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Vladimir Vitte, Service No. 425559, Warrant Officer

Vladimir Vitte, known as Wally, was born in 1909 in Harbin, in Manchuria in northern China. His mother Nadezhda and his father, her first husband, name unknown, were living in Harbin which was founded in 1898 by the Russian Tzarist government to build a shortcut rail line between Chita in Siberia across to Vladivostok on the far east coast of Russia, known as the Chinese Eastern Railway. He would have been either an employee of the CER, or was employed in the Imperial 'White' Army defending the city.

After the death of Vladimir's father, Nadezhda remarried to Richard Vitte, an administrator with the Russian Railways who was now based in Harbin, employed with the Chinese Eastern Railway. Richard adopted Vladimir, and he and Nadezhda had their own son named Oleg, born in 1923. Vladimir grew up in Harbin, attending Russian schools there. He claimed he was taught to shoot by Chinese bandits that frequented the area around Harbin.

in 1923, the Russian Revolution and subsequent Civil War reached the east coast and Vladivostok, where the defending White Army was finally defeated by the Soviet Red Army. In 1924, an agreement was signed that only Soviet and Chinese citizens could be employed by the CER. Rather than take Soviet citizenship, Richard made the difficult decision to emigrate. His eldest son had been executed by the Red Army, and Richard, himself, had been kidnapped and ransomed by Chinese bandits, so life in Harbin was becoming fraught with danger. In late 1925, Richard and his wife Nadezhda (his 2nd marriage), sons Vladimir (16) and Oleg (2), and Richard's cousin Alexander Vitte and his family caught a fishing boat to Japan, and then a Japanese cargo vessel down to Australia, taking only the luggage they could carry. They were interviewed (in French) and processed at Thursday Island and sent on to Brisbane.

None of the family could speak English which meant employment opportunities were few. Initially supported by the Russian community in Brisbane, the beginning of the Great Depression just four years after arrival was disastrous for the family. Vladimir took a train up to Tully in northern QLD to find work in the cane fields as a cane-cutter. It was a very physically demanding and dangerous occupation. He informed Richard that the cane-cutters needed a cook in their barracks, so Richard, now 62 years of age, left the family in Brisbane and went up to Tully, taking his wife's recipes with him. It was a very hard life for both of them. Richard had lived a comfortable existence in Russia, and had never cooked in his life, so this new life and occupation must have been a humbling experience. Just two years later, Richard's wife, Vladimir's mother, died unexpectedly in Brisbane. Richard went down to Brisbane by train, buried his wife, collected 8-year-old Oleg and took him up to live with them in the cane-cutter's barracks. In 1933 Richard reached pension age and after a couple of years, settled in a rented house in Tully with young Oleg. Richard applied for naturalization for himself and his son Oleg, with Vladimir applying at the same time, and they became Australian citizens on 18 January 1933. Richard lived out his life in Tully and died in 1950.

Wally worked felling and selling timber from the rainforests of Tully and Mission Beach, and driving tractors. Wally's shooting skills learnt in Manchuria as a boy were furthered as a member of the Tully Rifle Association- he won the annual shooting award for the highest score in 1934, receiving a gold medal, and won several awards in the club between 1933 and 1937 which were written up in the 'Cairns Post'.

However, a potentially fatal incident was reported in the newspaper 'The Brisbane Courier', Sat 2 April 1932 p16):

"The same firearm and locality Nisula's Barracks near Tully, figured in a shooting accident last night, as when a Russian, Palchevsky received a gunshot wound just below the heart some weeks ago, through a weapon exploding whilst a window was being raised. The victim on this occasion was Walter Vitte, single, a Russian, who arrived from China in 1927 (sic). Vitte, it is stated, was shooting rats when the accident occurred. He was taken to the Tully Hospital where a bullet was extracted, which had entered his chest near the heart." (His later Airforce enlistment medical report had: "small bullet wound (a) entry 1" below L. nipple, (b) exit near 9th rib posterior to axillary line".)

It took a while for Wally to recover from this incident. The other man mentioned, Anatol Palchevsky was Wally's Russian friend, also a cane-cutter, with whom Wally had travelled to Tully and were interviewed for a local newspaper, 'The Morning Bulletin' (Rockhampton, Tues 20 May 1930 p10). He had also led an interesting life. A rating in the Russian Navy until the Revolution, he was in the crew of one of the 32 gunboats that deserted from Vladivostok and made for Shanghai and Manilla, where the ships were sold and the proceeds divided amongst the officers and men. He eventually settled in QLD.

Not long after the start of WWII, Vladimir enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force, and his younger brother enlisted in the RAN. His friend Anatol Palchevsky served in the Australian Military Forces as a bombardier, 1940-45.

The 'Cairns Post', Tues 5 Aug, 1941, p.5 reported:

"Vladimir Vitte (31) a naturalized Russian tractor driver from Tully, was accepted for the air crew by the Brisbane Air Force recruiting authorities today. Vitte, who was born and educated in China, is believed to be the first Russian accepted for an air crew in Queensland, he has been 16 years in the State. Recruiting officials said he is a particularly fine type of recruit."

Vladimir's service records show that he started as an air-crewman, becoming a pilot, firstly with the rank of Sergeant, then Flight Sergeant in 1943 and finally a Warrant Officer in 1944. He began flying de Havilland Tiger Moths at elementary flying training at Narromine and Bradfield Park before transferring to Canada learning to fly on Ansons. After finishing his training in Halifax Canada, he was posted to England in 1943, training to fly on Oxfords at AFU South Cerney in Gloucestershire and at 1540 B.A.T. near Bristol, and (Vickers) Wellingtons at RAF Bramcote Warwickshire in No. 105 Transport Operational Training Unit RAF. In January 1944, he was transferred to 114 Wing Command Flight in West Africa where he flew Ansons, Hudsons, Dakotas, Liberators and Marauders.

In January 1944, he was stationed at Takoradi in Ghana west Africa, part of the RAF West Africa Command, where British planes like the Hawker Hurricanes arrived in crates, assembled and were flown over West Africa to Egypt and Mediterranean theatres. For the following year, his records show he was at Accra (where he was severely reprimanded on 27 March for creating a disturbance in King George V Hall, and not leaving King George V Hall when ordered to do so by Ft/O K. Ross), Ghana, Takoradi, RAF Waterloo near Freetown in Sierra Leone, and Port Etienne in Mauritania.

At the end of 1944, he transferred back to England, at RAF Harwell, Berkshire and joined Transport Command, 233 Squadron, in February 1945, where he was flying Dakotas which were military transport planes working for airborne forces. He was co-pilot in a crew of four on Aircraft KG455, under Squadron Leader Alexander Conway Blythe, a Canadian who had received the Distinguished Flying Cross in December 1944. S/L Blythe would fly the first leg, W/O Vitte the second, F/O. B.S. Edmondson the third. The records for Squadron 233 show that they carried channel tracking, tanks, troops, parachutes, general freight, etc. to bases in Allied-occupied Europe, and usually returned with numbers of ‘stretcher and walking casualties’.

After general transport duties between the UK and Allied-occupied Europe, 24 Dakotas were provided for the last major airborne attack over the Rhine in March 1945, named Operation Varsity. This was a successful joint American-British airborne operation that took place on the 24th March, involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, the largest single airborne operation in history to be conducted on a single day and in one location. Varsity was meant to help the 21st Army Group under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to cross the Rhine River and from there, enter Northern Germany, by landing two airborne divisions by parachute and glider behind German lines on the eastern bank of the Rhine. The operation was a success, with both divisions capturing Rhine bridges and securing towns that could have been used by Germany to delay the advance of the British ground forces. The two divisions incurred more than 2000 casualties and captured about 3000 German soldiers. The operation was the largest large-scale Allied airborne operation of WWII. Dakotas were used to tow gliders which could carry up to 16 soldiers, a jeep and a cannon, landing in an open field, a very dangerous operation for those brave men on the gliders. Once released from the towplane, the glider pilot had one chance to guide the unarmed glider safely behind enemy lines.

Records from The National Archives UK (AIR 27/1434/6- Squadron 233- March 1945- pp.39-40) reveal the details of this squadron’s involvement in Operation Varsity:

 “SQUADRON 233: Assault on the Rhine in support of the 2nd British Army. Twenty-four aircraft led by W/C K.G. Mellor DFC. towed 24 gliders from Birch to the released point as briefed. On 24 March, all the aircraft were airborne at Birch between 0616 and 0649 hours; the gliders were released in the area around Wesel between 1017 and 1021 hours.

357 Airborne troops of the 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire regiments were carried in the gliders together with 10 jeep trailers, 7 handcarts, 7 light motor cycles and 19 folding cycles, while mortar bombs and ammunition were also carried. All aircraft returned to base, with two planes hit by flak.

One of the 24 aircraft involved in this operation: No. KD.455 with 4 crew- S/L Blythe A.C. DFC; W/O Vitte V.; F/C Edmondson, B.S.; and Sgt Makin A. The glider they towed was flown by 1st Pilot Glider Stan Jarvis and 2nd Pilot Glider Peter Geddes. Jarvis was just 20 years old, an NCO trained as a pilot in RAF 1942-44 and with Glider Pilot Regiment in GB and NW Europe 1944-45. Jarvis and Geddes flew the Ox. and Bucks. Regiment, ‘D’ company, 25 Platoon, and Blythe and his Dakota crew flew Jarvis back to England after the landing. Jarvis’s report is recorded in the Imperial War Museum’s website, and gives an idea of what they all faced when they reached their destination in Germany.

According to Jarvis’s report, “the take-off procedure was delayed, caused by a broken tow-rope; after clearing the runway, they made contact with the towing Dakota flown by S/L Alex Blythe of the 233 Squadron; there was a question of place in the flying stream to reach the target; Blythe made the decision to fly an independent course to rejoin the flying stream; Jarvis reported the effect of German anti-aircraft fire on approaching the River Rhine, and the problem with dense smoke restricting the glider pilot’s view of the ground. A few of the gliders were hit by German anti-aircraft fire. He reported the role of Sgt Peter Geddes in avoiding aircraft and locating ground landmarks, the location of the target, and the effect of an anti-aircraft hit on their wing, landing close to Hamminkeln railway station, the disembarkation of troops and the capture of the station and guarding German POW’s; the clash with German troops and light tank; an attack by Tiger tanks thwarted by Typhoon attack, and their move to positions in the rear area and attacks by German aircraft etc.; and his relief and evacuation and flight back in S/L Alex Blythe’s Dakota to Great Britain.”

For his service with the 233 Squadron, Vladimir received the France and Germany Star medal.

After Operation Varsity, Vladimir continued with his crew flying sorties into Europe transporting freight and returning with casualties. However, his last flights were recorded on April 12 and 15, with a replacement pilot named with his crew in all following flights. His record reveals he was admitted to SSQ (Station Sick Quarters) on the 7th April (even though he flew on the 12th and 15th) and discharged on the 23 April to be immediately re-admitted to RAF Hospital Cosford, an Airforce staffed military hospital in Shropshire, and was discharged nearly 6 weeks later on 29 May 1945. It would appear that whatever ailment he had, escalated and needed more specialised treatment.

His records also noted that in Africa he was hospitalised 23 April to 7 May 1944 at Waterloo, Sierra Leone, and from 29 December 1944 to 5 January 1945. Whether this indicated a chronic health problem is uncertain.

The war in Europe, ‘Victory in Europe Day, was declared on 8 May, so Vladimir’s service was over. His record has an entry “Movements and casualties- to be repatriated to Australia for duty in accordance with A.M. Signal P.8075 dated 1 June 1945”.

In July 1945, Vladimir was at RAF Broadwell, Oxfordshire in RAF Transport Command, and in August was at No 11 RAAF Personnel Despatch and Reception Centre Brighton, and discharged on demobilization on 17 December 1945.

After the war, Wally worked in many jobs, continuing to fell and sell timber from the forests around Tully and Mission Beach, and turning his hand to furniture manufacturing in Brisbane in partnership with other Russians. His life was destined not to be happy. He married an Australian girl, Beatrice Gibson, and in 1951, adopted a baby boy they named Ivan Walter. Three years later, the child fell off a swing, suffering catastrophic brain injury from which he would never recover. He was institutionalized at Mt Olivet Hospital in Brisbane, and died in 1963 aged 12 from a brain tumour and respiratory failure. Wally never got over the loss of this child, his marriage broke down, he lost touch with his younger brother Oleg, and the remainder of his life was not a happy one. He died of multiple organ failure, congestive cardiac failure and alcoholism in 1981 and was 'of no fixed address', having been looked after for many years by members of the Russian community, only being reunited with his estranged family during the last months of his life when his health was failing.