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Otago Daily Times
31-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
'I said no, it was my brother': The Hare and Bubbles' prankish air force days
Identical twins Bob and Rolly Janek arrived in New Zealand as refugees with their family. They went on to serve in the air force, despite their father's harrowing wartime experiences. Geoff Sloan speaks to the brothers about survival, service, and a fair bit of mischief. After their family fled Europe to escape the Russians after World War 2, identical 67-year-old twins Robert 'Bob' and Roland 'Rolly' Janek were determined to serve their new country, enlisting in the air force as soon as they could despite what their father had been through. Their Hungarian father, Joseph Zolten Janek, had been a pilot before the war and was conscripted into the Luftwaffe, Germany's air force, serving in France, Germany and Russia. 'He had no choice. He would have been shot otherwise, and his family taken away,' Bob said. Janek flew Junkers Ju 88 bombers and Ju 87 Stukas before switching to the Messerschmitt ME109 fighter plane. 'He did a lot of his fighting in Stalingrad as a 109 fighter pilot and was shot down twice. The first time was from anti-aircraft guns fired by his own side.' The second time Janek was shot down, he was captured by the Russians and imprisoned for six months before escaping. 'He flew from the start of the war right through until the end. He was very lucky to survive,' Bob said. When the war ended, Janek was one of about 2000 men rounded up by the Russians and forced to clear minefields, digging up the explosives by hand. 'He had to do that for five years. A lot of his friends got blown up – he was one of about 700 who survived,' Bob said. After being released, Janek took part in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to free the country from Soviet control. The 15-day uprising was crushed by Soviet tanks and troops, killing or wounding thousands of Hungarians. After the revolution failed, the Janeks joined the 250 million Hungarians fleeing the country. 'Unfortunately my dad's brother was shot and killed by the Russians as they made their escape through swamps to reach the Austrian border,' Bob said. Joseph and Maria Janek successfully made it to Austria where Bob and Rolly were born. Bob said his dad never felt safe, always looking over his shoulder for the Russians, so in 1961 the construction engineer and his family were accepted by New Zealand as refugees. 'It would have been hard for mum and dad when they arrived in Auckland with two three-year-olds, two suitcases and only £6. 'I honour him for doing what he had to do to survive, and look after his family,' Bob said. Growing up in Point Chevalier, Auckland, the twins watched military aircraft coming and going from the airbase at Whenuapai, both deciding to join the Royal New Zealand Air Force when they turned 18. Bob, who had always wanted to be a firefighter, joined the Crash, Fire, Rescue Unit, while Rolly became a military police officer. The pair said their father was upset when they enlisted in 1976. 'He didn't talk to us for a year. He didn't want us to go through what he did, but eventually he came around,' Rolly said. The new recruits were flown to RNZAF Base Wigram to start their training. 'As soon as we got off the aircraft we heard one of the general service instructors say 'Oh no, f***ing twins'.' Rolly said they gave the instructors hell. 'We got away with blue murder. They couldn't tell us apart, and we also had the same initials – RJ,' he said. Bob said one night he was spotted visiting a 'wee lassie' in the women's barracks. 'I jumped out of a second-storey window and escaped. The instructors tried to charge me but I said no, it was my brother. But he denied it and said it was me.' The investigation was dropped because they couldn't identify which twin was responsible. Bob's quick footwork earned him the nickname 'The Hare', while Rolly's fondness for champagne earned him 'Bubbles'. However, there were occasions when the mischievous pair came unstuck. 'One of our instructors was a corporal called Digby Bentley. One night we both snuck off the base into town and got t-shirts made up saying 'Digby Bentley: Public Enemy Number One'. We got into a lot of trouble for that,' Rolly said. The twins had to clean toilets and scrub floors for two weeks as punishment, Bob said. Rolly was posted to RNZAF Base Ohakea after completing his military police training, while Bob remained at Wigram. Three years later, Bob was transferred to the air force base at Ohakea, only to find Rolly had just been posted to Whenuapai. 'We were never allowed to be on the same base together. I think we were too much trouble,' Rolly said. Even when they did catch up, things didn't always go smoothly. Said Bob: 'I was visiting the base at Whenuapai where Rolly was stationed, and he was on gate duty instructing all the vehicles to reverse into the car parks. 'I told Rolly to f*** off and parked nose first.' Rolly said Bob just wanted to be stubborn. 'He thought because I was his brother, he could push it, but I was a corporal and he was still a trainee. 'Bob kept mouthing off so I threw him in the back of the Morris Minor police van, and bounced him around in the back a bit as we drove to the cells where he cooled off overnight,' Rolly said. When the military police disbanded in the late 1980s, Bob suggested Rolly join him in the Crash, Fire, Rescue Unit. 'But they still never let us serve together,' Bob said. Over two decades in the RNZAF, Bob responded to 17 plane crashes, some of them fatal. 'I saw some pretty bad stuff. To deal with it, I just (mentally) put it in a bag, and froze it.' After his stint with the air force, Rolly joined the firefighting crew at Hamilton Airport, before becoming maintenance co-ordinator at Waikato University. Bob retired from the air force in 1996 and shifted to Christchurch where he spent nine years loading aircraft for Air New Zealand before becoming a steward. However, his aviation career was halted when he was badly hurt in the February 2011 earthquake. Bob now volunteers as a guide at the Air Force Museum in Wigram. He works alongside Chris Checketts, the son of World War 2 fighter ace Johnny Checketts, who also flew in Europe during the war. 'We haven't been able to find any records of my dad's forced service with the Germans. But it's possible our dads may have met each other in combat,' Bob said. Every Easter, Bob spends about $1200 buying 600 chocolate Easter bunnies to give to children and staff at Christchurch Hospital's cancer ward. 'I'll never stop doing that. They shouldn't be in there, us oldies should be,' Bob said. He said he has always tried to give back. 'When we came to New Zealand we didn't know anybody, and people helped us.' With Rolly living in Hamilton and Bob in Christchurch, the twins try to meet up every month, but claim their mischievous, trouble-making days are over. 'We're good boys now.'
Otago Daily Times
31-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
The Hare and Bubbles' prankish air force days
Identical twins Bob (left) and Rolly Janek have led a story-stacked life, like their Hungarian father, Joseph, a pilot who was forced to fi ght for the Germans in World War 2, including over the skies of Stalingrad. Photo: Geoff Sloan After their family fled Europe to escape the Russians after World War 2, identical 67-year-old twins Robert 'Bob' and Roland 'Rolly' Janek were determined to serve their new country, enlisting in the air force as soon as they could despite what their father had been through. Their Hungarian father, Joseph Zolten Janek, had been a pilot before the war and was conscripted into the Luftwaffe, Germany's air force, serving in France, Germany and Russia. 'He had no choice. He would have been shot otherwise, and his family taken away,' Bob said. Janek flew Junkers Ju 88 bombers and Ju 87 Stukas before switching to the Messerschmitt ME109 fighter plane. 'He did a lot of his fighting in Stalingrad as a 109 fighter pilot and was shot down twice. The first time was from anti-aircraft guns fired by his own side.' The second time Janek was shot down, he was captured by the Russians and imprisoned for six months before escaping. 'He flew from the start of the war right through until the end. He was very lucky to survive,' Bob said. Joseph and Maria Janek were married in 1957 and Bob Janek with fellow firefighters during a formal Operation Wise Owl evening function in 1985. PHOTO: RNZAF When the war ended, Janek was one of about 2000 men rounded up by the Russians and forced to clear minefields, digging up the explosives by hand. 'He had to do that for five years. A lot of his friends got blown up – he was one of about 700 who survived,' Bob said. After being released, Janek took part in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to free the country from Soviet control. The 15-day uprising was crushed by Soviet tanks and troops, killing or wounding thousands of Hungarians. After the revolution failed, the Janeks joined the 250 million Hungarians fleeing the country. 'Unfortunately my dad's brother was shot and killed by the Russians as they made their escape through swamps to reach the Austrian border,' Bob said. Joseph and Maria Janek successfully made it to Austria where Bob and Rolly were born. Bob said his dad never felt safe, always looking over his shoulder for the Russians, so in 1961 the construction engineer and his family were accepted by New Zealand as refugees. 'It would have been hard for mum and dad when they arrived in Auckland with two three-year-olds, two suitcases and only £6. 'I honour him for doing what he had to do to survive, and look after his family,' Bob said. Growing up in Point Chevalier, Auckland, the twins watched military aircraft coming and going from the airbase at Whenuapai, both deciding to join the Royal New Zealand Air Force when they turned 18. Bob, who had always wanted to be a firefighter, joined the Crash, Fire, Rescue Unit, while Rolly became a military police officer. The pair said their father was upset when they enlisted in 1976. 'He didn't talk to us for a year. He didn't want us to go through what he did, but eventually he came around,' Rolly said. The new recruits were flown to RNZAF Base Wigram to start their training. 'As soon as we got off the aircraft we heard one of the general service instructors say 'Oh no, f***ing twins'.' Rolly said they gave the instructors hell. 'We got away with blue murder. They couldn't tell us apart, and we also had the same initials – RJ,' he said. Bob said one night he was spotted visiting a 'wee lassie' in the women's barracks. 'I jumped out of a second-storey window and escaped. The instructors tried to charge me but I said no, it was my brother. But he denied it and said it was me.' The investigation was dropped because they couldn't identify which twin was responsible. Rolly (left) and Bob Janek served for 20 years in the RNZAF. PHOTO: RNZAF Bob's quick footwork earned him the nickname 'The Hare', while Rolly's fondness for champagne earned him 'Bubbles'. However, there were occasions when the mischievous pair came unstuck. 'One of our instructors was a corporal called Digby Bentley. One night we both snuck off the base into town and got t-shirts made up saying 'Digby Bentley: Public Enemy Number One'. We got into a lot of trouble for that,' Rolly said. The twins had to clean toilets and scrub floors for two weeks as punishment, Bob said. Rolly was posted to RNZAF Base Ohakea after completing his military police training, while Bob remained at Wigram. Three years later, Bob was transferred to the air force base at Ohakea, only to find Rolly had just been posted to Whenuapai. 'We were never allowed to be on the same base together. I think we were too much trouble,' Rolly said. Even when they did catch up, things didn't always go smoothly. Said Bob: 'I was visiting the base at Whenuapai where Rolly was stationed, and he was on gate duty instructing all the vehicles to reverse into the car parks. 'I told Rolly to f*** off and parked nose first.' Rolly said Bob just wanted to be stubborn. 'He thought because I was his brother, he could push it, but I was a corporal and he was still a trainee. 'Bob kept mouthing off so I threw him in the back of the Morris Minor police van, and bounced him around in the back a bit as we drove to the cells where he cooled off overnight,' Rolly said. When the military police disbanded in the late 1980s, Bob suggested Rolly join him in the Crash, Fire, Rescue Unit. 'But they still never let us serve together,' Bob said. Over two decades in the RNZAF, Bob responded to 17 plane crashes, some of them fatal. 'I saw some pretty bad stuff. To deal with it, I just (mentally) put it in a bag, and froze it.' After his stint with the air force, Rolly joined the firefighting crew at Hamilton Airport, before becoming maintenance co-ordinator at Waikato University. Rolly (left) and Bob Janek both served in RNZAF but were never stationed together. PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN Bob retired from the air force in 1996 and shifted to Christchurch where he spent nine years loading aircraft for Air New Zealand before becoming a steward. However, his aviation career was halted when he was badly hurt in the February 2011 earthquake. Bob now volunteers as a guide at the Air Force Museum in Wigram. He works alongside Chris Checketts, the son of World War 2 fighter ace Johnny Checketts, who also flew in Europe during the war. 'We haven't been able to find any records of my dad's forced service with the Germans. But it's possible our dads may have met each other in combat,' Bob said. Every Easter, Bob spends about $1200 buying 600 chocolate Easter bunnies to give to children and staff at Christchurch Hospital's cancer ward. 'I'll never stop doing that. They shouldn't be in there, us oldies should be,' Bob said. He said he has always tried to give back. 'When we came to New Zealand we didn't know anybody, and people helped us.' With Rolly living in Hamilton and Bob in Christchurch, the twins try to meet up every month, but claim their mischievous, trouble-making days are over. 'We're good boys now.'
Chicago Tribune
03-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
La Grange hero's legacy lives as story of American Legion post namesake is shared with new generations
On February 1, 1943, a 28-year-old graduate of Lyons Township High School was scheduled to relax on one of his rare days off as an Army Air Corps bomber pilot in the European Theater during World War II. But one of the pilots scheduled to fly that day was sick, and someone had to take his place. So he volunteered. That selfless act cost Major Robert E. Coulter Jr. his life. He's memorialized in the name of La Grange's Robert E. Coulter Jr. American Legion Post 1941, but Bill Kiddon, post commander, wants to make sure the story of his heroism isn't lost to the passage of time. 'Probably the first generation or two of legionnaires know of his story,' Kiddon said during a May 22 presentation to the La Grange Area Historical Society. 'But today's generation of legionnaires don't know this story.' Kiddon spoke for 45 minutes to about 50 people at the Historical Society's Vial House Museum, 444 S. La Grange Road. The presentation included footage of air combat between American B-17s and Luftwaffe fighters filmed by an embedded Air Corps journalist. The recording included the scene of a badly damaged bomber plummeting to the ground as two parachuted flyers escape. Coulter attended Ogden Avenue School and graduated from Lyons Township High School two years ahead of his sister. He went on to earn an engineering degree from Purdue University. Kiddon related how Coulter, in October 1942, was among the first pilots to fly unescorted bombing missions, because the fighter planes at the time didn't have the fuel capacity to accompany long range bombing missions. He logged 25 missions, a marker used by the Army when pilots could be relieved of active duty. But Coulter refused to rotate out of combat. He flew 35 missions in all, bombing Nazi submarine pens, destroying a Nazi U-boat base, and leading critical bombing missions in North Africa that helped prevent the Nazis from seizing critical oil fields. 'On February 1, 1943, he was not supposed to fly that day,' Kiddon said. 'When he got down to the briefing room, he found out there was another pilot that didn't get out of the infirmary and couldn't fly. He was grounded that day, so Coulter volunteered. He said 'I'll go up.'' After completing a successful bombing run over North Africa. Coulter's plane was hit head on by a Messerschmitt Me 109. While nobody will ever know what caused the Luftwaffe pilot to steer directly into the formation, the collision ripped off one of the bomber's wings, causing it to spiral downward in flames. Three crew members — the bombardier, navigator and gunner — parachuted to safety and wound up in a German prisoner of war camp. It wasn't until August, 1943 that the wreckage of the B-17 was found just off the shoreline of the Mediterranean Sea. It wasn't until then that Coulter's family got the telegram dreaded by so many families during the war, that their son was no longer missing in action, but killed in action. Coulter wasn't the only family member to contribute to the war effort. His father, a member of the Federal Reserve, was involved in the war bond drive. His mother wrapped bandages for the Red Cross and then became chairperson of Red Cross fundraising and his sister married another pilot. 'It was a family of service,' Kiddon said. 'They all pitched in — not unusual for the Greatest Generation.' Kiddon noted that Coulter was keenly aware of world affairs in the late 1930s as Nazis rose to power in Germany. 'He told his parents 'we're going to war,' and wound up enlisting in the Army Air Corps in 1939, around the same time Hitler invaded Poland,' Kiddon said. 'He was trained to be a pilot in Texas, and ultimately flew the famous B-17 Flying Fortress.' Within three years, Coulter was piloting a B-17 in Europe. As was the custom in those days, Coulter's plane had what came to be called 'nose art' on the front of the plane. His was 'Bat Outta Hell.' Kiddon stressed that the story of Coulter, and all the other pilots in the war, was also a story about the B-17 Flying Fortress and the challenges that came with serving in one. 'This was not a pressurized airplane,' Kiddon said. 'At 25,000 feet, it was 10 below zero; at 35,000 feet, it's 40 below zero. And this plane flew at 35,000-feet, with no bathrooms and no heat.' Kiddon said the Boeing Company built 12,700 B-17s during the war — at its peak, averaging 16 per day — and roughly 80% of the warbirds were built by women. Among those listening to the presentation were Tim and Kathy Calvert, who found out they live in the former Coulter family home on North Waiola Avenue. 'We were traveling and came home and somebody had left an article on our front porch,' Kathy said. 'If you go up our stairs, up to the attic — we have a walk-up attic — the initials R.E.C. are carved into the side,' Tim said 'It's kind of an honor to live there.' Robert Coulter's niece, Bonnie Williams, born six weeks after he died, was on hand to share family memories. 'It affects the whole family, the whole community, everybody who knew him, when somebody dies like this,' she said. Her uncle's legacy always resonated in their family. 'When they spoke of him, they spoke of all the wonderful memories,' she said. 'There was never any sadness or remorse or regret. They were very proud of him. I can't imagine losing a son, but it was a different time. He was a good person.' But even for Coulter's family, the efforts of Kiddon and the American Legion to keep his legacy alive are essential. 'To put it all together brought the whole thing to life, things that we didn't know,' Williams said. 'I learned more last year when he did the first presentation than I ever knew about it.'
