of a dive, he saw a petrol pump camouflaged as a haystack. He returned and blew up the dump with his cannon shells. On another occasion he hit a transformer station at Le Havre with rockets and saw it emit a sheet of flame 50 foot high.
In his squadron of English, New Zealanders, Canadians, South Africans and Belgians he was known as Tim, regarded as a first class pilot, one of the strongest men physically in the squadron and one of the most popular.
On the 8th December 1944 Alex was pilot of a Typhoon fighter detailed to carry out an attack on German Headquarters at Amersfoort, Holland. He took off at 0925 from Gilz-Rijen. A successful rocket and cannon attack was made against the headquarters at 0940. Immediately after the attack he called up on the radio to say his engine was giving trouble.
Sadly, Flying Officer Milich was one of two who failed to return to base, they were classified as missing. It was discovered that Alex’s aircraft crashed at around 0942hrs on 8th December 1944. His body was recovered from the Typhoon, 2½ kilometers west north west of Woudenberg, Holland. Alex was buried by the Dutch in the Parish Cemetery at Woudenberg, grave 333. A white cross bearing his name was erected on a well kept grave covered with flowers.
In November 1945 advice was received that Flying Officer Milich had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. It was not until many years after the war that Alex Milich’s war records were released. The family were given details of the full extent of his bravery and information on the battles he was involved. Alex was a hero, a first class pilot, an extremely brave man who gave the ultimate, his life to help win the war for the allies.
At the time of his death Flying Officer Alex Milich had flown 558 hours and was on his 101st operation.
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| Thorney Island, 15/6/1944. Mate Milich on the right. Imperial War Museum photo. |
"NEWS FROM WOUDENBERG"
Family visits warfighter after 70 years of grave
In 1944, an English Typhoon fighter plane landed at Woudenberg. The aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft guns during an air strike at a German headquarters in Hoevelaken.
The pilot who died was the then 23-year-old New Zealander Mate Alexander Milich. It is this year 70 years ago that the aircraft landed and Milich was buried at the General Cemetery in Woudenberg.
After years of research into the crash by air war researchers Wim van de Burgt and Bert van Beek they were able to make contact with the family of the killed pilot.
The Milich family was able to visit the grave of their uncle on Tuesday, a long cherished wish of cousin Clem Milich, who did not expect to be able to enjoy this moment. The family is pleased and grateful for the good state of maintenance of the grave by the municipality of Woudenberg. -Midland FM, Netherlands.
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