Operation: Crepeuil and Etaples (Mission #460), France

Date: 8th July 1944 (Saturday)

Unit No: 323rd Bombardment Squadron (H), 91st Bombardment Group (H), 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force

Type: B-17G Take it Easy

Serial No: 42-97173

Code: OR:L

Location: Buray, France

Base: Bassingbourn (Station #121), Cambridgeshire, England

Pilot: FO. James William Fore T-061909 AAF Age 19. Id No: 78349 *, PoW No: 8137 ** (1)

Co Pilot: 2nd Lt. Donald Forrester ‘Don’ Bridwell O-552976 AAF Age 27. Evader (2)

Navigator: 2nd Lt. Robert Whitfield Ward O-708382 AAF Age 27. Id No: 78355 *, PoW No: 8923 ** (1)

Bombardier: 2nd Lt. Milton Gastwirth O-706730 AAF Age 23. KiA (3)

Engineer S/Sgt. Robert Milton Phelps 36453599 AAF Age 33. PoW ***

Radio Operator: S/Sgt. Chasten Leroy ‘Chat’ Bowen 39599672 AAF Age 20. Id No: 78336 *, PoW No: 8163 ** (1)

Ball Turret Gnr: Sgt. George Sherman 12155862 AAF Age? PoW Unknown Camp

Waist Gnr: S/Sgt. James Frederick Zeiser 35142619 AAF Age 29. Id No: 78322 *, PoW No: 8199 ** (1)

Tail Gnr: S/Sgt. Bernard Fred Scharf 37272775 AAF Age 31. Id No: 78353 *, PoW No: 8190 ** (1)

* 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).

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

Above: The original crew of B-17G 42-97173 ‘Take It Easy’. 1st Lt. Robert A. Miller‘s crew first appears on the Sqn mission roster on the 9th May 1944. (Courtesy of Fold3)

Standing L to R: S/Sgt. Bowen, S/Sgt. L.K. Wetzel (WG), S/Sg.t E.H. 'Loel' Moore (BTG), Unknown Ground Crew, S/Sgt. E.P. Wood (TG), S/Sgt. V.C. Lindenmayer (WG): Front L to R: 1st Lt. Robert A. Miller (P), FO. Fore, 2nd Lt. M.R. Long (N), 2nd Lt. Carleton Richard Seidel (B).

REASON FOR LOSS:

Take it Easy took off at approximately 04:00 hrs on the 8th July 1944, on a mission to Crepeuil and Etaples, France. The aircraft failed to join the formation of the 91st BG at the rendezvous point and was not seen again or contacted by radio following take off from Bassingbourn (Station #121).

With exception of Flight Officer (FO) Fore, who was on his 25th operation, this crew was on their first operation.

Take it Easy attached itself to another formation which was on a mission to bomb the airfield at Saint-André-de-l'Eure in France. The airfield was bombed by 11 B-17s on this day as a target of opportunity.

The airfield is 80 km (49¾ mls) west of Paris and 18 km (11 mls) SSE of Évreux and immediately SW of Saint-André-de-l'Eure.

Take it Easy was hit by flak whilst flying near Dreux, about 95 km (60 mls) west of Paris, which caused a fire aboard.

All of the crew safely bailed out, although it was reported by FO. Fore that S/Sgt. Bowen had suffered a broken ankle.

The aircraft crashed at Buray, about 1½ km (1 ml) due north of Nanancourt and 15 km (9 mls) WNW of Dreux at 08:30 hrs.

Note: An unconfirmed report places the crash site at Coudres some 8¾ km (5½ mls) NE of Buray.

(1) The details of the escape and evasion of Flight Officer (FO) Fore, 2nd Lt. Ward, S/Sgt Scharf, S/Sgt. Bowen and S/Sgt. Zeiser are unknown.

However, what is known is that FO. Fore, 2nd Lt. Ward and S/Sgt Scharf were betrayed and captured by the Gestapo in Paris on the 10th July 1944, and S/Sgt. Bowen and S/Sgt. Zeiser on the 11th July 1944.

They were 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 they were 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.

2nd Lt. Ward was suffering from Tuberculosis Pleurisy and was too weak to travel with the rest of the PoWs who were transferred to Stalag Luft 3 over the period 15th to 20th October 1944. After he had recovered sufficiently he re-joined his fellow PoWs at Stalag Luft 3 on the 28th November 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) The details of 2nd Lt. Bridwell’s escape and evasion are not known except that it has been reported that he was hidden and sheltered by the French underground awaiting the arrival of the US army. He was interviewed on the 17th August 1944 and returned to his unit the next day.

(3) 2nd Lt. Gastwirth was killed under his parachute either by flak or enemy Machine Gun (MG) fire from the ground. French farmers buried him and showed FO. Fore his ‘Dog Tags’.

Burial details:

2nd Lt. Milton Gastwirth. Air Medal, Purple Heart. He was recovered and reinterred on 3rd September 1944 as X- 43 in St. Andre US Military Cemetery, Evreux, Plot B, Row 4, Grave 66. Repatriated and interred at the Montefiore Cemetery, Springfield Gardens, New York. Born on the 26th November 1920 in Manhattan, New York. Son of Harry N. and Rose Gastwirth of The Bronx, New York, USA.

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