Operation: Maisons-Laffitte Railroad Bridge, France

Date: 27th May 1944 (Saturday)

Unit No: 574th Bombardment Squadron (M), 391st Bombardment Group (M), 99th Combat Wing, 9th Air Force

Type: B-26B

Serial No: 41-31716

Code: 4L:?

Location: Near Les-Vallois, 9¼ km (5¾ mls) ENE of Évreux, France

Base: Matching Green (Station #166), Essex, England

Pilot: 2nd Lt. Donat François Dauteuil O-747759 AAF Age 23. Id No: 78324 *, PoW No: 8133 ** (1)

Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. John Thomas Wilson O-691201 AAF Age 23. PoW **

Bombardier/Nav: 2nd Lt. Martin George Koehler O-746893 AAF Age 26. PoW **

Engineer/Gnr: Sgt. Charles G. Wade 34365189 AAF Age? Hospital (2)

Radio Operator/Gnr: Sgt. Eugen Frederick Rider 36560221 AAF Age 21. Evader (3)

Gnr: Cpl. Walter Frank Polaski 38188584 AAF Age 27. Evader (4)

* 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).

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the second mission of the day the Sqn detailed 37 aircraft to attack the Maisons-Laffitte Railroad Bridge in France. Each aircraft was loaded with 2x2000 lb General Purpose bombs with the attack being carried out by flights of six aircraft.

After take-off, the formation proceeded to a rendezvous with the 386th Bombardment Group (M) and then to Beachy Head for their rendezvous with their P-47 fighter escort. The formation experienced heavy but inaccurate flak as it passed Elbeuf, but was subjected to heavy, intense and accurate flak in the target area.

2nd Lt. Dauteuil’s B-26B was one of two aircraft lost from the Sqn, the second being B-26B 42-95827 with Capt. James F. Shofner and his crew of five becoming PoWs.

B-26B 41-31716 was flying at #6 in the low flight of Box #1.

Statement by Sgt. David N. Loebel 36261396, Tail Gunner:

'I was flying as Tail Gunner in #3 position in the same flight as Lt. Dauteuil and I first noticed his ship as it was going down in about a 45 degree angle and seemed to have control of the ship. The right engine was burning and I followed it all the way to ground where it exploded. I saw five (5) chutes leave the ship’.

Statement by S/Sgt. Richard H. Way 12218199, Radio Gunner:

‘I was flying as Top Turret Gunner in the same ship as Sgt. Loebel and I noticed Lt. Dauteuil’s ship as it was going down with the right engine smoking. I lost track of him and my tail gunner called me over the interphone and told me that they were starting to leave the ship. I counted four (4) chutes as it was going down’.

Statement by S/Sgt. Harry Sontag 32711628, Tail Gunner

‘I was flying Tail Gunner in #4 position, low flight and saw Lt. Dauteuil’s ship as it started to peel down into a 45 degree angle and watched it go down with smoking engines. I saw 6 chutes come out in about 2 second intervals and followed the ship to the ground where it hit and burst into flames’.

The right engine was set on fire by flak, forcing all of the crew to abandon the aircraft before it crashed at 21:13 hrs at Les-Vallois, 8 km (5 mls) NE of Evreux, France.

(1) 2nd Lt. Dauteuil baled out over Pacy-Sur-Ere. He land near the crashed aircraft and hid out overnight. He saw the Germans find his parachute and their search for him.

Pacy-Sur-Ere is some 9 km (6½ mls) ESE of the crash site near Les-Vallois

The next day he walked to Vernon, some 11½ km (7 mls) to the NE of Pacy-Sur-Ere, where the Chief of the Resistance movement in the area confirmed that he was not a German plant. He was then sheltered by a family whose head was the caretaker of the town’s cemetery. He stayed with this family for almost 2 months during which time he found that this family had cared for a least ten other Allied airmen who had been shot down.

On or about the 24th July 1944 he started out for Paris where the plan was to contact the Resistance there and then to be flown back to England. Together with another airman a Flt Lt [sic] Kennis [sic], RCAF he was driven to Paris by a Belgian claiming to be with the Resistance. Arriving in Paris they were taken to a hotel where the proprietor claimed to be Jewish. Two days later on the 27th July they were collected by two men and told they were to be taken to Spain, however, they were driven to the Paris Gestapo headquarters and arrested. The Belgian and the hotel proprietor were working for the Gestapo.

Fg Off. Arthur G. Kinnis J26136, RCAF. Bomb Aimer from 106 Sqn, Lancaster I ME668 which was shot down by a German night-fighter on the 7th/8th July 1944.

They were 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 he 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 receiving 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.

He 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.

(2) Sgt. Wade suffered a serious back injury when he landed after baling out. He and 2nd Lt. Wilson were treated at a hospital in Reims. When US forces liberated the town 2nd Lt. Wilson was moved to Germany but Sgt. Wade could not be moved because he was in a solid cast from waist to ankle. He was liberated by US Forces from a hospital in Reims and repatriated to the USA.

(3) Sgt. Rider baled out and landed in a tree near Ménilles at 20:45 hrs, which is some 7 km (4¼ mls) ESE of the crash site. After shrugging off his parachute he ran across the fields to escape the area. A local girl helped him out by pointed the seeking Germans in the wrong direction. He continued in a southerly direction for about 16 km (10 mls) before seeking assistance.

He arrived at Chaignes, some 5½ km (3½ mls) ESE of Ménilles, at about 09:00 hrs the next day and tried to get help. Initially those he asked became scared once they found that he was an American. However, eventually he was given some wine and cider and then passed on to some people who were already hiding Cpl. Poleski. On the 8th July they were joined by a Lt. Springer.

Lt. Springer was 2nd Lt. Elmer E. Springer O-695100 from 514FS, 406FG whose P-47D was shot down on the 5th July 1944 during an engagement with Fw190s.

Sgt. Rider reported that on the 8th July at about 00:15 hrs a 4 engine plane crashed at Chaignes. It still carried bombs and all were killed. A hole 30 ft deep was torn in the ground. The remains of five airmen were buried at Chaignes.

To date the identity of this aircraft and crew have not been established.

On the 18th July Sgt. Rider and 2nd Lt. Springer were moved to Le Mesnil Guyon, some 7½ km (4¼ mls) to the ESE, where they remained until the 18th August when people from the local Resistance group arrived and took them by motorcycle to an unnamed town where they made contact with elements of the US 5th Armoured Division.

(4) Cpl. Poleski suffered a flak injury to his hand before he baled out. He landed in the town of Ménilles itself at about 20:30 hrs and after shrugging off his parachute he ran across the fields to escape the area. He stopped at an open field and hid there for two days without food or water. On the 29th May he was found by a young girl who took him to a farm house where he was given civilian clothes and identity papers. The next morning he was taken to Pacy-Sur-Ere, some 2¼ km (1½ mls) SSE of Ménilles, where a doctor working for the Resistance removed the piece of flak from his hand and dressed the wound.

On the 4th June he was taken to Chaignes, some 4¼ km (2¾ mls) to the east of Pacy-Sur-Ere, where on the 8th July he met up with Sgt. Rider and Lt. Springer (See Ser 3 above).

On the 13th July he alone was taken to Aigleville, just 1½ km (1 ml) to the SW, and remained there until the 18th July when he was taken to Villegats, some 3¼ km (2 mls) further to the ESE. He remained here until the 18th August when he was liberated by elements of the US 5th Armoured Division.

Burial Details:

None. All of the crew survived

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