James Catanach

**James Catanach** (28 Nuwamba 1921&nbsp;– 29 Maris 1944) matukin jirgin sama ne na ƙasar Australia mai suna Handley Page Hampden wanda aka kama a lokacin Yaƙin Duniya na Biyu . An ruwaito cewa shi ne matukin jirgin sama mafi ƙarancin shekaru a rundunar sojojin sama ta Royal Australian Air Force yana da shekaru ashirin, ya shiga cikin 'Great Escape' daga Stalag Luft III a watan Maris 1944 kuma yana ɗaya daga cikin mutanen da *Gestapo* suka sake kamawa suka kashe.

## Rayuwa kafin yaƙi
An haifi Catanach a Melbourne, Victoria, Ostiraliya, ɗan Ruby da William Catanach, mai yin kayan ado. Ya halarci Makarantar Grammar Brighton daga 1929 zuwa 1931 sannan ya halarci Makarantar Grammar Geelong inda ya yi shekaru uku a cikin ƙungiyar kadet. Bayan kammala karatunsa a 1938, ya tafi aiki tare da babban ɗan'uwansa, Bill, a harkar iyali. 

## Aikin yaƙi
James Catanach mai sayar da kaya ne har sai da ya shiga Rundunar Sojan Sama ta Royal Australia a ranar 18 ga Agusta, 1940, don koyon tashi.  A halin yanzu, ɗan'uwansa ya shiga aikin soja.  Bayan kammala horo na farko a Somers da Narrandera, an tura Catanach zuwa Kanada inda ya koyi tashi kuma ya sami fikafikan matukin jirginsa a watan Yunin 1941, aka naɗa shi jami'in matukin jirgi. Daga baya aka tura shi Burtaniya don tashi tare da Rundunar Sojan Sama ta RAF . Da farko yana tashi da rundunar sojoji mai lamba 144, an mayar da shi zuwa rundunar sojoji mai lamba 455 RAAF bayan kammala ayyuka tara.

An kafa rundunar sojoji ta 455 RAAF a RAF Swinderby, a Lincolnshire kuma ta karɓi jiragen yaƙi na Handley Page Hampden kafin yawancin ma'aikatan Australiya su isa a ranar 1 ga Satumba, 1941, bayan sun bar Ostiraliya ta teku a ranar 15 ga Yuni. Da farko an tura su zuwa Rukunin RAF mai lamba 5, Kwamandan Bomber a matsayin mai jefa bam, aikin farko ya faru ne yayin da rundunar ke ci gaba da kasancewa, lokacin da Hampden guda ɗaya ya kai hari kan Frankfurt da daddare a ranar 29 ga Agusta. Ta hanyar yin hakan, a cewar Tunawa da Yaƙin Ostiraliya, rundunar ta sami fifikon zama "tawagar farko ta Australiya da ta jefa bam a Jamus". Bayan haka, rundunar ta ƙara ƙarfin aikinta, tana gudanar da ayyukan hakar ma'adinai da dama a gabar tekun Faransa da aka mamaye, tare da kai hari kan wuraren masana'antu a Jamus.[1] Jim Catanach ne ya ɗauki waɗannan ayyukan. [2]

A watan Fabrairun 1942, rundunar ta shiga cikin wani hari da bai yi nasara ba a kan jiragen yakin Jamus *Scharnhorst* da *Gneisenau*, kafin a sake mayar da su a matsayin rundunar sojojin torpedo-bomber sannan aka mayar da su zuwa Rundunar Sojojin Ruwa ta RAF a ranar 26 ga Afrilun 1942; daga baya suka tura wata rundunar zuwa Vaenga (yanzu Severomorsk ) a Tarayyar Soviet a watan Satumba.  Catanach ta kammala ayyuka tara tare da Rundunar Sojojin Ruwa ta RAF kafin a canja wurin. Rundunar za ta yi aiki don tallafawa ayarin motocin da ke kan hanyar zuwa Rasha, wadanda a lokacin suka sha wahala sosai. Duk da haka, uku daga cikin Hamptons 16 sun ɓace kafin isowarsu, daya daga cikinsu ta Catanach ta tashi. Bayan kammala wani atisaye na hana jigilar kaya tare da Rashawa, an mika sauran jiragen ga Rundunar Sojojin Sama ta Soviet tare da ma'aikatan RAAF suna ba wa Soviets umarni kan ayyukansu. Bayan kammala wannan aikin rundunar ta koma RAF Sumburgh . A watan Yunin 1942, an nada Catanach a matsayin shugaban rundunar sojojin sama ta Royal Australia da ta riƙe wannan matsayi.  

## Manazarta