Victims of Luftwaffe (Part 2) by Virgil R. Marco Sr., 366BS Tail Gunner, 305BG (Revised 5-29-03)
On April 23, 1944 in another part of Belgium, Jean Cambron informed his cousin, René Londoz, also a member of the Belgium Secret Army René Londoz came from his home in
Gingelom as soon as possible to identify them. René's job was to question the downed airmen to confirm that they were true allied fliers and not spies sent by the enemy to discover their escape line. In the
event René determined that the airman was a spy he would contact the Secret Army Judiciary, namely Arthur Deroye, alias "Zoro" who would deal with the false airman in what he called the "right manner". When he arrived he found that the patriots hiding the Americans were afraid to keep them any longer. If the Germans found them in their homes they would be
shot. René took pictures of them to be used for their false identity cards. He decided that these five airmen should be moved as soon as their false
identity cards were made. Jean Cambron took all five of them plus one of his Belgian friends (real name never known and called "Petit Louis") on the
night of April 25/26 to René's home in Gingelom about midnight. "Petit Louis" refused to work in Germany and did not want anyone to know is real
name. The Germans were looking for him because of his refusal to work for them. Jean left René's home about 4 o'clock in the morning and drove to
his mother's home in Lens-Saint-Remy, 11 kilometers from Gingelom. Instead of returning his borrowed car he hid it in a barn of his mother's home
and immediately went to sleep. At about 6 o'clock that morning the Gestapo arrived to arrest Jean Cambron. They found American cigarettes, chocolate and false identity cards that René Londoz made for Russian
escaped prisoners of war. They also found the car, a pistol and a "Sten" Submachine Gun. The Gestapo began to beat Jean in front of a brick wall
demanding to know where the Americans were. With his head turned against the brick wall they continued beating him violently with the butt of a
rifle. Jean never said a word. While spitting blood and some teeth his mother urged him not to speak, saying it would soon be over. Fortunately
the Germans had no Interpreter and they did not understand what she said. He continued his silence. The Gestapo opened the trunk of one of their
Mercedes and then asked him if he could identify the body in the trunk. Jean said he did not recognize the person. Jean's mother was then
subjected to the same questions about the body in the trunk and she said that she could not identify the dead person. The body was that of "Petit Louis".
"Petit Louis" was asleep at the farm where he was hiding that morning w On Monday, April 24, 1944, the 366 Bomb Squadron of the 305th Bomb
Group was part of an armada of 750 heavy bombers of the 40th and 41st Wings headed for various targets, near Munich, Germany. A new crew, "The Capt. Lincoln Crew", was flying with the 366 Bomb Squadron. Here is their "victim story" as told by the tail gunner, Virgil Marco. "The flight to the target area was long and very cold, especially in the tail section.
The sky was clear of clouds and the visibility was good. As we reached our planned altitude of 20,000 feet, vapor trails, created by the gases from
our engines hitting the sub zero air, began to reduce the visibility to the rear. Nearing the target, someone on the intercom said, "Looks like the
"Limey" P-51s are showing up at 1:00 o'clock high". No sooner spoken, I could hear and feel the plane vibrating from our fifty caliber guns firing.
Suddenly silver Messerschmits flew past and down in front of my guns. I immediately depressed the firing lever only to find the right gun would not
fire after the first burst creating a situation where I could not hold the left gun steady. It would pull to the right. This was due to the adapters at the
end of guns that were designed to steady them when firing together. In gunnery school at the Las Vegas Army Airfield, I was taught to "Aim well
and shoot straight". This was not possible at the moment. Consequently, the enemy planes escaped unharmed from my marksmanship.
The right gun would not eject the empty shell and jammed it against the breechblock, causing the automatic firing to stop. I had to remove the
empty shell by hand before the gun would operate again. My silk gloves prevented my hands from freezing to the metal guns.
After the twenty or so ME-l09s disappeared, I looked at the group of B-17s behind and to my left and saw four or five planes peeling off from
formation, their engines smoking. Crews began evacuating them until the sky was dotted with parachutes. Then some of the planes burst into
flames as they fell earthward. From my research years later I came to the conclusion that this Group must have been the 92nd as they lost four or
five planes on this mission. While I was firing my guns at the Messerschmits, I heard Capt. Lincoln on the intercom saying "Al, feather
number one engine. It's been hit". I could then feel the vibration of the bomb bay doors opening when Capt. Lincoln yelled at the Bombardier,
"Shut the bomb bay doors. We are taking our bombs to the target". I learned years later that the 41st Bomb Wing bore the brunt of the attack
from an estimated 200 enemy fighters. They lost 15 of their heavy bombers. Our three remaining engines could not maintain enough air speed to stay
in formation. We began to drift back. I looked up and saw a group of Fortresses above us with their bomb bay doors open. I wasn't the only one
aware of this. The pilot reduced the air speed of the engines allowing the planes above to fly past eliminating the danger of their bombs hitting us
when dropped as we were approaching the target. We continued our flight over the target alone and dropped our bombs. The escort we expected
finally appeared. They were American P-47s not British P-51s. Our pilot radioed the P-47s and asked for an escort home, but the reply in a very
southern accent was "We have to stay with the main group of planes. You will have to get home the best way possible without an escort". The bad
news made the Swiss Alps become more and more conspicuous, causing someone to suggest that we go to Switzerland, which was not very far away. Once there we would be interned for the duration of the war. This
suggestion brought an immediate reply from Capt. Lincoln that we were going back home to Chelveston, England. We were unaware that 14 damaged B-17s from our armada would make their way to Switzerland
instead of trying to fly back to England. With one engine out, we began to drift further and further behind the main group of planes until they disappeared from sight. We had now lost altitude from 20,000 feet to
about 5,000 feet. I remember a discussion on the intercom debating our course. The Bombardier was giving directions when the pilot said "Shut up Mickey, we have a navigator".
Shortly after this conversation, a large city appeared before us. Someone pointed out the balloons anchored by cables above the
metropolis. Instead of flying away from this city, we flew over it. This stirred up a hornet's nest below. Antiaircraft guns began firing. Flak was
popping all around us. It felt and sounded like someone was throwing gravel on the plane when in reality the gravel was thousands of lethal steel
splinters. I could see some of the guns firing from flat bed railroad cars. I saw puffs of smoke popping behind us coming closer with each puff until I
heard a loud explosion and the plane shook with such intensity that it knocked me off my seat. The pilot instantly took evasive action flying down to the right. As soon as we were level again, puffs of smoke
appeared on the right of us, each puff coming closer. Down and to the left the plane flew until we were treetop high above the ground finally out of
range of the enemy guns. I recall one of the crew saying, "we must have flown over Frankfurt by mistake".
Someone inquired about our altitude and the reply was 1,400 feet. I noticed that we were beginning to pa At a German airfield in Resigny, located between Aubenton and Rozoy,
two fighter pilots, Lt. Werther and Lt. Hans-Ulrich Tartsch, received their orders to find and destroy the crippled bomber reported flying low toward
the English Channel. They ran to their FW-190s and quickly took off for the kill. Flying much faster and lower than the slow, American bomber the
German pilots began sneaking up to the crippled bomber's rear. It was about 17:00 hours when I saw a dot about the same altitude and to
the rear of our plane. I called out the enemy FW 190 to our crew and began firing my guns. The right gun jammed immediately, and I
continued firing the left gun. I could see fire on both sides of the FW 190's wings. For a second I thought I hit the FW 190, but it was soon apparent
that the fire was from his guns shooting at me. I ducked my head down behind my guns, my only protection as 20MM shells began bursting above my head, ripping the skin of our plane. The noise of the exploding
shells was deafening and with my eyes shut, I could see flashes of red and orange for the next few seconds. Now I knew what it was like to be in front
of a firing squad waiting to be executed. When I opened my eyes after the explosions stopped, I was still alive. I felt some pain on my forehead. It
was a relief to find my head still on my shoulders even though some blood was oozing down my face. Small pieces of metal from the enemy shells or from our plane were embedded in various parts of my face. I tried to communicate with the rest of the crew but my intercom would not work. After I'd crawled back to the waist section of the plane, the other FW
190 made his attack, 20MM shells popping all around me. One of the two waist gunners, Bill Bergman, had already bailed out after the first assault.
I was wondering if the pilot and copilot were alive, flying the plane. I saw the ball turret gunner, Mayfield with blood pouring down his face from a
bad wound on his forehead, standing in the radio room, pointing at the body of the radio operator, Denemy, on the floor. Gene Snodgrass left the
plane. I waved at Mayfield to leave the plane. Looking down out the side door seeing Gene's chute opening, I made my decision to jump not being
aware that the pilot was in the process of crash-landing the plane. My last remembrance of the plane was the number of large holes in the
right wing, some large enough for a grapefruit to go though. My chute opened with a terrific jerk. Suddenly I hit the ground.
Meanwhile unknown to us Capt. Lincoln and the rest of the crew up front with exception of Phil Campbell who bailed out after the first attack made a
successful crash-landing in a cow pasture near Leuze, France, near the French-Belgium border. Four of the five remaining aboard the plane scrambled out quickly to find that the rest of the crew had bailed out
except the radio operator, I. W. Denemy, who had been killed by the FW-190's bullets. An hour after the crash-landing, a heavyset farmer and Mayor of Leuze,
Julian Mahoudeaux, who had heard the crash, came wandering along a path through the woods to offer help. The survivors were the pilot, Bill Lincoln, copilot, Al Pagnotta, bombardier,
Milton (Mickey) Goldfeder and top turret gunner, Joe Rhodes. Julian hid the flyers in the nearby woods, Foret de St. Michel, which
became their home for the next 13 days and kept them supplied with food brought from his home in the small village of Leuze. As the Gestapo was still searching for the downed airmen in the crash
area, the four airmen left the woods wearing civilian clothes given them by Lucian. They walked at night to Rocroi a city a few miles east of where
they were hiding in the woods. Another Frenchman hid and fed them for the next few days in Rocroi and eventually travelling to Revin where they found refuge with the Maquis of Revin.
Phil Campbell bailed out over the village of Mont St. Jean near Aubenton, France where he received helped by the Louis Morcrette family. Moved to homes in several villages, he eventually found refuge in the home of
Xavier Babled in St. Prevue near Sissones until freedom, August 30, 1944. . Bill Bergman had landed near Aubenton also where he found help from
two sisters who hid him in their home for the next three weeks. I found myself sitting in a freshly plowed field. My head was throbbin One of my first thoughts was to hide my parachute from the enemy pilot above. I jumped up, disconnecting my parachute harness and began to
hide the large white parachute by raking freshly plowed dirt on it with my hands. It was a good feeling to be safe on the ground even though I was behind
enemy lines. I was relieved to find the pain in my hip was not too severe to prevent me from walking. My next thoughts were, "How long could I
evade capture?" I could not speak French or any foreign language, only English. I wished I had taken French or Latin in high school. It was too late
now. I became twenty years old my last birthday, January 10. This young age proved to be an asset as I looked younger than twenty. Gene
Snodgrass, Bill Bergman and myself eventually travelled with the help of the French Underground to Chauny, France where we were liberated on September 2, 1944 by the American 28th
Infantry Division.. James Mayfield's chute failed to open and he died in a German Hospital in Reims, France."
Nine uneventful days had past while Bob and Pete were under armed guard in the hayloft. Early the next morning they were awakened by the two men
who had brought them informing them that they were indeed who they said they were and were now members of the French Maquis. Bob and Pete stayed there for a few days until one night when two different men came and
took them back to the woods. They were told that they were going to build a shelter in the side of the hill. The men had axes, shovels and wire with which
they were to build this shelter. The next morning they started to build their new home. Bob, Pete and four Frenchmen were digging into that hill,
cutting down and hauling trees and shrubs and not understanding what anybody was saying. It appeared to Bob like something out of a Marx Brother movie. When finished it contained a bed made of logs, wire and
brush that slept five and could not be seen from 50 feet away. Bob and Pete were informed that their home was to be operated as an outpost for the main body of the Maquis that was located deeper in the
woods. (This Maquis was a separate resistance organization from the Mission Marathon Camps in Belgium.) Later, other people were brought
into the camp including a RAF gunner and an OSS agent, Victor Layton. The Maquis gave Bob the code name, "the little man with a pipe", and an ID
card, and a work card. The cards carried the fictitious name of Louis J. Busse, born in Flanders, and worked as a clerk in Liege for the Atlas Construction Company.
Bob and Pete were still here in June when the Normandy invasion took place. Soon after the invasion the Maquis moved Pete to another section in
the camp where he met survivors of the Capt. Lincoln crew, Bill Lincoln, Al Pagnotta, Mickey Goldfeder and Joe Rhodes. Their B-17 had been shot down on April 24. Bob never saw Pete again.
The Maquis set up their hideout in a forest on the Malgre Tout plateau, where the highest point reached 433 meters above Revin, not far from the
"Chenes de la Nation" on the right bank of the Manises River, 1500 meters from the Revin-Haut Buttes Highway. Their camp contained a complete radio station, transmitter and receiver,
munitions, explosives, grenades, various weapons such as submachine guns, repeating carbines, rifles, colt revolvers and even an anti-tank gun, the
bazooka. They were supplied pharmaceutical products such as dressings and medical kits; also clothing items such as coats, gloves and wool
sweaters. All these supplies were air dropped in cylindrical containers by the American "Carpetbagger Crews" at night, sometimes close to camp,
sometimes far away near the Old Mills of Thilay. They received the air drop instructions by use of their radio. On Monday, June 12, bad news was brought to the camp. Since morning,
Revin was isolated; all communication with the outside had been cut off. German troops were guarding the exits of the city while others, in armored
cars, with machine guns, patrolled the streets. The slightest incident would bring about the destruction of the city. There were numerous arrests.
At the end of the morning a dramatic turn of events occurred. An Underground member coming from Revin informed his officers that the enemy was several hundred meters from there. The Gestapo had burned
Rober Charton's home, a Resistance leader. Captain Chavanne immediately took charge of the defense. The trenches were manned by two
sections of men with machine guns and sharp shooter riflemen. Information was received that 200 German SS troops had rounded up 40 Revin workers that morning and marched them across the Manises River where
they were questioned in Gestapo fashion. Later in the afternoon of June 12, two members simultaneously yelling "The Germans" alerted the Maquis. Almost immediately, the bullets were
whizzing. For many it was their baptism of fire. The attack came at first from the southwest corner of camp. The French response was great. The
attack by 2,000 German SS and 1,000 French Vichy soldiers under the command of Col. Grauboski were surprised by unexpected resistance and soon stopped firing. He then gave orders to surround the Maquis. Colonel Prisme immediately realized that Colonel Grauboski was attempting to surround them. By the third day of fighting Colonel Prisme
knew that it was time to evacuate or be annihilated. As soon as it was dark on the third day Colonel Prisme began his plan to escape the trap. They had several secret trails in and out of camp. At 11pm the Maquis commander gave the signal to withdraw. Several squads began burying their supplies that they could not carry with them. The
column of patriot soldiers, including the Americans began winding their way out of the trap across the highway to another secret area. The Maquis commander, a combatant of Argonne, had not forgotten the
difficulties of night guard changes in the forest. When the Germans began changing the guard, Prisme began sending his men scampering across the
highway in the safety of darkness. The Germans failed to see them, as they were busy going through the formality of changing the guard.
When the brave Maquis prisoners surrendered they made the mistake of thinking they would be treated as "Prisoners of War". Instead they were
grouped near Hauts-Buttes in Deschamps garden. Unable to move with their hands behind their back, tied with iron wire, they were made to lie on
their stomach face down. Some of them were slaughtered in the field for having spit in the faces of the captors or having tried to escape.
In the meantime on the third day the forest echoed with the sound of machine gun fire. The Maquis fighters hearing these sounds were not aware of the massacre in progress. Colonel Grauboski as head of the SS
was responsible for this tragedy. To their death they advanced, groups of five, toward tombs dug by German soldiers where they were shot and fell
into their communal grave. One hundred five Frenchmen paid with their lives for their attachment and love of their Mother Country. Eighty-three were from Revin.
On June 23, Bill Lincoln and Mickey Goldfeder left the Maquis of Revin and traveled into the Belgium Ardennes. Here they received help from one of the Mission Marathon
Camps under the command of the Belgium Resistance leader, Gaston Matthys, head of the Comete Belgium and the Belgium Mission Marathon Camps.
In this camp they had a close encounter with the Gestapo. On the night of Saturday and Sunday, August 26-27, 1944 Gaston Matthys' sleep was
interrupted with the information that the Germans had surrounded their village. Gaston and one of his subordinates were in the Hotel du Vieux Jambon d'Ardennes when suddenly the door to their room was opened with
German Soldiers entering and subjecting them to an intense interrogation. They survived the interrogation; however, the German soldiers took the six
bicycles they had in the hotel garage. They failed to learn about their forest camp. It was time now to evacuate their camp without delay.
Gaston Matthys along with Francotte and Daniel Mouton evacuated their camp and crossed the forest to Camp Acremont. The camp was composed of three cabins, two latrines and a kitchen. All were
camouflaged. A team spirit reigned through the camp. This was reflected on the happy faces of the airmen who were full of good humor and
optimism. After arriving at Camp Acremont Gaston Matthys and George Arnould who was in charge of this camp had a meeting and made plans to assure the best possible communication between the different camps.
Gaston set up the camp regulations and they were given to Capt. Bill Lincoln who had been named the camp's Military Chief/Senior Officer.
For next two days at Camp Acremont the sound of the artillery became louder, indicating the Allied Army was approaching their camp. This excited
the allied airmen in camp that they could soon rejoin their military units. One of the camp members brought some news, considered bad by Gaston
Matthys. Capt. Bill Lincoln, Lt. Mickey Goldfeder and Sgt. Fred Tuttle had left the camp, leaving this note to Gaston. "Mr. Gaston,
It is my military duty to rejoin the ranks of the American Army as soon as possible. My happy evasion would have been infinitely more difficult,
without the support of your superb organization. I trust the Allied Armies, who are very close now, are likely completely informed of the efforts you
have made in coming to the aid of allied airmen in distress. Realizing the difficulties you are facing in moving large numbers of men, I sincerely
believe I can resolve my own problem and at the same time alleviate your own, by joining, through my own efforts, the American troops, by one of the two routes I have been made aware of."
Captain Lincoln, Lt. Goldfeder and Sgt. Tuttle left on their adventure to find the American Army. Gaston, fearful of what may happen to the American
airmen, advised the Chiefs of the Maquis to proceed without delay to find them. Gaston Matthys was glad to receive word the American airmen had successfully reached the American army and were safe in Paris. A commander of the Maquis of Revin, a French Foreign Legion Captain Chavanne suggested Bob leave along with the RCAF gunner and an
American copilot, Lt. Al Pagnotta of the Lincoln crew. They took his advice and headed back into Belgium. As they left the woods and got onto a paved road, they noticed a uniformed
man on a bicycle headed their way. He stopped and asked for their papers. Bob handed him his but the others, not having any were in deep trouble.
Red, the RCAF gunner, asked Bob if he was armed. When Bob replied "no", Red suggested "we kill the SOB". Hearing this the man quickly let them know that he was a forest ranger, a member of the Belgium
Underground and would help them. The forest ranger then took them to a farmhouse where Bob was treated for trench foot and scabies by a local doctor. His treatment consisted of
rubbing Bob's skin raw with a scrub brush and painting it with some kind of foul smelling lotion. The trench foot was taken care of by putting Bob's feet
in a bucket of boiling spinach juice. Later they were taken to a monk's house where they had another close call. While they were in the monk's garden, they saw some German soldiers on
bikes coming toward the farm. They immediately jumped behind some bushes and aimed their only gun, a 38 revolver, at them. Fortunately they
were only after eggs and stayed near the barn and soon left. From there they were split up, with Red going alone and the copilot and Bob eventually
ending up in a burgomaster's house. The copilot was then taken away and Bob was left with the burgomaster. Soon after Bob, too, was moved.
The copilot, Al Pagnotta traveled back to France and the OSS agent, Victor Layton stayed with the remains of the Maquis of Revin for a while longer. A
rumor existed that Al's mother lived in France. She was a World War I war bride who did not like her life in America and returned to France shortly after
Al was born without him. It is believed Al began his search for his mother. On July 10 he traveled to Orgines, France, and remained there until
September 3, 1944, when he was liberated by the American 87th Field Artillery. No one knew if Al found his mother, but it is believed he found her in Orgines.
Bob's next stop was with a very nice couple and their dog in a town called "Salt Les Spa". Bob Augustus did not spend too much time with them, however, they did give him a new suit of clothes and new shoes. After that Bob was moved to a town called Theux near the German border where Bob stayed with a woman and her nine-year-old son. Her husband
had been beaten by the Gestapo in front of her and dragged off to a concentration camp. Bob said this woman and her son were two of the bravest people he had ever known. He lived upstairs over the dress shop
she owned. The shop was part of a row of shops and homes that butted up against each other. The people next door were also members of the
Underground. The door connecting the two houses was sawed in half, like a Dutch door, so that Bob could escape to the basement next door should it be necessary.
Every night Bob could hear the noise of Germans carrying stolen loot in cabbage wagons to their warehouse at the edge of town. One night, two
German soldiers stopped and knocked on the door demanding they be let in for the night. As Bob looked out from the edge of the window, he could
see her open the door to the two soldiers. As they stuck their guns in her stomach she put her hands on her hips and defied them. She also was
shouting a lot of German and French words that Bob had no idea what they were but the meaning was clear enough for the soldiers to leave. Bob had a
gun, however, to use it would have brought every soldier in the town. She came back in, and they each had a glass of cognac.
After Bob had been there for a while, he awoke one morning to the sound of gunfire and bombs. P-47s were attacking the warehouse and the roads
outside of the town. The roar of tanks could be heard in the distance. There were several loud explosions in and around the town. In the afternoon the
sound quieted down, and Bob could hear the rumble of approaching tanks. It was all over as the American tanks came down the hill toward the blown up bridge that separated them from the town.
Tech/Sgt. A. P. Wiley with the 30th Infantry Division in his story "War at Ground Level" recalled some of his adventures through Belgium.
"We were moving on foot most of the time through the towns of Courdimanche, Osny, Ennery, Chambly, Moragles and Cramoisy with little or no resistance from the enemy. We did not go through many big towns on
We maintained the roadblocks for two days then we were ordered to drive due east through Wasmes, Tourpes, Blicquy, Chievres, Tubize, Braine l'
Alleud, Waterloo, Wavre, Jodoigne, Landen, Heers, Heks, Tongeren, Eben-Emael to the Albert Canal and Meuse River. We later learned that the reason we were ordered to go south of Bruxelles was so that Montgomery's
2nd Army could liberate the capital of Belgium. By this time the supply of gasoline was so short we were forced to move out by foot and we covered
seventy-five miles in the next three days. We had no opposition until the afternoon of September 10th when we reached Ft. Eben-Emael. Needless
to say we were exhausted from the long hike but most of our platoon covered the seventy-five miles. We were surprised to find that we were not
only liberating the French and Belgian people we were liberating our own allied airmen who had been shot down and evading capture thanks to some very brave patriots."
The next morning Bob said goodbye to all those wonderful people as they toasted each other with wine and whatever else was available. During the
six months he had a price on his head: $10,000 or get someone out of a concentration camp. Never once was he turned over to the Germans. God Bless them all. (To be Continued)
The following made this story possible:Michael Moores LeBlanc who is researching the various Escape Lines in Europe during World War II; Rene Londoz who was a member of the Belgium Secret Army helping
over50 allied airmen escape through the various Belgium escape lines; Robert Augustus' story "Attacked by Bandits"; The French story "Le Maquis de Revin by G. Charot,"Mission Marathon" by Colonel Remy.
Information given me by Richard Hanson, Mike Ciano, Philip Solomon, Chester Hincewicz, Bill Lincoln, Mickey Goldfeder, Joe Rhodes, Charles Walker of the 2nd Air Division Association and A. P. Wiley's story "War At
Ground Level". |
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that five American airmen were hiding in the area. Two of these Americans hidden by local
patriots were Lt. Joe Pavelka and Lt. Philip Solomon. In another patriot's home nearby were Lt. James Goebel, Sgt. Charles Westerlund and Sgt. Robert Tucker. 
hen the Gestapo broke into his room. Having a pistol with him he shot the first German entering his room. The German was seriously wounded,
however, the next German entering the room shot "Petit Louis" in the head. After killing "Petit Louis" the Gestapo burned the farm, killing most of the animals there.
They also searched the Cambron family home and at the same time surrounded the village so that no one could leave until 10 am. At 11 am the only member of the Belgium Secret Army here, Fernand
Masset took his ten year old son and peddled his bicycle from Lens-Saint-Remy to Gingelom to notify René Londoz about what had happened while the five Americans slept
quietly. René immediately found new places to hide the Americans. René and three other friends took the Americans by bicycle to these new hiding
places. Then he notified Reynaerts, another Belgium Secret Army member who contacted the escape line. The decision came in that afternoon that
they could not take the airmen and that they would have to contact another organization. This decision was for safety reasons as they thought that
René would be caught soon. As René understood their decision, it still came as terrible news. René did not like the Switzerland Escape Line as it
meant that the airmen would be interned for the duration of the war. With the help of another Resistance friend, Arthur Schalenburg they found the
escape line that went to Switzerland. After a few days the five airmen were taken to the Saint Croix Church in Liege. From there they headed to France
and then to Switzerland. Jean Cambron was taken to a concentration camp, never to return home. It is believed that he was killed in an allied air
raid in Germany where he had been forced to work in a Munitions plant.
ss over small villages. I could see their church steeples were blown off. I assumed we were over Belgium or France. This destruction must have occurred
when the enemy over ran these countries at the beginning of the war. Everything looked peaceful now. The farmers were working in their fields, stopping occasionally to observe our crippled plane flying
low overhead. Where was the enemy? Flying this low, could we avoid the many enemy flak guns along the coast before crossing the channel? We
were also easy prey for the Luftwaffe. Where was the Luftwaffe? We had been flying along time with out being fired at.
g, and I felt a stabbing pain in my right hip. I could not remember floating down with my parachute. I missed
out on the experience. I remember my legs collapsing immediately on contact with the ground, my buttocks absorbing the shock of the landing along with the rest of my body including my head. I felt like I
had been hit over the head with a blunt object.
The three-day war was now over. The allied airmen had been safely evacuated. They left in
small groups of two or three. Pete Clark left with Joe Rhodes and they traveled to Miercourt, France where they found help and were liberated by the advancing American troops on September 3, 1944.
our route to Belgium but the people seemed to appreciate the fact that
we had liberated them from the Germans. They gave us apples, tomatoes, wine, cider and on rare occasions some real cognac. We continued our advance in a northeasterly direction on foot and
occasionally by truck through the towns of Laincourt, Estress, Gournay, Conchy, Raismes, St. Armand to Tournai, Belgium. The last fifty or so miles were covered on our 2 1/2 ton trucks because we were
meeting little or no resistance. On or about September 4th a short distance past Tournai we stopped and set up road blocks on the main highway to Bruxelles.