Operation: Juvisy, France

Date: 7th/8th June 1944 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit No: 76 Squadron, 4 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Halifax III

Serial: MZ531

Code: MP:D

Base: RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Yorkshire

Location: In the vicinity of Etampes (Essonne), France

Pilot: Sgt. Philip Russell Hunt R176092 RCAF Age 25. PoW No. 5120 * (1)

Flt Eng: Sgt. William Henry Eggleston 1671485 RAFVR Age 20. Evader (2)

Nav: Sgt. James Frederick McGarvey R169176 RCAF Age 26. PoW No. 80135 ** (3)

Bomb Aimer: Sgt. Gerald Conway Heddle R163712 RCAF Age 23. PoW No. 80531 ** (4)

WiOp/Air Gnr: WO1. Donald Clark R106192 RCAF Age 26. Id No. 78364 ***, PoW No. 8078 * (5)

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. Thomas Cameron Guy R213001 RCAF Age? PoW No 662 **(6)

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Robert Dodds R204941 RCAF Age 22. Evader (7)

* 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:

Lancaster III ND424 took off from RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor at 23:03 hrs on the 7th June and was one of 21 aircraft detailed to bomb the railway yards near Juvisy-sur-Orge in France.

Above Halifax MP:D of 76 Squadron (Courtesy of World War Photos 2013-2024)

ND424 was the only aircraft from the Squadron that failed to return.

ND424 was claimed by Hptm. Paul-Hubert Rauh, his 16th Abschuss, from Stab II./NJG4, in the Ramouillet area at 1.300 m, at 01:19 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (12 May 1944 - 23 July 1944) Part 3 - Theo Boiten).

Maj. Rauh survived the war and was credited with 27 Abschüsse. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive - Biographies - Theo Boiten.)

All of the crew successfully baled out and the aircraft crashed in the vicinity of Étampes (Essonne) in France.

(1) Sgt. Hunt was captured near Étampes on the 9th June and held in French jails until the 1st July. He was then transferred to Stalag 12A arriving there on the 3rd July.

Stalag 12A was used as a transit camp and was located between Limburg an der Lahn and Diez, 4 km SW of Limburg.

On the 8th July he was transferred to Stalag Luft 7, Bankau arriving there on the 12th July 1944.

Sgt. Hunt was appointed to a commission and promoted to J87560 Plt Off. whilst a PoW.

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

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. Plt Off. Hunt was an early evacuee and was interviewed on the 16th May 1945.

Philip Russell Hunt was born on the 11th October 1918 and was a Stockman for General Motors in Vancouver prior to enlisting in the RCAF on the 23rd June 1942.

(2) After Sgt. Eggleston baled out he landed in some woods. He buried his parachute and Mae West, and, as there was a lot of movement in the wood, he climbed a tree and stayed there all night. The next day he approached a farmer who gave him some food and civilian clothes. Another helper took him to Saint-Sulpice-de-Favières where he stayed for about 12 days.

His story from this place and time forward to his return to England is the same as that of Sgt. Dodds. (See Ser 7. below)

William Henry Eggleston was born on the 10th August 1923. He was a student prior to enlisting in the RAFVR in December 1941.

(3) Sgt. McGarvey broke his ankle on landing and was captured on the 11th June. He was held in a civilian jail in Chartres until the 30th June during which time he received inadequate treatment for his broken ankle. He was then transferred to Stalag 12A and remained there until the 7th July.

Stalag 12A was used as a transit camp and was located between Limburg an der Lahn and Diez, 4 km (2½ mls) SW of Limburg.

He was then transferred to Stalag Luft 7, Bankau arriving there on the 9th July 1944.

He was promoted to Flt Sgt. whilst at Stalag Luft 7 and then to WO2. on being liberated.

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

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. Flt Sgt. McGarvey was evacuated on the 8th May and was interviewed on the 16th May 1945.

James Frederick McGarvey was born on the 11th November 1917. He was employed as an Accountant Clerk in the Canadian Locomotive Company in Kingston, Ontario prior to enlisting in the RCAF on the 11th June 1943.

Above The Rev. James Frederick McGarvey (Courtesy of The Kingston Whig Standard, dated 15th May 1952)

On discharge from the RCAF he studied to become a Priest and was ordained into the Archdiocese of Kingston, Ontario on the 22nd May 1952. The Rev.James Frederick McGarvey passed away on the 8th May 2007.

(4) Sgt. Heddle was captured near Étampes on the 9th June, He was then held at the Frontstalag 133 at Chartres from the 12th June. Whilst here he was interrogated at length because he did not have his 'dog tags' with him.

On the 1st July he was transferred to Stalag 12A, arriving there on the 5th July.

Stalag 12A was used as a transit camp and was located between Limburg an der Lahn and Diez, 4 km (2½ mls) SW of Limburg.

On the 7th July he was transferred to Stalag Luft 7, Bankau arriving there on the 9th July 1944.

He was promoted to Flt Sgt. whilst at Stalag Luft 7.

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

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. He was interviewed on the 22nd May 1945

Gerald Conway Heddle was born on the 27th March 1921. He was employed as a mechanic and projectionist in Ernfold, Saskatchewan prior to enlisting in the RCAF on the 6th May 1942.

(5) WO1. Donald Clark was picked up by the Gestapo on the 28th July 1944.and was taken to Fresnes prison which was 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 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.

Records show that his transfer to Stalag Luft 3 was delayed until the 18th October 1944. No explanation for this delay has been found.

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.

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 2nd/3rd February he was amongst the group sent to Marlag und Milag Nord Westertimke.

Marlag = 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 camp commandant ordered that the PoWs were to leave the camp with most of the guards. However, that afternoon a detachment of more than 100 SS-Feldgendarmerie entered the camp and gathered some 3000 of the PoWs and marched them out heading east.

The column was attacked RAF aircraft resulting in the deaths of two PoWs and injuries to several others. The Senior British Naval Officer (SBNO), Capt. J. Thornton was one of the two who were killed. Records show that WO1. Clark was part of this column. On the 10th April he was amongst a number of PoWs that escaped from the column.and was picked up by Allied forces after 18 days on the run.

The column finally arrived at Lübeck, on the Baltic coast, on the 28th April 1945. They were liberated by a Spearhead of the 11th Armoured Division around noon of the 1st May 1945.

At the Marlag-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. He was interviewed on the 3rd May 1945.

Donald Clark was born on the 3rd September 1917 and was a farmer in Winnipeg, Manitoba prior to enlisting in the RCAF on the 23rd May 1941.

(6) No “General Questionnaire for British/American Ex-Prisoners” has been for Sgt. Guy, however, what is known is that he was held at Stalag Luft 7 and that he was liberated whilst at Stalag 3A. So it is safe to assume that he followed the same route as Sgt. Heddle and Flt Sgt. McGarvey.(Ser. 3 & 6)

(7) In Sgt. Dodds’ Escape and Evasion questionnaire he believed that after bombing the target that the aircraft had been hit by Flak.

After baling out he landed in the woods east of Lardy, some 27 km (16 ¾ mls) due south of the target. He concealed his parachute and Mae West in the bushes and hid for a while.

He then started walking away from the area and met a farmer who gave him food and hid him at his farm. The next day another man arrived and took him back to the woods where a bicycle was provided and they rode to a house in Saint-Sulpice-de-Favières, about 9 km (5½ mls) west of Lardy. About 4 days later an RAF Fg Off. named McGowan [sic].joined him.

It is believed that this was in fact Plt Off. William L. McGown, the pilot from 514 Sqn. Lancaster II DS822 lost on the 7th/8th June 1944 (3 Kia, 2 PoW, 2 Evd). He was of the two who successfully evaded.

After being hidden at this place for about 10 days the Germans came to the village and he was taken into some woods. Here he met with Sgt. Eggleston and WO. Clark, who had suffered a broken ankle.

After 2 days in the woods they met up with the local Maquis group with whom the stayed for 8 days. Then the Germans started to search the woods and they were taken to Saint-Chéron some 7 km (4¼ mls) to the west and from there by train 38 km (23¾ mls) NNE to Paris.

WO. Clark was forced to stay at Saint-Chéron on account of his ankle and they did not know what had happened to him (See Ser 2. above).

On arrival in Paris they walked across the city and caught a train to Chelles some 18 km (11 mls) to the east, where we were taken to a cafe and from there to a house where he, Fg Off. McGown and Sgt. Eggleston stayed.

After about 3 weeks the Germans came to the village and they were moved to a farm 3 kms (1¾ mls) east of Esbly which is some 17 km (10½ mls) to east of Chelles, where they stayed for 3 weeks.

Then the Maquis returned and they were taken to a large warehouse just outside Chelles. They stayed in the warehouse for 5 days after which the three evaders were split up. He and Sgt. Eggleston returned to the house in Chelles. This was the last time they saw Fg Off, McGown. Twice while they were in Chelles the Germans came and they had to hid in some nearby woods.

On the 27th August the Americans arrived. On the 31st August they were sent to Paris and from there the same day they proceeded to Étampes and were flown to RAF Beaulieu in Hants the same day

Robert Dodds was born on the 25th May 1922 in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. He was employed by the Ben Paris Recreation Co. as a Bar Tender in Seattle, Washington, USA prior to enlisting in the RCAF in June 1942.

On returning to the USA he enlisted in the USAAF on the 17th May 1945 (ASN 39489825) and was honourably discharged on the 28th January 1946. He applied for Naturalisation as a US citizen on the 12th December 1946.

Robert Dodds passed away on the 2nd January 1971 in Seattle, Washington, USA.

An updated comprehensive report on Stalag 3A: To read the report on conditions and evacuation of Stalag 3A during the period of liberation from April - May 1945 click here

Burial details:

None - all crew survived

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

Other sources listed below:

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