Operation: Bretigny Airfield (Mission #384), France

Date: 2nd June 1944 (Friday)

Unit No: 852nd Bombardment Squadron (H), 491st Bombardment Group (H), 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force

Type: B-24H

Serial No: 42-95310

Code: 3Q:W

Location: 3 km (1¾ mls) east of Beaumont-sur-Oise, France

Base: Metfield (Station #366), Suffolk, England

Pilot: 1st Lt. William J. Evans O-687573 AAF Age 24. Evader (1)

Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Norman Krasnow O-758189 AAF Age 24. PoW.

Navigator: 2nd Lt. Malcolm Leonard Blue O-702888 AAF Age 23. KiA

Bombardier: 2nd Lt. Russell Edgar Tickner O-694819 AAF Age 22. Evader (2)

Engineer: S/Sgt. Edward Francis Reedy 13082141 AAF Age 27. Evader (3)

Radio/Op: S/Sgt. Milton Joseph Brush Jr. 15060718 AAF Age 26. PoW.

Ball Turret Gunner: Sgt. George Emery Countryman 32191923 AAF Age 25. PoW *

Right Waist Gunner: Sgt. Clare Alden Blair 1532079 AAF Age 21. Evader (4)

Left Waist Gunner: Sgt. Edward Joseph Friel 31294304 AAF Age 22. Id No: 78309 **, PoW No. 8169 *** (5)

Tail Gunner: Sgt. Raymond George Lemay 11057587 AAF Age 21. KiA

* Stalag Luft 4 Groß-Tychow, Pomerania, Prussia now Tychowo, Poland (Moved from Stalag Luft 6 Heydekrug on 28th May 1944. Moved to Wöbbelin near Ludwigslust and then to Usedom near Swinemünde).

** 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 afternoon of the 2nd June 1944 242 B-17s and 77 B-24s were detailed to bomb six railway targets in the Paris area and also Bretigny Airfield. The 852nd Bombardment Squadron detailed 13 of the 55 B-24s that attacked the Bretigny Airfield.

Bretigny Airfield is located in northern France 28 km (17½ mls) south of Paris, 1½ km (1 ml) south of Le Plessis-Pâté and 2½ km (1½ mls) SE of Brétigny-sur-Orge.

The following three witness statements described the circumstance of the loss of B-24H 42-95310:

1st Lt. Dwight L. Turner, O-415517, Pilot of B-24J 44-40144 from the same squadron:

‘At or about, 20:55 hours June 8, 1944 over Northern France I observed Flak burst on, or near, number one engine on airplane, number “T" of the 652nd Squadron. At this time the subject airplane was flying to the right rear end above us. The engine immediately burst into flame (when the flak burst) and subject airplane turned down and to the left out of formation. From all appearances the engine, or many parts of it, were melting from the heat. Later, my tail gunner called me and informed we that subject ship was flying far below and appeared to have the fire out, but I did not see this’.

2nd Lt. Horst A Strahl, O-815578, Co-Pilot:

‘We were flying No. 2 position in the low Squadron of our Group. Lt. Evans was flying No. 6 position off our right wing. Our Squadron had fallen Into position for the bomb run and at this particular moment I had looked over to Evans and gave him a wave of the hand - exactly then, I saw a burst of flak completely blow the No. 1 engine from its nacelle. The No. 2 engine seemed to be hit but kept running. Evans’ ship shuddered a bit, the No. 1 engine had burst into flame, and he fell back and downward. My waist and tail gunners followed him down in what seemed to be a controlled let down - 4 P-38's were seen to cover him. I believe it possible that the burst of flak could have injured the Pilot - Evans. We continued on our bomb run - the exact time Evans was hit was 20:58’.

1st Lt. Clifton V. Jennings, O-805926, Pilot:

‘About fifteen miles Southwest of Paris after passing the Group recovery point, my top turret gunner called and said the ship on our left wing, No. 310 flown by Lt. Evans, had been hit end was on fire. Looking out my window I saw the ship peel off and down coming very close to the low element behind us and missing them only because they went into a very steep dive, the number one engine was burning intensely, it looked as if the engine itself had been shot away and was just a ball of intense fire in it’s place. We continued to observe the ship for two or three minutes and the last we saw of it, the number one engine was still burning and the ship was one or two thousand feet below and behind us the last we saw of it, it was out of sight below and behind us about the time we were abreast of Paris’.

Aboard the aircraft all of the crew baled out between 4000 ft and 2000 ft. Tragically the parachutes of 2nd Lt. Blue and Sgt. Lemay failed to deploy completely and they both perished from multiple injuries.

The aircraft crashed at 21:14 hrs between Bernes-sur-Oise and Bruyères-sur-Oise some 3 km (1¾ mls) NNE of Beaumont-sur-Oise and 29 km (18 mls) north of Paris.

Note: These three places are within an area of 5½ km² (2 mls²) which indicates that they baled out at a low altitude.

2nd Lt. Krasnow, Sgt. Countryman and S/Sgt. Brush Jr. were captured in Brüyeres-sur-Oise, Asnières-sur-Oise and Nointel, respectively at 21:00 hrs on that day.

The PoW camps for 2nd Lt. Krasnow and S/Sgt. Brush Jr. are not known, however, German records indicate that they were initially sent to Dulag Luft, Oberursel.

(1) 1st Lt. Evans landed in a field near an airdrome. He found an Asphalt factory in a clump of trees. Here he found a wagon with a large tool box attached underneath. He hid in the box and 5 mins later the Germans arrived at about 21:00 hrs.

Note: The airdrome could have been either:

Brétigny (aka Brétigny-sur-Org, Brétigny-sur-Orge) about 1½ km south of Le Plessis-Pâté and 2½ km SE of Brétigny-sur-Org;

Beaumont-sur-Oise Aerodrome (aka Persan-Beaumont) some 3¼ km NE of Beaumont-sur-Oise itself.

20 hours later a Frenchman looked in and 1st Lt. Evans indicated to him to keep quiet and they shook hands. The Frenchman returned later with wine, potatoes, bread and eggs. Then a friend of his came with a note to say that he would be driven to Paris that night. He was given civilian clothes.

He was moved around a number safe homes in and around Paris for the remainder of June and July before being moved to a farm SE of Orléans some 110 km (69 mls) south of Paris. He was again moved around the region until on the 15th August he was taken to a Château near Ouchamps ENE of Tours.

At the Château he met four other airmen, a Plt Off. C. Harper and Ft Lt. D. B. Mason both from the RAF, Australian Plt Off. Walton and from the USAAF a Lt. Childs. Also at the Château were numerous people from the Resistance.

2nd Lt. Everett Lynn Childs O-800168. Navigator aboard the 547th BS, 384th BG, B-17G 42-310059 SO:?, shot down on the 14th October 1943. (1 KiA, 2 PoW, 7 Evd)

Fg Off. John Robert Crossley Walton 414530 RAAF and Fg Off. Charles Henry Harper 153382 RAFVR. The pilot and navigator respectively from 464 Sqn, Mosquito FB.VI, Mosquito NT138 shot down on a Patrol on the 27th July 1944.

Flt Lt. Dennis Barry Mason 115761 RAFVR. Mid Upper Gunner aboard 622 Sqn, Lancaster I LL885 GI:J who baled out after coming under attack from a Ju88. The aircraft and remainder of the crew returned to base. The Tail Gunner, Sgt. Percy Stanley Withers 3050215 was KiA.

From here his story was the same as that for a 2nd Lt. Childs and the three other evaders.

On about the 19th August one from the Resistance went through the front lines to Orléans and told some Colonel that he had a number of evaders with him. He returned and on the 20th August the evaders were taken through to Orléans.

1st Lt. Evans was interviewed on the 22nd August 1944 and returned to his unit.

Prior to enlisting in the USAAF William J. Evans enlisted in the New York US National Guard on the 5th February 1941 and served with Battery A, 209th Coast Artillery.

(2) 2nd Lt. Tickner landed near Beaumont-sur-Oise at about 21:00 hrs and was soon taken to Paris, where he stayed for 4 weeks. He was hidden at No. 73 Rue du Château, Boulogne-on-Seine and during last two weeks of June, at No. 8 Rue Jean Moreas, Paris. Whilst here he met a Fg Off. Don Forsyth RAF, who was shot down on the 10th June and evading.

Don Forsyth was Fg Off. Donald A. Forsyth J24214 RCAF, the Bomb Aimer from 625 Sqn, Lancaster I LM139 which was lost on the 10th June 1944 (1 KiA, 1 PoW, 5 Evd). He successfully evaded.

On about the 7th July he was taken to the Forêt Fréteval camp. From there on his story is the same as that for Capt. William M. Davis see Ser. 6 below.

(3) S/Sgt. Reedy came down near Beaumont-sur-Oise at about 21:00 hrs. When his parachute opened he was knocked unconscious. His evasion is not described in his Escape and Evasion report but it is known that he was taken to the Forêt Fréteval camp. From there on his story is the same as that for Capt. William M. Davis see Ser. 6 below.

(4) Sgt. Blair landed near Beaumont-sur-Oise at about 21:00 hrs and was immediately picked up by the Local Resistance and taken to Paris where he remained from 7th to 10th June. From here he was taken to the Forêt Fréteval camp arriving there on the 13th June. From there on his story is the same as that for Capt. William M. Davis see Ser. 6 below.

(5) Details of Sgt. Friel’s evasion are not known other than he was betrayed and captured in Paris on the 5th August 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).

Note: Fg Off. Joel Mathews Stevenson C27788 RCAF assisted five Frenchmen to escape from the train and they all successfully evaded capture. He was awarded the French Croix de Guerre and was Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) on the 1st January 1946. (Ref 1).

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.

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.

(6) Capt. William M. Davis O-789887, Pilot from 485th Fighter Sqn, 370th Fighter Group, P-38J 43-28464 7F:? ‘Swamp Angel’. He was the Operations Officer for the 485th Fighter Sqn.

He was shot down on the 7th July 1944 while on a mission to bomb targets of opportunity in the Loire region and to the north. They had already attacked 4 trains on this mission and were about 32 km (20 mls) NW of Orleans. Whilst attacking a fifth train they ran into a great deal of encountered Flak which bracketed his P-38 spraying him with fragments of explosive shells. The right engine was shot away and the aircraft was sent ablaze. He headed away as fast as he could, hedgehopping and looking for a good place to land.

He crash landed in a ploughed field and although it was rough landing he was only slightly injured. He took off for some nearby woods as soon as he discarded his parachute and Mae West. He saw some farmers on the other side of a field who were gesticulating and coming towards him. He recalled having been briefed not to ask for help from a group of Frenchmen, so he decided to get away. All this time his squadron were flying overhead, providing top cover.

He hid in some woods during which time he discarded and buried his flying suit and gloves. About an hour later a young Frenchman found him. He asked the young man for civilian clothes and he indicated that he would return in about 30 mins. He waited 1½ hrs and the young man had not returned, so as it was getting darker, he left his hiding place and found another place in the woods about 1½ km (1 ml) away where he remained all night.

Early the next morning he started off again walking in a westly direction. He contacted a farmer soon after who provided him some food at his home. He provided him with civilian clothes and offered to take him to the local Resistance.

The local head of the Resistance took care of him for the next 4 days. He was moved every day, staying in some new barn or field. He was told a message had been sent to London and that his identity had been confirmed.

He reported that the members were well organised, had plenty of weapons and ammunition and also had a British radio. He was told that a big camp for evaders and escapers had been established near to Châteaudun and that he would be taken there after one of the organisers met with him.

Note: This camp was part of ‘Operation Marathon’ which was a plan to hide evading Allied airmen in secret camps in France and Belgium. The Forêt Fréteval camp was code named ‘Operation Sherwood’ and eventually held more than 130 Allied airmen. The camp was liberated on the 11th August 1944.

On the 15th July he was collected and they walked most of the way to the camp when he firstly joined the part of the camp run by a Flt Lt. Berry which was called the ‘Bellande’ camp.

Note: This was Flt Lt. Leslie Frederick Berry DFC, 77960. He was the Tail Gunner from 622 Sqn, Lancaster III, ND926, GI:D which was shot down by a German Ju88 on the 31st May 1944 on a mission to Trappes, France. He was thrown clear when the aircraft exploded killing the rest of the crew.

He found that discipline did not appear to be very good and there was a lot of complaining. After 3 or 4 days he was moved to the American part of the camp which was established to ease the overcrowding and was located at Richeray on the southern edge of the Forêt Fréteval and some 7 km (4¼ mls) from the ‘Bellande’ camp.

As senior officer he was in charge of it until they left on the 11th August. Previously it had been run by a Lt. DiBetta.

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.

When D-Day started on the 6th June 1944 news was received on a daily basis from London and they began to hope for release soon. The men were under great deal of tension and some of them could not wait. The camp area had to be guarded to prevent anyone from leaving. However, a Lt. Wiseman and a man called Solomon (known as the Greek) left the camp before American forces arrived. It appears that they were hoping to get to Switzerland.

Note: This was 2nd Lt. Wiseman and Sgt. George Solomon who decided to leave, despite being forbidden to do so by Lucien Boussa. On the 29th July they took two bicycles and headed off for Spain.

Lucien Boussa was a Belgian national and a Sqn Ldr in the RAF, who along with another Belgian, Jean de Blommaert who was the head of Marathon in France, set up the camp.

T/Sgt. George Solomon 16150721, was the Radio Operator aboard B-17G 42-31380 (548th BG/385th BS) lost on the 8th February 1944. (3 PoW, 7 Evd).

On the 10th August they received news that US forces had arrived in Le Mans, and that the camps would contacted shortly for them to be rescued. The camps was packed up and waited, but it was not until the following evening at 17:00 hrs that a Reconnaissance Troop from the US 818th Tank Destroyer Battalion reached the camps with their armoured cars.

They were then taken to the US 5th Division Headquarters, and thence onto Le Mans, where they saw Maj. Neave and other responsible for this operation.

This was Capt. (temp Maj) Airey Middleton Sheffield Neave, DSO, OBE, MC. He was commissioned in the Royal Engineers. On the outbreak of WW2 he was sent to France with the 1st Searchlight Regiment, Royal Artillery. He was wounded and captured by the Germans at Calais in February 1941.

After a number of failed escape attempts he was sent to Oflag 4C, referred to as ‘Colditz Castle’. He and a Dutch Officer successfully escaped, in a second attempt, on the 5th January 1942. He returned to England in April 1942 after evading through France, Spain and Gibraltar. He was then recruited as an intelligence officer for MI9 supporting the underground escape organisations, such as the ‘Pat O’Leary Line’ and the ‘Comet Line’.

After the war he entered politics and was the Secretary of State for Northern Island when he was assassinated by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) on the 30th March 1979 by car bomb.

Burial details:

2nd Lt. Blue was found in the town Beaumont-sur-Oise at 21:20 hrs. Sgt. Lemay was found 500 m.(550 yds) west of Nointel, 2½ km (1½ mls) SW of Beaumont-sur-Oise, on the Beaumont-Paris road at 21:45 hr. They were both initially buried in the Beaumont-sur-Oise cemetery in Graves 1 and 2 respectively on the 6th June 1944.

Above: Grave marker for 2nd Lt. Malcolm L. Blue (Courtesy of Dwight 'Andy' Anderson - FindAGrave)

2nd Lt. Malcolm Leonard Blue. Purple Heart. Recovered and reinterred in the US Military Cemetery Solers, Mehun in Plot H, Row 10, Grave 182. Finally laid to rest at the Epinal American Cemetery, Plot A, Row 32, Grave 56. Born on the 26th July 1920 in Old Forge, Herkimer County, New York. Son of Ernest Wells and Lulu Belle (née Davis) Blue of Poland, New York, USA.

Above: Grave marker for Sgt. Raymond G. Lemay (Courtesy of Dwight 'Andy' Anderson - FindAGrave)

Sgt. Raymond George Lemay. Purple Heart. Recovered and reinterred in the US Military Cemetery Solers, Mehun in Plot H, Row 10, Grave 181. Finally laid to rest at the Epinal American cemetery, Plot A, Row 6, Grave 30. Born on the 30th June 1922 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Son of John H. and Gertude Lemay of Methuen, Massachusetts, USA.

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this crew (Feb 2024). 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