Operation: Dive bombing in the Le Bourget and Paris Area, France

Date: 8th August 1944 (Friday)

Unit No: 377th Fighter Squadron, 362nd Fighter Group, 100th Fighter Wing, 9th Air Force

Type: P-47D

Serial: 42-76443

Code: E4:?

Base: ALG A-12 Lignerolles, France

Location: Near Chars, France

Pilot: 2nd Lt. Glenn Lorensen Horwege O-763607 AAF Age 22. Id No. 78281 *, PoW No. 8143 **

* 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).

Above 2nd Lt. Glenn Lorensen Horwege (Courtesy of Fold3)

REASON FOR LOSS:

The after mission report by 2nd Lt. Robert E. Barggran, O-695296, describes the circumstances leading to the loss of 2nd Lt. Horwege:

“Lt. Horwege was flying number two position in blue flight, I was flying number three. We had encountered some heavy and accurate flak about five minutes before reaching the target area. Just as we reached the target area, blue two reported his oil pressure going down and blue leader instructed me to return to the base with blue two. About a minute later, shortly after passing the town of Marines, the engine of blue two stopped completely. He baled out at about 4000 feet and delayed the jump until about 2000 feet. He landed successfully, picked up his chute and disappeared into some woods nearby. I noticed about twenty French people running towards the spot where he landed and I believe they got there in time to contact him”.

The aircraft crashed at about 15:05 hrs at or near Chars, which is some 3¾ km (2½ mls) WNW of Marines.

In an interview with Mary Cook and Nita Howten for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum between 1993-1995 Glenn Horwege described that after he had baled out he landed in a haystack. He then hid his parachute under some vines before crawling into the undergrowth in a nearby woods and waited for the searching Germans to leave.

After they had left the area he approached some farmers and asked for help. He was provided with civilian cloths and was hidden in some blackberry bushes for the rest of the afternoon. Later in the afternoon he was taken to a house and hidden overnight. The next morning he and a helper, who spoke English, cycled for the rest of the day towards Paris and then stopped overnight at another safe house.

The next morning on the 10th August he and his helper took a train to Paris. Arriving there he was dropped off at a shop where he remained for the rest of the day. That evening he was taken to an apartment where he met up with 6 or 7 unnamed Allied airmen. He became suspicious of the questioning, by whom was initially thought to be members of the resistance, and realised this was a trap and that there was no chance of escaping. He and the other evaders were arrested and taken to Gestapo Headquarters in Paris.

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 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 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. The pilot survived

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