Operation: München (Munich) (Mission #468), Germany

Date: 12th July 1944 (Wednesday)

Unit No: 735th Bombardment Squadron (H), 453rd Bombardment Group (H), 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force

Type: B-24H Stolen Moment

Serial No: 42-52627

Code: H6:N-

Location: In the vicinity of Tuttlingen, Germany

Base: Old Buckenham airfield (Station #144), Norfolk, England

Pilot: 2nd Lt. Bill Burton Banias O-760532 AAF Age 22. Evader (1)

Co Pilot: 2nd Lt. Fred Buster Foltz O-768498 AAF Age 28. Evader (1)

Navigator: 2nd Lt. Richard Anthony Matheis O-709419 AAF Age 20. PoW *

Bombardier: 2nd Lt. John Albert Staedler O-765853 AAF Age 20. PoW *

Radio/Op: S/Sgt. Julius ‘Jules’ William Gordon 12153055 AAF Age 21. PoW **

Engineer: Sgt. Charles John Scheffer 33593792 AAF Age 24. PoW **

Nose Gnr: Cpl. Robert ‘Bob’ D. Thompson 37357237 AAF Age 19. PoW ***

Right Waist Gnr: Sgt. Bill Gene Hileman 38564158 AAF Age 19. PoW **

Left Waist Gnr: Cpl. Leonard Elton Lincoln 19190778 AAF Age 19. PoW ***

Tail Gnr: Cpl. Albert Gustav Hitz 37484991 AAF Age 19. PoW **

Above: 2nd Lt. Bill B. Banias and his crew(courtesy of www.b24bestweb and Tim Rathbone). Note: Only two of the crew have been positively identified. Sgt. Robert 'Bob' D. Thompson Standing 4th from the left. 2nd Lt. Fred B. Foltz kneeling 3rd from left.

* Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang, today situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

** Stalag Luft 4 Groß-Tychow, Pomerania, Prussia now Tychowo, Poland (Moved from Stalag Luft 6 Heydekrug. Moved to Wöbbelin near Ludwigslust and then to Usedom near Swinemünde).

*** Unknown PoW Camp.

The Stolen Moment had an interesting history: On the 29th April 1944 on a mission to mission to Berlin it was damaged and crash landed back at base. It was repaired at Beccles between the 30th April and the 1st June 1944 with #1 and #3 engines replaced. A wing panel, the main wheels and the electrical system were repaired. It was then transferred from 733rd (F8:Z) to the 735th Bombardment Squadron between 21st June & 7th July 1944.

Above: B-24H 42-52627 Stolen Moments after its crashlanding on the 29th April 1944. (courtesy of www.b24bestweb and Robert Livingston)

REASON FOR LOSS:

The Stolen Moments took off at 08:55 hrs from Old Buckenham airfield and was the designated lead aircraft of the eighteen Liberators detailed from the 453rd BG on a mission to bomb the city of München (Munich), Germany.

The Stolen Moment was leaving the target area when it was hit by flak. The aircraft was last seen at Lat/Long 48 15N, 10 00E at about 14:20 hrs flying at 24,000 ft with one engine feathered and heading in a south-westerly direction. The aircraft was being escorted by P-51s.

The Lat/Long of 48 15N, 10 00E is some 117 km (73 mls) west of München (Munich)

Aboard the aircraft a second engine was feathered and it became increasing difficult to maintain altitude.

It was reported that the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing at about 15:30 hrs, some 5 km (3 mls) east of Ensisheim in France, near the road to Hirtzfelden on the plains of Alsace. This meant that the aircraft was flown on for about another 200 km (126 mls) to the west from its last reported position.

This location cannot be correct given that the Escape and Evasion reports completed by 2nd Lt. Banias and 2nd Lt. Foltz reported that their escape route started at Tuttlingen in Germany which is some 110 km (68 mls) east of Ensisheim. Furthermore Tuttlingen is some 87 km (54½ mls) west of their last reported position.

The aircraft landed wheels down “somewhere in Germany” in a valley 25 mins flying time after their bombs were dropped and none of the crew were injured. A nearby French labourer indicated that France and Switzerland was to the southwest. The crew returned to the aircraft and attempted to burn the equipment and before deciding to escape in pairs.

Eight of the crew were captured almost immediately and became PoWs but 2nd Lt. Banias and 2nd Lt. Foltz evaded the enemy.

The Germans assessed the damage to the aircraft and completed repairs using their stockpile of spare parts salvaged from other crashed B-24s. Luftwaffe markings were added to the aircraft. It was being prepared for take off when it was shot up by a P-38 Lightning and destroyed, the position having been communicated to Allied forces by the French resistance.

Above: B-24H 42-52627 Stolen Moments with German marking after recovery by the Germans (courtesy of www.b24bestweb and Brendan Wood)

Above: B-24H 42-52627 Stolen Moments after being destroyed by a P-38. (courtesy of www.b24bestweb and Brendan Wood)

(1) 2nd Lt. Banias and 2nd Lt. Foltz escaped immediate capture and from Tuttlingen they headed west towards France. They swam across the Rhine river east of Ensisheim

probably near Grißheim. They had walked for seven days and nights without food, except for the Horlicks tablets and peanut bars from their escape kits. On reaching France they received aid from French nationals.

Grißheim is some 93 km (58 mls) west of Tuttlingen.

They then trekked southward through a forest, possibly the Forêt Domaniale de le Harth, and along a range of low mountains which ended close to Mulhouse. They then headed westward from Montreux-Château to Belfort, which is some 11½ km (7 mls) to the WSW, then south for another 12 km (7½ mls) through Boron and Delle to cross the Swiss frontier near the Swiss town of Boncourt on the 19th July 1944.

Swiss soldiers picked them up and took them to Porrentruy, some 10 km (6 mls) to the SW, and spent 3 days in prison where an attempt was made to put them to work sawing wood, which they refused. From here they were taken to Bad Lostorf, some 65 km (41 mls) to the east, and held for 21 days in quarantine. They were then sent to Glion where they were held until the 14th September.

Glion is a village, some 700 m (2300 ft) above sea level, overlooking the NE shore of Lake Geneva and some 130 km (81 mls) to the SW to Bad Lostorf. It appears that the two officers were not treated as internees in which case they would have been sent to Davos where American officers were interned.

According the Hague Convention ‘evadees’ or ‘escapees’ should be unconfined and free to leave the county anytime they wished:

Internees were considered combat soldiers who had sought refuge;
Evadees were supposedly unarmed and separated from their units;
Escapees (Evadés) were considered to be helpless former PoWs.

It would appear that 2nd Lt. Banias and 2nd Lt. Foltz had been categorised as ‘evadees’ but were only released from Swiss custody on the 14th September 1944. They crossed the frontier and were taken to Annecy in France from where they were flown to the UK on the 29th September 1944.

Following the the June 1944 invasion of France the Allies also landed troops in the south of France in August 1944. This soon led to the southern and eastern France bordering the Swiss border being liberated. As a consequence the Swiss authorities declared the frontiers were open. The Evadés were escorted to the frontier to link up again with Allied troops.

Burial Details:

All the crew survived.

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this crew.

Other sources listed below:

Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them. Franklin Delano Roosevelt