Flight lieutenant Erik Gunnarson

Erik Gunnarson
callsign: Viking
body type: Ogre
martial status: single
flight experience: 1942-45 RNoAF/RAF
aerial kills: 2 Ju-88 heavy fighters
type flown: Mosquito XVI  

Meet Flight lieutenant Erik Gunnarsson: Son of forester and school teacher Erik was born and grew up in the hills and fjords nearby Tromse, Norway. Ever since he was able to walk and ski, his father was taking him hunting, a skill which later would save his life. Before the invasion of 1940 instead of recon infantry unit Erik was assigned to service in Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service (Marinens Flyvevaaben). This twist of bureaucracy would become only first in many. 

On 9th April 1940, en-route to his squadron position in Bergen, he found himself dodging bullets from strafing Messerschmitts and hearing a exchange of fire between defence battery and German ships. Upon arrival to squadron he was mistakenly recognised as flights engineer of  Norwegian He 115N and shovelled into the plane which took off for Britain. Almost a year after arrival, with another twist of wartime bureaucracy  he and his comrades have been assigned and shipped to a training base "Little Norway", in Toronto Island Airport, Canada. 

There Erik Gunnarson, despite his lucky maiden flight as engineer, decided to become a pilot. However his, superiors thought otherwise and due to his skill in navigation granted him seat of navigator of No. 330 Squadron operating Northtop N3P-B torpedo-bombers. After a year of flying over Atlantic from Greenland and Iceland, and with zero combat experience, Erik pushed his papers trough the system got and his pilot training, he wanted so much.  

In 1943 he was assigned to newly formed No. 333 marine squadron, which was operating from Woodhaven,  Scotland. Unit was operating PBY-5 Catalina and Mosquito in anti-submarine and Special Operations role. After several months of successful operations on Mosquito, which saw him claiming one Ju-88 heavy fighter shot down and another damaged along with sunken U-boat, Erik was shot down, but managed to land in occupied Norway. His co-piled was killed, Erik was badly wounded he was picked up by sympathetic local, only to find himself in German captivity. 

Though, usually quiet and reserved Gunnarson is a big lad, with very sharp, blue hunters eyes, who have never forgotten skills taught by his father. After he escaped, Erik evaded Germans and their collaborators for months, until local Resistance cell got him a flight to Scotland on board of Catalina from his own squadron. He rarely talks about those days, but if he does, it is easy to understand that they changed him entirely. 

The happy return however, was saddened by the news that from initial group of pilots he was the only survivor. Upon his return, medical and pilot assessment Gunnarson was reassigned to RAF 8th Pathfinder Group, where he flew until the end of the war as night Pathfinder, who's job was to find the target for a raid and mark it with flares for main bomber force. 

After the war Erik retired from military, and after visiting home returned to Britain. As many veterans he does not like talking about the war, or what he is going to do with his life after it. But since he met Adrian Boyd and recruiter Jonny Vickers, his eyes are shining again. He will not tell you, but trust me, he misses flying.