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Operation: Glide bombing mission to Sens, France
Date: 23rd June 1944 (Friday)
Unit No: 38th Fighter Squadron, 55th Fighter Group, 66th Fighter Wing, 8th Air Force
Type: P-38J Lightning
Serial: 42-67578
Code: CJ:?
Base: Wormingford (Station #159), Essex, England
Location: Prasville, 25¾ km (16 ml) SE of Chartres, France
Pilot: 2nd Lt. Robert Bruce Hoffman O-758172 AAF Age 22. Id No: 78350 *, PoW No. 8142 **
* 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:
2nd Lt. Hoffman took off from Wormingford on a squadron glide bombing mission to Sensin France. France. At about 14:00 hrs while flying at 10000 ft 19 km (12 ml) north of Dreux in France two Bf109s attacked from the rear and shot him down. The aircraft crashed near Prasville, 25¾ km (16 ml) SE of Chartres, France.
Major (Maj) Klaus Mietusch and Fähnenjunker-Feldwebel (Officer Cadet-Sgt) Joachim Zeller, from Stab III./JG26, claimed two and one P-38s respectively on this day. The claims were in the Chartres-Etampes area at 14:00 hrs, between 2000 m. and 3000 m. and the claims were confirmed.
However, there were only two P-38s lost on this day, at this time and in this location. So it is probable that one of the P-38s was claimed by both pilots.
P-38J 42-104284 was the second P-38 shot down. The pilot, 1st Lt. Grant H. Cory O-737735, was KiA. The aircraft was on the same mission as 2nd Lt. Hoffman and was also from the 38th Fighter Squadron.
The engagement was witnessed by two fellow pilots, the first by Capt. Clair W. Des Voignes DFC, O-743425.
‘Hellcat Squadron was reforming after a called break in the vicinity approximately 12 miles Northeast of Dreux, France. I was leading Hellcat White Flight who had lost me in the break and was behind and below the Squadron. I observed two Me.109's dive down in a line abreast formation upon an element to the rear of the Squadron. I called three times for Hellcat Squadron to break, but the element under attack took no evasive action. I observed the right engine of the rear P-38 burst into flames, and roll slowly toward the deck. When next observed this P-38 had crashed, apparently straight in, and was burning brightly. No chute was observed,
This action took place at approximately 10,000 feet at 1405 23 June 1944. The plane was later identified as that of 2nd Lt. Robert B. Hoffman’.
The second was 2nd Lt. Robert M. Littlefield O-758017.
‘On June 23, 1944 about 12 miles Northeast of Dreux, France, Lt. R.B. Hoffman and myself were bounced by two Me.109s. I heard someone yell “Hellcat break”. As I broke right I glanced over my left shoulder and observed a 109 on Lt. Hoffman’s tail firing. I saw strikes on Lt. Hoffman’s ship. That is the last I saw of Lt. Hoffman’.
2nd Lt. Hoffman managed to bale out of his P-38 before it crashed. He was helped in France by citizens of Ymonville which is some 3 km (2 ml) SE of the crash site and some 40 km (25 ml) NNW of Orléans. He was housed, clothed and fed for 4 days at a French farm. Two Frenchmen were shot and killed while helping him after landing. The family had previously helped a USAAF airman, Lt. Leonard Fink from New York.
This was 2nd Lt. Leonard J. Fink O-796510, Navigator aboard B-17G 42-30058, 546 BS, 384 BG which was shot down on the 26th June 1943. He successfully evaded with the help of the Bourgogne (Burgundy) escape line and returned to the UK on the 29th October 1943.
Arrangements were made for the underground to take him to Paris but was he and number of others were betrayed and captured by the Gestapo on the 19th July 1944. Hoffman was sure that the families that helped him were innocents and were not aware that the escape line had been infiltrated by traitors.
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 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.
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.
Burial Details
None – Survived the war
Above: Beechcraft Travel Air D-95 crashed into a frozen creek (courtesy of The Evening Sun, dated January 28th, 1966)
Tragically Robert Bruce Hoffman, his brother Philip S. Hoffman and the pilot Raymond F. Devener were killed when their twin-engine Beechcraft Travel Air D-95 crashed into a frozen creek, within sight of the Port Erie Airport in Pennsylvania, on the afternoon of the 27th June 1966. It was reported that at that time there were scattered snow squalls and that one of the aircraft’s engines has failed.
Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this Pilot (Apr 2023). Update to include forced-march information (Jun 2024).
Other sources listed below:
RS 15.06.2024 - Update for forced-march
RS 19.04.2023 - Initial upload
RS 22.11.2023 - Update to Buchenwald narrative
RS 02.03.2024 - Correction to Buchenwald narrative
RS 15.06.2024 - Update for forced-march
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