Operation: Mailly-le-Camp, France

Date: 3rd/4th May 1944 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit No: 207 Squadron, 5 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: ND556

Code: EM:F

Base: RAF Spilsby, Lincolnshire

Location: Chaintreaux 12 km (7½ mls) SE of Nemours, France

Pilot: WO. Leslie Harry Lissette 391011 RNZAF Age 26. KiA (1)

Flt Eng: Sgt. Nicolas John Stockford 573015 RAF Age 22. Evader (2)

Nav: Flt Sgt. John Pittwood 1219454 RAFVR Age 19. Evader (3)

Bomb Aimer: WO. Laurie Wesley 1581817 RAFVR Age 22. Id No: 78431 *, PoW No: 8122 ** (4)

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Philip Norman King 1586576 RAFVR Age 20. Evader (5)

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. Ronald Thomas Emeny 1383167 RAFVR Age 20. Evader (3)

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Ronald Ellis 537642 RAFVR Age 25. KiA

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

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

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 3rd/4th May 1944 207 Squadron joined a force of 362 aircraft tasked with an attack on the German Military camp situated close to the village of Mailly-le-Camp in France.

Of the 42 Lancasters lost on this mission 207 Squadron had two aircraft that failed to return.

Lancaster III ND575 EM:M. Homebound the aircraft was shot down by a night-fighter. Plt Off. Cyril Bell 173058 and his crew were KiA.

On leaving the target ND556 was intercepted by fighters and the port outer engine was put out action. They were able to continue but just south of Paris they were attacked by a night fighter. The aircraft caught fire and the order to bale out was given at 00:40 hrs.

The Lancaster was claimed by Uffz. Phillipp Feilen, his 2nd Abschuss and the second of this night, from 9./NJG4, 14 km SW of Fontainbleau at 2.500 m. at 01:00 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (16 March 1944 - 11 May 1944) Part 2 - Theo Boiten).

Uffz. Feilen was wounded and became a PoW on the night of the 7th/8th June 1944 during a night-fighter sortie in the Caen area. He was credited with 2 Abschüsse. Although not explicitly associated with Uffz. Feilen a Bf110 G-4 3C+BS of 9./NJG4 was reported lost in the Caen area on this night.

The Lancaster crashed at Chaintreaux 12 km (7½ mls) SE of Nemours.

(1) WO. Lissett was critically wounded and he died soon after admission to a French hospital.

(2) Sgt. Stockford followed the bomb aimer out of the aircraft and landed in the trees in a wood some miles north of Ferrières, which is about 12 km (7½ mls) south of the crash site. After he freed his parachute he buried it together with his Mae West, in the undergrowth.

He set out at once in southerly direction using his compass and continued across the fields for about 3 hours and then hid in a wood until dawn. While he was resting there he removed his brevet and service chevrons and threw away his loose English coins.

The next morning, the 4th May, he could see a small village nearby and later in the morning he decided to make his way there. About mid-day, as he was hiding by a hedge, two girls passing by saw him but did not stop. About 30 mins later an old man headed straight towards hiding spot and told him that he was the father of the two girls who had seen him. The man told him that he have reached Fontenay-sur-Loing, about 1¾ km (1 ml) NW of Ferrières.

He told the man that he intended making his way south but was warned against going through Montargis, some 11¼ km (7 mls) to the south, which was full of Germans. At about 14:00 hrs he set out in a south-westerly direction, so as to make a detour round Montargis. He crossed the railway and main road and finally reached a stream, which he followed, thinking it was flowing in the direction he wanted to go.

After scrambling through some think undergrowth in his efforts to follow the course of the stream, he came out on to a secondary road leading to a bridge across the stream. Crossing the bridge he realised that he was hopelessly lost. He approached a man working in a wood yard and asked him where he was. He told him that he was on the outskirts of Nargis and had only covered less that 1½ km (1 ml) to the west. He made his way towards the town and then hid in some woods for the night.

The next morning, the 5th May, he set out again for Château-Landon, some 5¾ km (3½ mls) to the NW. Before he reached the town he decided to seek help at a farm were he saw several people working in the fields but they took no notice of him. He finally managed to attract the attention of an old man and introduced himself. He was taken to the back of the farm house was given some wine to drink. People at once came crowding round and offered him food, which he declined as he was not hungry.

As they were discussing whether to provide him with civilian clothing a woman came running up and told him that he must leave at once, as the farmer had informed the authorities of his presence. He ran down the hill, through some woods and across a stream, finally crawling into the undergrowth on the far side, from where he was able to keep a good-look-out for any search parties.

At about 15:00 hrs a man spotted his hiding place and approached. By this time he was feeling extremely hungry, as the only food that he had eaten since baling out was some Horlicks tablets from his escape box.

The man promised to return in about an hour with some food. However, he returned shortly afterwards without any food and said he would only bring some food if he wrote in his notebook that he had helped. Sgt. Stockford was feeling desperate by this time, so he did as he was asked.

The man then disappeared for several hours, and it was not until 19:00 hrs that he returned with a loaf of bread and some cold potatoes. He was very nervous and asked him to leave at once. He continued on his way towards Château-Landon, passing several people who took no notice of him, and reached the outskirts later that evening. He entered a small coppice and rested there for a while. Shortly afterwards several youths passed close by whistling "Tipperary". He realised that they were looking him and beckoned to them.

They told him that they were members of the Maquis, although he did not believe them, as they we not armed. He told them that he wanted to get to Beaumont-du-Gâtinais, some 17 km (10½ mls) to the west, whereupon they led him out of the town and left him on the road to Mondreville which is about midway to Beaumont-du-Gâtinais.

That night he laid up in a wood just outside of Mondreville and the next morning, on the 6th May, he walked through the town and reached the outskirts of Beaumont-du-Gâtinais. He stayed near the town all day, hoping to contact someone who could help him, but saw no one. That evening, he walked through Égry, some 4¾ km (3 mls) to the SW, and reached the outskirts of Beaune-la-Rolande, a further 3¾ km (2¼ mls) to the south. He spent half the night in a wood and then hid in a haystack near a farm. Early the next morning he walked through Beaune-la-Rolande and continued along the road.

By now he was feeling very weak through lack of food and water so he stopped in a field and slept for some hours. At 17:00 hrs he set out again and walked through Boiscommun, a further 5 km (3¼ mls) to the SW which was very deserted.

Beyond the town he saw an old man working in the fields and asked him the way to Vitry-aux-Loges, which is some 14 km (8¾ mls) to the SW. He pointed out the road and he set off passing several people who completely ignored him although he heard one man mutter words to the effect "les Boches" as he passed by.

A little further on he came to a clearing in the woods by the side of the road where he saw a water trough and as he was feeling extremely thirsty headed towards it. As he was taking a drink he saw three people standing in front of a small house watching him. He approached them and asked them for something to eat which they provided. He then declared who he was immediately invited into the house.

The owner of the house told him that his son could put him in touch with an organisation but was away at the moment. He spent the night in the garage attached to the house, and the next day the man’s son went to see a member of an organisation. That evening on the 8th May he was visited by a young woman and from this point his journey was arranged.

The details of his journey out of France in to Spain and then to Portugal are not known. What is know is that he flew out of Lisbon on the 14th July 1944 arriving at RAF Whitchurch, near Bristol the next day.

Sgt. Stockford tragically died of pleurisy on the 18th September 1944 whilst serving with 1332 (Transport) HCU at RAF Longtown in Cumberland.

Buried in Heythrop (St. Nicholas) Churchyard. Grave Inscription: ‘GREATLY LOVED’. Son of George J. and Elizabeth E. Stockford and husband of Joyce Marjorie Stockford of Churchill, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England.

Nicholas John Stockford was born on the 27th January 1922. Prior to the war he was serving in the RAF which he joined on the 20th January 1938.

(3) Flt Sgt. Pittwood landed in a ploughed field and was joined by Sgt. Emeny some 5 mins later. They pushed their parachutes, Mae Wests and harnesses into a hedge and started to walk south. They crossed a railway and road and when they reached a wood they took off their badges of rank. They continued walking south and at daybreak found themselves east of a small town.

As Sgt. Emeny was badly burnt they decided to approach a farm. At about 05:00 hrs they knocked at the door of a farm, which they later discovered was very near Griselles, some 13½ km (8½ mls) south of the crash site. The farmer hid them in a loft and gave them some oil as a salve for Sgt. Emeny’s face.

They stayed in the loft all day and early on the next day, the 5th May, he became much worse and they decided that they should have to try to find a doctor. They approached the farmer, who told them that a doctor nearby was not a collaborator. They visited the doctor and from this point they were put in touch with an organisation which arranged their onward travel.

They both evaded via Spain and Gibraltar. Flt Sgt. Pittwood left Gibraltar on the 23rd June 1944 arriving in the UK the next day. Sgt. Emeny left a day later arriving at RAF Whitchurch on the 25th June 1944.

John Pittwood was born on the 7th October 1923. He was a student prior to enlisting in January 1942.

Ronald Thomas Emeny was born on the 6th September 1923. He was a mechanic prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 23rd July 1941.

(4) WO. Wesley landed among some young trees near the village of Dordives, about 7 km (4¼ mls) SW of the crash site, at about 00:30 hrs.

With his parachute firmly entangled in the trees he decided to get as far away for the area as possible before daylight. Around dawn he hid himself in some woods until the evening. He had lost his flying boots whilst baling out and was not in very good shape for walking ant distance.

However, he came upon some houses not far from his hiding place and decided to seek help. At the first house at which he called the occupants wanted nothing to do with him so he tried again at another house a little further down the road. This time he was taken in, given food and a bed to rest. The occupants of the house spoke some English and suggested that he should stay with them until the Allies arrived. They had abundant confidence in the British and were sure that invasion was imminent.

He stayed on in the hope that he would be able to contact a resistance group but after almost 8 weeks during which time there were no developments and with the food situation becoming a problem he decided to leave. His helpers gave him a change of civilian clothes and on the 27th June 1944 he set off with an objective to reach Rennes, some 330 km (205 mls) to the west. He was provided with address in Rennes from where he hoped to be able to reach the Allied lines.

After travelling for 3 days he reached a village near Orléans, which is some 90 km (56 mls) distance, and with food running low he decided to seek further help. He approached a house in the village and was given a meal and a bed to rest. His feet were also in need of attention by this time as the shoes which had been provided were ill-fitting.

During the day he was visited by a man who he believed was a member of the local resistance group. That night the man and two friends took WO. Wesley to a crossroads where he met two waiting Gendarmes. They took him by bicycle to an isolated house near a railway line about 16 km (10 mls) away. Here he met two American airmen whose names he could not remember.

In the early afternoon the next day a car arrived with T/Sgt. McClanahan, an American evader. Accompanying the driver was a young woman, both of whom he believed to be French.

This was actually S/Sgt. John H. McClanahan Jr. 15084076 USAAF was the Radio Operator from 544th Bombardment Sqn (H), 384th Bombardment Group (H) B-17G 42-97188

From the description of the young woman and the driver provided by WO. Wesley it is probable that they were Jean-Jacques and Madame Orsini:

Jean-Jacques was a Belgian traitor named Jaques Desoubrie (Jean-Jacques, Jean Masson, Jean Decan and Pierre Boulain were aliases) who had infiltrated the Réseau Comète (Comet Line) escape route in Brussels and Paris. He was responsible for the Nazis rounding up dozen of members of the Réseau Comète and Allied airmen. He was finally captured and stood accused at a French military trial in Lille. He was convicted and condemned to death for having participated in the capture and assassination of members of the resistance and for sending Allied military to their deaths in violation of the Geneva convention. He was executed by firing squad.

Madame Orsini, also known as Colette, was Marie-Antoinette Orsini and an accomplice of Desoubrie. She was arrested by the French authorities but not before Desoubrie tried but failed to kill her so that she would not inform on him.

He and S/Sgt. McClanahan and the two unnamed Americans were then driven to Paris arriving there at about 19:00 hrs. By this time WO. Wesley was becoming somewhat suspicious. Firstly, this girl had told them that they would probably be flown to the UK from an airfield near Paris which sounded rather too elaborate and secondly, at the road blocks the driver simply showed a pass of some sort to the guards and they were waved through without any examination of the occupants, despite their motley appearance.

Upon arrival in Paris the car stopped at a public phone box and the driver told them he was phoning to advise the people to whom they were being taken. After dropping the girl off they drove onto the Piccadilly Hotel where a man was waiting for them. He and S/Sgt. McClanahan were shown to a room where they stayed until the 4th July 1944.

During their stay at the hotel they were visited by two men who “interrogated” them. They claimed that they has to ask certain questions just to establish their identities. Their answers were noted on what appeared to be a “Red Cross” form. When the questioning turned to asking about their air base, squadron and commanding officer WO. Wesley refused to answer.

On the 4th July he and S/Sgt. McClanahan were taken by car to what turned out to be the Gestapo Headquarters at 84 Avenue Foch.

They were then transferred 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 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 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.

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. He was amongst the North, East and remaining West compound PoWs that were sent on the 2nd February or Marlag und Milag Nord at Westertimke.

Marlag is an acronym for Marinelager (naval prisoner of war camp), Milag is short for Marine-Internierten-Lager(naval internment camp), and Nord is German for ‘north’.

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 including WO. Wesley and marched them out, heading east. The next day, at around at 10:00 hrs the column was strafed by RAF aircraft, and two PoWs were killed.

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.

On the 9th April 1945 the guards at Marlag-Milag moved out and were replaced by older men, presumably local Volkssturm. Meanwhile, the column slowly headed east, finally crossing the River Elbe, north of Hamburg, on the 18th April.

On the 27th April the camps were liberated by elements of the British Guards Armoured Division.

The next day, 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.

Laurie Wesley was born on the 19th July 1922. He was employed as a clerk in the Transport industry in Staffordshire prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 18th December 1941. He passed away in the 4th Qtr of 1969 in Birmingham, Warwickshire.

(5) The escape and evasion report for Sgt. King is not currently available. However, part of his story has been reconstructed from other Escape and Evasion reports that are available.

On about the 24th July Sgt. King was taken to a British camp in the Forêt d’Orléans which was under the command of Maj. Ian Fenwick 70468 of 1st Special Air Service (SAS), “D” Squadron. Already at the camp were three other aircrew evaders:

Fg Off. Anthony Edward ’Tony’ Vidler 137146 and Plt Off. Frank Herbert O’Niell 420989 RAAF, were the Navigator and Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, respectively, from Stirling III LJ448 of 218 Sqn which was shot down on the 20th April 1944 (2 KiA, 1 PoW, 4 Evaders).

T/Sgt. Frank E. Hines 35374005 USAAF was the Engineer from the 850th Bombardment Sqn (H), 801st Bombardment (H) Group, B-24H 42-95317 shot down on the night of the 4th/5th July 1944. (2 KiA, 1 PoW, 5 Evd)

On the 6th August Maj. Fenwick was ambushed and killed by a SS unit enroute back to the camp at Forêt d’Orléans. After this Fg Off. Vidler and Sgt. King left the camp together, however, all that is known after they left is that they were liberated and interviewed on the 21st August 1944.

Philip Norman King was born on the 12th January 1924 in Birmingham, West Midlands. He passed away on the 26th March 1981 in the West Midlands, England.

Burial details:

Above: Chaintreaux Community Cemetery (Courtesy of the TWGPP)

Above: Grave marker for WO. Leslie Harry Lissette (Courtesy of the TWGPP)

WO. Leslie Harry Lissette. Chaintreaux Communal Cemetery Joint Grave. Born on the 24th August 1917 in Hastings District, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Son of Harry and Nellie Georgina Lissette of Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.

Above: Grave marker for Sgt. Ronald Ellis (Courtesy of the TWGPP)

Sgt. Ronald Ellis. Chaintreaux Communal Cemetery Joint Grave. Grave Inscription: ‘IN THE PERFECT LOVE OF JESUS HE IS SAFE FOR EVERMORE. KATHLEEN AND JEAN’. Born in 1st Qtr 1919 in Pocklington, Yorkshire. Son of Hilda Pretoria Ellis. Husband of Kathleen (née Cooper) Ellis of Duns Tew, Oxfordshire, England.

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this crew (Jul 2024). Thanks to The War Graves Photographic Project (TWGPP) for their great work.

Other sources listed below:

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