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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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424 (Tiger) Squadron, RCAF
14/15.06.1944 424 (Tiger) Squadron, RCAF, Halifax III LW121, Flt Lt. Peter C. Hamilton

Operation: Cambrai, France

Date: 14th/15th June 1944 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit No: 424 (Tiger) Squadron, RCAF, 6 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Halifax III

Serial: LW121

Code: QB:X

Base: RAF Skipton-on-Swale, Yorkshire

Location: Cambrai, France

Pilot: Flt Lt. Peter Cameron Hamilton J11556 RCAF Age 24. PoW No: 5501 * (1)

Flt Eng: Sgt. Walter Lawrence Cousins 2201368 RAFVR Age? PoW No: 255 **

Nav: Fg Off. Donald Robert McCormick J24223 RCAF Age 24. Evader (2)

Bomb Aimer: Flt Sgt. Robert Charles McCubbin R156217 RCAF Age 21. Evader (3)

WOp/Air Gnr: WO2. Charles Gordon Pallett R141179 RCAF Age 21. PoW No: 616 ** (4)

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. Calvin Becker Cornelius R210069 RCAF Age 19. PoW No: 53308 ** (5)

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. George Alexander Edward Compton R124448 RCAF Age 22. Id No: 78434 ***, PoW No: 8079 * (6)

* Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland.

** Stalag Luft 7 Bankau nr. Kreuzburg O.S." (O.S. standing for Oberschlesien, Upper Silesia). Today called Bąków nr. Kluczbork (Poland).

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

REASON FOR LOSS:

Halifax III LW121 was one of 19 aircraft from the squadron that took off from RAF Skipton-on-Swale at 22:51 hrs on the 14th June 1944 and joined a combined force of 330 aircraft tasked with attacking the railway marshalling yards at Cambrai, Douai and St-Pol in France. The squadron was detailed to attack Cambrai.

LW121 was claimed by Uffz. Kurt Leitner, his 1st Abschuss, from 2./NJG4 over Cambrai at 3.300m at 01:00 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (12 May 1944 - 23 July 1944) Part 3 - Theo Boiten).

Uffz. Leitner was KiA on the night of the 21st/22nd June 1944 when he was shot down by an intruder shortly after take-off from Florennnes and crashed at Rance west of Cerfontaine. LW121 was his only Abschuss.

On fire, the Halifax was abandoned by the crew from 11,000 ft over target area.

(1) After the statuary visit to Dulag Luft, Oberursel Flt Lt. Hamilton was transferred to Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia.

Above Flt Lt. Hamilton reported missing (Courtesy of The Leader Post, dated 29th June 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. 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.

Flt Lt. Hamilton was amongst the PoWs from the North, East and remaining West compound prisoners at Spremberg who were sent to the Malag und Milag Nord PoW camp.

Note: Malag = Marinelager (naval prisoner of war camp) and Milag = Marine-Internierten-Lager (naval internment camp), Nord (North). Located at a former Luftwaffe (German Air Force) barracks near Westertimke NE of Bremen in Germany.

On the 2nd April 1945 the Commandant announced that he had received orders to leave the camp with most of his guards, leaving only a small detachment behind to hand over the camp to Allied forces, who were already in Bremen.

However, that afternoon a detachment of over a hundred SS-Feldgendarmerie entered the camp, mustered over 3,000 men and marched them out, heading east. Flt Lt. Hamilton was in this column.

Over the next few days the column was attacked from the air several times. Finally the Senior British Naval Officer (SBNO), who was later killed in a strafing attack by RAF aircraft, offered the Germans the PoW’s parole, in return for being allowed to rest during the day and march at night. The Germans agreed. The column slowly headed east, finally crossing the River Elbe, north of Hamburg, on the 18th April 1945.

On the 28th April, the column finally arrived at Lübeck on the Baltic coast. They were liberated by the British 11th Armoured Division on the 1st May 1945.

At the Malag-Milag Nord camp the guards fled on 9th April 1945 and were replaced by elderly civilian guards. Those remaining at the camp were liberated by the British Guards Armoured Division on the 27th April 1945.


On the 5th July 1970 Peter C. Hamilton was the Captain of Air Canada Flight 621 DC-8-63, Reg: CF-TIW, which crashed near Toronto International Airport killing the 100 passengers and 9 crew.

The cause of the tragedy was the inadvertent deployment of the spoilers whilst still 60 ft above the runway. It was due to the skills and reactions of Capt. Hamilton, who was the pilot flying, recognising the situation which averted an immediate crash of the aircraft. He managed to climb the aircraft to 3000 ft and started to return to the airport for another landing attempt. However, the initial impact had torn off #4 engine and the trailing wires from the lost engine caused fuel explosions that shattered the wing and sent the doomed DC-8 into a field 5 miles north of the airport.

The inadvertent deployment of the spoilers was due to the differing opinions of the Captain and the 1st Off. Donald Rowland as to when to arm the spoilers, prior to landing or on touchdown, which led to their deployment in the air instead of being armed.

Above: Cutting courtesy of The Toronto Daily Star, dated Friday 27th November 1970.


(2) The escape and evasion report for Fg Off. McCormick is not available. However, what is known is that he was liberated on 20th August 1944 by US forces. He returned to the UK on the 25th August 1944.

Above Fg Off. McCormick reported missing (Courtesy of Edmonton Journal, dated 24th June 1944)

(3) After the bale out order was given Flt Sgt. McCubbin landed near Cambrai at 23:30 hrs. He hid his equipment and started to walk until daybreak. He then hid in an air raid shelter and went to sleep.

Some French civilians found him after about 4 hours, gave him some clothes, and showed him the way to Douai, which is some 24 km (15 mls) to the NW. He walked all day and then met two French boys who took him to the barracks of the patriots at Bugnicourt, about half way to Douai, where he remained for the next week.

He was then taken to the village of Villers-au-Tetre, about 2¼ km (1¼ mls) to the NE, where he stayed until 10th August and then onto a home in Aniche, a further 6 mls (3¾ mls) to the NE, where he remained until the 15th August. On that day he returned to Villers-au-Tetre where he remained until US forces arrived on the 2nd September.

He reported that he had seen a Halifax aircraft (Ser LW988) hit by Flak and explode, on the 12th August 1944. All the crew were killed. This was actually 51 Sqn Halifax III LW588 which was shot down on the 11th August 1944.

He return to the UK on the 8th September 1944.

Robert Charles McCubbin was born on the 5th July 1922 in Toronto, Ontario. He was a student in Toronto prior to enlisting in the RCAF in March 1942. He died on the 4th May 1985 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

(4) WO2. Pallett baled out and landed on the outskirts of Cambrai. He was picked up by an elderly farmer, who provided him with food and civilian clothes.

He then set off for Ham, some 45 km (28 mls) to the SW, on foot by day and made contact with a member of the local resistance organisation on outskirts of Ham.

He was then sent to live at Beaumont-en-Beine some 7½ km (4¾ mls) to the south, on farm for 3-4 weeks after which he went to Guivry 5 km (3¼ mls) to the south for 15 days. He was then moved to Villequier-Aumont, some 6½ km (4 mls) to the east, for 5 or 6 days.

It was here that he was caught on the 9th August in a German Army roundup for labourers. He was sent to the civilian prison at St-Quentin, some 22 km (13¾ mls) to the NNE, where he was held for 5 days after which he was sent north to Brussels for one day prior to being transported to Dulag Luft, Oberursel.

He was then transferred to Stalag Luft 7, Bankau nr. Kreuzburg arriving there on the 22nd August.

Whilst at the camp he was appointed to a commission and promoted to J89288 Plt Off.

On the 19th January 1945, 1,500 prisoners marched out of the camp in the bitter cold. They crossed a bridge over the river Oderon the 21st January, reached Goldberg on the 5th February, and were loaded onto a train.

On the 8th February they reached Stalag 3Alocated about 52 km (32 mls) south of Berlinnear Luckenwalde, which already held 20,000 prisoners, consisting mainly of soldiers from Britain, Canada, the US and Russia.

On the 22nd April 1945 as the Russians approached the camp the guards fled leaving the prisoners to be liberated by the Red Army.

Stalag 3A was turned over to the Americans on the 6th May at which time the Senior American Officers (SAO) took over the running of the camp until all the PoWs were evacuated.He was interviewed on the 18th May 1945.

Charles Gordon Pallett was born on the 11th April 1923/. He was employed as a shipper in Toronto prior to enlisting in the RCAF on the 10th November 1941.

(5) Sgt. Cornelius was appointed to a commission and promoted to J88810 Plt Off whilst a PoW.

(6) Sgt. Compton’s escape and evasion is not known other than he was betrayed whilst hiding in Le Mesnil-Saint-Firmin on the 12th August 1944, which is some 85 km (52¾ mls) SW of where the aircraft crashed in Cambrai.

He was taken to Fresnes prison which was located to the south of Paris and 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.

Sgt. Compton was promoted to Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) whilst at Stalag Luft 3.

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. 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.

On the 31st January, WO2. Compton was amongst the PoWs from the West Compound that were sent to Stalag 3A On the 8th February they reached Stalag 3A located about 52 km (32 mls) south of Berlin near Luckenwalde, which already held 20,000 prisoners, consisting mainly of soldiers from Britain, Canada, the US and Russia.

Over January and February 1945 PoWs from numerous other camps arrived and the camp eventually housed 45,942 PoWs, including 24,996 French, 12,517 Soviet, 4,093 Serbian, 1,499 American, 1,433 British, 1,310 Italian, 86 Polish and 8 Romanian.

On the 22nd April 1945 the guards fled the camp in the face of the advancing Russians leaving the prisoners to be liberated by the Red Army.

Stalag 3A was turned over to the Americans on the 6th May at which time the Senior American Officers (SAO) took over the running of the camp until all the PoWs were evacuated.

Burial details:

None - all crew survived

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

Other sources listed below:

RS 15.04.2024 - Initial upload

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and Captain François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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