Operation: Bomber support (Mission #255), Münster marshalling yard, Germany

Date: 11th March 1944 (Saturday)

Unit No: 358th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, 65th Fighter Wing, 8th Air Force

Type: P-51B

Serial: 43-6554

Code: YF:R

Base: Steeple Morden, (Station #122), Cambridgeshire, England

Location: Maastricht-Scharn, Netherlands

Pilot: FO. John Leon André Chalot T-223068 AAF Age 24. Id No. 78278 *, PoW No. 8129 **

* Buchenwald concentration camp established on Ettersberg hill near Weimar, Germany in July 1937.

** Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland. (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser, Bavaria).

Note: John Leon André Chalot Initially served in the RCAF before registering for service in the US forces on the 16th September 1942.

REASON FOR LOSS:

Flight Officer (FO) Chalot took off from Steeple Morden on the 11th March 1944 at 08:18 hrs on a bomber support mission to Münster in Germany.

After mission report by Capt. Donald H. Wright O-793575:

“On the 11th March 1944, I was Green Flight Leader in Trooptrain [Sqn callsign] Squadron on a Ramrod mission over enemy territory. We had supported the bombers over the target and engaged in withdrawal action.

I received a call from Green #3, 1st Lt. Lawrence J. Dissette in which was stated that Green #4, FO. John A. Chalot was low on oxygen and also his radio was out. I immediately called for a withdrawal flight at a lower altitude.

We were in the vicinity of Dorsten at approximately 10:00 hrs and were met with heavy flak, we spread out causing the flight to broken up. I saw FO. John A. Chalot heading about 200^o. We evaded the flak for about ten more minutes”.

After mission report by 1st Lt. Lawrence J. Dissette O-793905:

“On 11th March 1944, I was flying Green #3 in Trooptrain [Sqn callsign] Squadron over enemy territory with FO. John A. Chalot as my wingman. Our group had supported the bombers over the target and were engaged in withdrawal cover.

At 09:55 hrs FO. John A Chalot flew in close and gestured that his radio was out and that he was running out of oxygen. I nodded in understanding and called Capt. Donald H. Wright, the flight leader. After calling the squadron leader. He informed we would withdraw as a flight. It was now 10:00 hrs in the vicinity of Dorsten.

An intense barrage of flak burst all around us, we spread out, taking evasive action and the flight broken up. At 10:03 hrs, I saw FO. John A. Chalot heading about 220^o and 45^o to the stratiform clouds. My altitude was 23,000 ft. FO. John A. Chalot was at 18,000 ft and the clouds were 17,000 ft. We experienced the flak until 10:10 hrs after which I saw no more of FO. John A. Chalot”.

His P-51 crashed at 10:45 hrs some 124 km (77 mls) SW of Dorsten at Maastricht-Scharn in the Netherlands.

It is not known whether he successfully bailed out or crashed landed his P-51. It is also not known who sheltered and assisted him to evade and make his way to France. What is known is that he was captured in Paris on the 10th July 1944.

He was then taken to the Fresnes prison located to the south of Paris. This was where French political prisoners were held and ordinarily Allied airmen, after questioning, were moved to a PoW Camp. In the summer of 1944, with the Allies having liberated Paris and closing in, the Gestapo guards started reducing the prison population by execution, and then relocating surviving prisoners to various concentration camps east of France. On the 15th August 1944 the was amongst 169 Allied PoWs and hundreds of French men and women who were packed into a freight train and transported to Buchenwald concentration camp on a journey lasting five days. Buchenwald was located 8 km (5 mls) north of Weimar, in the German province of Thüringen. It was established and administered by the Schutzstaffel (SS).

Fg Off. Joel Mathews ‘Tex’ Stevenson C27788 RCAF, the pilot of 419 (Moose) Squadron, RCAF Lancaster X KB727 VR:H escaped from the train and successfully evaded.

Sqn Ldr. Lamason and Fg Off. Chapman succeeded in getting all but two of the Allied PoWs transferred to Stalag Luft 3. Two airmen, 1st Lt. Levitt Clinton Beck Jr. O-736945, US AAF and Fg Off. Philip Derek Hemmens, 152583, RAFVR died in the sick barrack.

Recognition:

For decades the International Red Cross (IRC) had stated that there were no military personnel in Buchenwald despite the overwhelming documentary and anecdotal evidence. It was not until 1988 that the IRC eventually confirmed the airmen were illegally held at Buchenwald.

The Australian, New Zealand and Canadian governments also consistently denied that any of their service personnel were ever held in concentration camps and refused to investigate the claims made by a 'mere’ handful of men.

Reparations were made to the British airmen who had been illegally held at Buchenwald in 1965. Eventually in 1988 the Australian, New Zealand and it is believed the Canadian governments acknowledged that their airmen had been illegally held in concentration camps.

American airmen were among those who received compensation and the US Air force have acknowledged the Buchenwald airmen with an exhibit at the Air Force Museum, albeit the airmen are shown in uniform rather than in civilian attire. Furthermore, there is no mention of decades-long denial of their experiences by other branches of the government.

FO. Chalot was transferred to Stalag Luft 3 over the period 15th to 20th October 1944.

On the night of the 27th January 1945, with Soviet troops only 26 km (16 mls) away, orders were received to evacuate the PoWs to Spremberg which is to the West in Germany. The PoW’s were informed of the evacuation, which was on foot, at about 22:00 hrs the same night and were given 30 mins to pack and prepare everything for the March. The weather conditions were very difficult, with freezing temperatures, and it was snowing accompanied by strong winds. There was 15 cm (6 in) of snow and 2000 PoWs were assigned to clear the road ahead of the main groups.

The first groups of American PoW’s set out from the South Compound with the last PoW leaving at 23:00 hrs. The next group of American PoWs set out from the West Compound. At 03:45 hrs the North Compound left, followed by the Centre Compound. At 06:00 hrs the East Compound left. All the groups were accompanied by guards.

After a 55 km (34 mls) march, the PoWs arrived in Bad Muskau where they rested for 30 hours. The PoWs were then marched the remaining 26 km (16 mls) to Spremberg where they were housed in empty garages, storerooms and in military barracks. There they were provided with warm soup and bread.

During next days, PoWs were divided up according to Compounds, and they were led to railway sidings and loaded into tightly packed carriages.

On the 31st January, the South Compound prisoners plus 200 men from the West Compound were sent to Stalag 7A at Moosburg followed by the Centre Compound prisoners on the 7th February.

The camp was liberated on the 29th April 1945 by units of the 14th Armoured Division from Patton’s 3rd Army.

Above: Courtesy of The Herald Statesman, dated May 28th, 1945

Burial details:

None. The pilot survived

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this pilot (Feb 2023). Update to include forced-march information (Jun 2024).

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