Operation: Oberpfaffenhofen airfield (Mission #315), Germany

Date: 24th April 1944 (Monday)

Unit No: 544th Bombardment Squadron (H), 384th Bombardment Group (H), 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force

Type: B-17G Shack Rabbit

Serial No: 43-31346

Code: SU:Q

Location: Plancy l’Abbaye, France

Base: Grafton Underwood (Station #106) Airfield, Northamptonshire, England

Pilot: 1st Lt. Walter Lewis Harvey O-672350 AAF Age 23. Evader (1)

Co Pilot: 2nd Lt. Robert Harold Brown O-521326 AAF Age 22. Id No: 78295 *, PoW No: 8127 ** (2)

Navigator: 2nd Lt. Johnson William Rule O-704135 AAF Age 26. Evader (3)

Bombardier: 1st Lt. Richard E. Rader O-734835 AAF Age 21. Evader (1)

Engineer: S/Sgt. Dewey Carlyle Smith 18190125 AAF Age 21. PoW ****

Radio/Op: S/Sgt. Stanley John Sturak 33419781 AAF Age 22. PoW ***

Ball Turret Gnr: S/Sgt. Charles William Roberson 16052210 AAF Age 25. Id No: 78327 *, PoW No: 8188 ** (2)

Left Waist Gunner: Sgt. Cornelius Patrick ‘Neil’ McManus 11057514 AAF Age 25. Evader (3)

Right Waist Gunner: Sgt. James Asa Atkins 35666456 AAF Age 23. PoW ****

Tail Gunner: Sgt. George Daniel Vann Jr. 18157650 AAF Age 23. PoW ***

* 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).

*** Unknown camp.

**** Stalag 17B Krems-Gneixendorf, Austria. (“Braunau” seems to come in because in April 1945 when the Red Army was approaching, PoWs who were able to walk were evacuated to Weilhartsfort near Braunau, 300 kms distant).

Description: Bomb doors open over Berlin, Germany - Four of the the hundreds of Flying Fortresses and Liberators which attacked Berlin on March 6th [sic], 1944 approach the target area with bomb-bay doors open. Note: this date is incorrect the B-17G 43-31346 'Shack Rabbit', in the foreground, flew this mission on March 9th. (Courtesy of the Bureau of Public Relations 6th April 1944 and Fold3)

Description: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Shack Rabbit" of the 381st Bomb Group stationed at an 8th Air Force base near Ridgewell, Essex County, England. 31 March 1944. (Courtesy of the HQ, 325 Photo Reconnaissance Wing, 16th January 1946 and Fold3)

REASON FOR LOSS:

The Shack Rabbit took off from Grafton Underwood on the morning of the 24th April 1944 and joined a force of 84 bombers to attack Oberpfaffenhofen airfield.

This was a factory airfield, where Dornier Reparaturwerk repaired damaged aircraft, in Bavaria 20 km (12½ mls) WSW of München (Munich) and 2 km (1¼ mls) ENE of Oberpfaffenhofen village.

An after mission statement by 1st Lt. John E. Clayton, O-801246 DFC, Pilot described the loss of the Shack Rabbit.

“We were flying at #6 in the Low squadron, Lead Group, at 12:01 hrs, 48 km (30 mls) east of Paris, aircraft #346, Lt. Harvey, Pilot, was struck by flak. Aircraft #346 turned around and headed for England. The aircraft was afire in the nose and smoke was coming, out of the cockpit. Four chutes were observed emerging from the aircraft, but only three (3) were seen to open”.

Aboard the Shack Rabbit when the cockpit and radio room caught fire the crew were ordered to abandon the aircraft and everyone successfully started bailing out at about 20,000 ft.

The aircraft crashed at about 12:15 hrs close to Ferme La de Caroline (Caroline’s Farm) at Plancy-I’Abbaye about 1½ km (1 ml) south Champfleury airfield, community of Plancy, France.

S/Sgt. Smith, S/Sgt. Sturak, Sgt. Atkins and Sgt. Vann Jr. were captured soon after landing and became PoWs.

(1) 1st Lt. Harvey bailed out at about 19,000 ft and delayed opening his parachute until about 5,000 ft. He landed on the edge of the village of Faux-Fresnay, some 18 km (11 mls) SE of Sézanne, and not far from a school yard full of interested and delighted children. A Frenchman directed him to the forest whilst the school children eagerly disposed of his equipment.

About 40 mins later he watched as German soldiers on motorcycles searching up and down the roads. He hid in the forest all day but was frustrated with waiting and tried to attract the attention of a passing farmer who ignored him. He then approached two men who told him stay where he was, and later that night at about 22:00 hrs they returned with 1st Lt. Rader.

1st Lt. Rader had made a free fall of 15,000 ft and landed east of Angluzelles-et-Courcelles, some is some 5 km (3 mls) ESE of Faux-Fresnay, and hid in some woods. A Frenchman located him with difficulty, and one of the men who had found 1st Lt. Harvey brought him some food and promised to return. 1st Lt. Rader cautiously moved to a place from which he could watch the rendezvous point. The man returned alone at about 21:00 hrs and they then went on to join up with 1st Lt. Harvey.

They were taken to a house in Faux-Fresnay where they were given food and civilian clothes. A French officer who spoke a little English took photographs of them for identification purposes. A resistance man told them that Sgt. McManus, 2nd Lt. Brown, and 2nd Lt. Rule from their crew had been picked up and already sent to England by aircraft, which turned out to be incorrect.

They were then taken by truck to Beaudemont, some 79 km (49 mls) to the SW, where a plane was pick them up. They met a Fg Off. Morley, a Mosquito Navigator shot down in March 1944.

Fg Off. Morley appears to be a case of mistaken identity as this is believed to be Fg Off. George Mamoutoff MiD 147939, Navigator aboard 141 Sqn Mosquito NF.II, HJ708 lost on the 25th March 1944. His pilot, Fg Off. François Emile Désiré Van den Plassche who was a Belgian national, successfully evaded into Spain and via Gibraltar.

They stayed here for three weeks with a local section Chef de Résistance, who lived with his parents and a large family. They met all the Maquisards of the section and worked with them on some jobs and assisting in three parachute supply drops of which only the first, on the 4th/5th May, was successful.

They met up with Sgt. McManus, 2nd Lt. Brown, and 2nd Lt. Rule when they were moved to another farm. During the following days they instructed the Maquisards in the handling of small-arms and how to use equipment for which SOE had only sent with English operating instructions.

Fg Off. Mamoutoff (aka Fg Off. Morley) who had during this time been sure of the aircraft operations and also seemed to want to direct everyone else decided on about the 16th May that they should all leave. The men went from Beaudemont to Marcilly sur Seine where they stayed with the farmer who first assisted them after they had abandoned their bomber. From about the 13th May they remained in one room, without leaving, for about a week

They were soon joined by a Sgt. Godfrey Stuart. They moved to a village school house and stayed about five days with a professor who in addition to being an excellent man was one of the two Chef de Résistance leaders in the town.

This was in fact Flt Sgt. Stuart J. Godfrey 987171 from 50 Sqn. He was aboard Lancaster III, LM480, shot down on the 3rd May 1944 on a mission to Mailly-le-Camp. He and his pilot Flt Lt. Thomas Henry Blackham DFC 124922 successfully evaded. Six others of the crew were KiA.

The Maire (mayor) was thought to be a collaborator and as the Germans were searching for Americans, the men were on the move again spending three days at one farm. Somewhere along the way they had met a man from Paris who was supposed to check on their identities and who expressed suspicions of Fg Off. Mamoutoff (aka Fg Off. Morley). Apparently he was not liked by the group.

Note: Fg Off. Mamoutoff (aka Fg Off. Morley) was a Russian national flying with the RAF and this may have been the reason for their suspicions and subsequent animosity.

They were then driven by car through Romilly-sur-Seine to Etissac and then onto a forest encampment near Saint-Mards-en-Othe where they met up with S/Sgt. Roberson from their crew and a force of some 20 Maquis. They had recently moved to this location as it seemed that S/Sgt. Roberson had discovered two German spies one of whom had escaped and the other was executed.

On about the 1st June Sgt. McManus, 2nd Lt. Brown, and 2nd Lt. Rule from their crew joined them. In the next weeks they spent a great deal of time doing armed guard duty. During the period until the 20th June the Maquis did almost nothing, much to the evaders annoyance, except to claim to have killed a few collaborators.

The were about eight British airmen and six Americans in the group. Amongst the group of British airmen were Flt Sgt. Godfrey (aka Sgt. Stuart), Fg Off. Mamoutoff (aka Fg Off. Morley) and a Flt Lt. George Foley. The identities of the other British airmen are unknown.

Flt Lt. George Foley was Flt Lt. Lawson George Foley 142901 from 83 Sqn. He was the Bomb Aimer aboard Lancaster III JB402, shot down by a night fighter on the 4th May 1944 on a mission to Mailly-le-Camp in France. He was one of six evaders from the crew with two becoming PoWs.

On the 19th June some of the Maquis whom they had known at Beaudemont reinforced the group. It was expected that the Germans would attack the encampment in the coming days. On the 20th June it was discovered that the Germans had surrounded the forest. It was not clear whether they had located it directly or followed the other group.

The Germans started to shell the place and evidently knew exactly where the camp was. The evaders split up and hid at the edge of the woods. The Americans were about to move to another nearby wooded area when a Frenchman started into the open and was picked off by a sniper. 1st Lt. Harvey and 1st Lt. Rader stayed where they were until darkness and then moved out, avoiding all towns.

Other than 1st Lt. Harvey and 1st Lt. Rader, it is known that:

Fg Off. Mamoutoff was killed during the German raid whilst covering the retreat of the Maquis;

2nd Lt. Brown and S/Sgt. Roberson escaped but were later captured. (see Ser 2);

2nd Lt. Rule, Sgt. McManus, Flt Lt. Foley and Flt Sgt. Godfrey escaped and returned to the UK.

1st Lt. Harvey and 1st Lt. Rader made their way across France towards Paris being helped and sheltered by friendly French families. On about the 25th June they hid in an empty hospital at Laroche-Saint-Cydroine which had been badly bombed by the Americans. The Germans worked on wounded in the hospital while they stayed hidden on the top floor.

On the the 6th July they stole away from the hospital and caught a train as far as Sens, walked around damaged tracks, and finally reaches Melun. They went on to Villaneuve-St-Georges and then decided that they had better go no farther by train.

They walked to the Seine, crossed the bridge without being bothered by the Gendarmes, and went to Palaiseau. There a bar tender sheltered them for a time and bought them tickets to Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse. From there they walked to Le Mesnil-Saint-Denis and after sleeping in a haystack were picked up by the Germans walking through the town early the next morning. The commandant there questioned them sleepily and let them go. They walked to Maurepas and were taken in by a farmer where they stayed for week in a deserted house. They stayed here for 12 days and when no assistance for their return to Allied lines was organised they decided to move on by themselves.

On the 11th August they walked to Rambouillet, thinking that the Americans were there but did found no trace. About one km from Gazeran they were collected by a Dutch farmer who had previously sheltered Allied airmen. Enroute they collected some German PoWs and marched them into Gazeron where the US 5th Armoured Division was located.

They were evacuated to the 9th Air Force HQ and debriefed on the 19th August 1944. They were flown back to the UK on the 20th August 1944.

(2) All that is known after 2nd Lt. Brown and S/Sgt. Roberson had escaped from the German attack on the encampment is that they made their way to Paris where they were arrested on the 11th August 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 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 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.

They were 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.

(3) After 2nd Lt. Rule and Sgt. McManus escaped from the German attack on the encampment near Saint-Mards-en-Othe, their Escape and Evasion reports only record that they were assisted and hidden in La Chapelle-Lasson and Estissac which is some 51 km (31½ mls) and 11 km (6½ mls) respectively north of Saint-Mards-en-Othe.

Note: Sgt. McManus mentioned that there was a third evader with them but did not name the individual. However, it is believed that this may have been 1st Lt. Roy W. Allen O-753841.

It is assumed that they were liberated by American forces and were interviewed in the UK on the 7th September 1944.

Burial Details:

None. All of the crew survived

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