Operation: Nickel - Orléans area, France

Date: 3/4 September 1943 (Friday/Saturday)

Unit: 24 Operational Training unit

Squadron Badge: None

Type: Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V

Serial: BD368

Code: TY-Z*

Base: RAF Honeybourne, Worcestershire

Location: English Channel near Le Havre.

Pilot: Sgt. William Wallace (Wallie) Massie R/150556 RCAF Age 27 - PoW No. 222744 Camp: Stalag Muhlberg (Elbe) 4B

Nav: Sgt. Walter John Prausa R/150975 RCAF Age 27 - PoW No. 222763 Camp: Stalag Muhlberg (Elbe) 4B

Air/Bmr: Sgt. Robert Gillespie (Bob) Gillham R/161649 RCAF Age 20 - PoW No. 222699 Camp: Stalag Muhlberg (Elbe) 4B

W/Op/Air/Gnr: F/Sgt. George Patrick Halverson R/117443 RCAF Age 22 - PoW No. 222707 Camp: Stalag Muhlberg (Elbe) 4B

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Thomas Owen (Tom) Mackay R/197739 RCAF Age 20 - PoW No. 222735 Camp: Stalag Muhlberg (Elbe) 4B

This story is one of a series of collaborations by Aircrew Remembered Senior Research Editor Roy Wilcock and well respected Canadian aviation researcher Dave Champion. Our thanks to Dave for his invaluable contributions and his continued support of the work of Aircrew Remembered.

INTRODUCTION

Despite living within half a mile of each other in Edmonton, Alberta, there is nothing to suggest that pilot Wallie Massie and navigator Walter Prausa knew each other prior to crewing up at 24 Operational Training Unit. Walter Prausa had been born in New Jersey USA but following the death of his American father, Wenzel Prausa, in 1922, the family moved to Canada, his mother's homeland.

Wallie and Walter were both 27 and easily the elder brethren of the crew. The other three were air bomber, Bob Gillham aged 20 from Ottawa, George Halverson, the wireless op who was 22 and from Coniston, Ontario and air gunner Tom Mackay from Victoria, British Columbia who was also 20. In civvy street George Halverson had been a Boiler Maker whilst Bob Gillham had enlisted more or less straight from school. The other three had all been in accounting based jobs, so apart from any other attributes the crew was not mathematically inept.

THE OBLIGATORY OP

By the end of August the crew were approaching the conclusion of their operational training at RAF Honeybourne in Worcestershire. All that remained was the obligatory Nickel op. However, such operations, dropping propaganda leaflets over heavily defended occupied Europe, were far from milk runs especially for inexperienced crews flying alone or in very small groups.

24 OTU was equipped with Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys and the Avro Ansons for crew training but by the outbreak of war the Anson was already obsolete as a front line combat aircraft. Having been developed in the mid 1930s , the Whitley entered RAF service in 1937 and following the outbreak of war remained an integral part of the early British bomber offensive. But by 1942, having been superseded by the larger four-engine heavy bombers such as the Lancaster, the Whitley was retired from service as a front line bomber and subsequently assigned to second line roles including glider-tug, transport and bomber crew training.

On Friday, 3 September 1943, the fourth anniversary of the outbreak of war, Wallie and his crew were detailed for the Nickel op that would be their introduction to the war and which, on completion, would declare them ready for posting to an operational squadron. Together with three other crews they were to drop leaflets in the Orléans area of France, a round trip of some 800 miles and about 5 hours duration.

For the op, Wallie was allocated Whitley BD368 TY-Z. A Mark V, BD368 had been delivered brand new to 24 OTU on 19 May 1942 and apart from a night crash landing in March 1943 that had put the aircraft out of action for three months, had had a relatively uneventful history.

Taking off in the evening, Wallie and the lads made it to the designated area and having duly delivered their load of pamphlets, turned for home. Details are not known but at some stage the Whitley was badly damaged by flak but Wallie still hoped that he might make it home. However, approaching Le Havre the engines were really struggling and on crossing the coast they finally gave up the ghost. There was no alternative but to ditch in the Channel and Wallie put the Whitley down in what the crew later described as 'a perfect ditching'.

Considering the darkness, their inexperience and the sea, the five men made a textbook exit from the aircraft, released the rubber dinghy and crawled into it. Luckily, none of them had suffered injury and they spent an unpleasant night in the dinghy off the French coast.

Next day they were spotted by a German plane and an E-boat was sent out to pick them up and bring them back to France.

According to Walter Prausa they 'spent their first two days of captivity in a medieval chateau with magnificent views of the Channel' before being transported by car to the Dulag Luft interrogation centre at Oberursel in Germany. (Details from 'We flew, We fell, We Lived' by Philip Lagrandeur, Grub Street ISBN - 13:9781904943853)

On or about 9 September the five were taken, presumably by rail, to Stalag IV-B located 5 miles north-east of the town of Mühlberg in the Elbe-Elster district of Brandenburg. The journey of some 300 miles typically took three days by freight train and whilst most accounts refer to prisoners making the journey crammed into box cars with little more than a Red Cross food parcel each, one small group in October 1943 enjoyed a most pleasant journey in a third class carriage. see https://www.pegasusarchive.org/pow/gareth_prytherc...

STALAG IV-B

Occupying an area of 74 acres, Stalag IV-B was one of the largest prison of war camps in Germany during the Second World War. Opened in September 1939 the first prisoners were about 17,000 Polish soldiers captured during the German invasion of Poland. They were joined in May 1940 by French soldiers captured in the Battle of France and in 1941, following the fall of Greece, by British and Australian prisoners. Later the same year there came Soviet troops, captured during Operation Barbarossa and in September 1943, following the capitulation of Italy, further numbers of British, ANZAC, and South African soldiers, previously held captive there. By the end of 1943 the camp held some 20000 prisoners.

In October 1944 several thousand Poles including several hundred women soldiers arrived. Members of the Armia Krajowa (Home Army) they had been captured after the Warsaw Uprising. In November 1944 the Polish women were transferred to other camps, mainly Stalag IV-E (Altenburg) and Oflag IX-C (Molsdorf). At the end of December 1944 about 7,500 Americans, captured during the Battle of the Bulge also arrived.

RAF POWs

Wallie Massie and his crew were among some of the earliest RAF prisoners to arrive at the camp as indicated in the following details from the General Report on Stalag IV-B (National Archives Air40/271)

The first 74 men of the Royal Air Force arrived from Dulag Luft on 14 August 1943. They were the only British troops in the camp at that time. In August 1943, 105 men of the R.A.F. and Paratroopers arrived and from then on until the middle of January 1944, regular drafts of men arrived from Dulag Luft until the strength reached nearly 1500. From that date until the time of liberation the strength of the Royal Air Force personnel only fluctuated slightly.

CONDITIONS AT THE CAMP

(Details from the General Report on Stalag IV-B (National Archives Air40/271)

Living Conditions

It was policy of the enemy to segregate R.A.F. personnel from Army personnel within the camp area and this practice was followed at Stalag 4B. The following account, therefore, deals only with living conditions and recommendation as affecting R.A.F. personnel. They were billeted in five large bungalows. These bungalows were sectional buildings of wood built of brick and cement concrete foundations. The doors were patched and covered with bitumen felt. The bungalows were in two sections, A and B, these sections being divided up, a fireproof building housing the ablutions to which there was access from each section. Both A and B sections had a day and night latrine attached to their extreme ends. Section A measured 82 ft. 10 ins. long, 40 ft. wide and 10 ft. high to the ceiling. There were five windows to each side. Section B measured 99 ft. 2 ins. long, 40 ft. wide and 10 ft. high and had six windows to each side. The night latrines were of the earth closet type. Day Latrines. These latrines were brick built and housed earth closets. They were situated approximately 30 ft. from barrack buildings and the occupants of four bungalows had to use one latrine.

Eating Facilities

In each section there was one brick stove with an iron plate. Coal issue of 25 Ks. per section was for use in the two stoves and the boiler in the ablutions. It was definitely insufficient to keep the bungalows warm and combat cold and damp.

Lighting

The artificial lighting in each section consisted of five electric points. Four 25 Watt electric bulbs were allowed. Lighting was insufficient.

Water Supply

This was extremely poor and only a few sections had a constant supply. This resulted in occupants of other bungalows crowding in to use them. In the ablutions in each bungalow there were three taps, one of which supplied the boiler. The ablutions consisted of six cement concrete troughs for washing. Each trough having four row sprays, a total of twenty-four sprays. Very few of these sprays ever carried water.

Latrines

Both the night and day latrines were the usual German type and had to be pumped.

Drainage

General drainage of the camp was exceedingly poor. The bungalow drainage was bad with continual floods through stoppages in pipes and trapped gulleys. These gulleys were not filled with grips. The waste water from the bungalows was carried down the main road. Very bad smells resulted.

Hygiene

Conditions were far from satisfactory due entirely to the difficulties mentioned above and also to the excessive over-crowding of the bungalows making air supply demand very low. The average number of men per section of bungalow was 198. At one time there was a peak figure of 293 men per section. For sleeping three tier beds were provided, but at times due to over-crowding, it was necessary for two men to sleep in each bottom bed and three men to two beds on the section and third tiers.

Casualties and Deaths

Of a total death roll of 60 men in the camp, five were members of the Royal and Imperial Air Forces. Two of these men were killed within the confines of the camp and the other three died from illness.

Killed

F/Sgt. J.E. Jones, R.A.F., No.610981, P.O.W. No.222403. F/Sgt. Jones was shot by an enemy sentry. F/Sgt. Jones was in the confines of a coal shed when the sentry opened the door and fired without warning hitting Jones in the stomach, and killing him. Date - April, 1944. Sgt. H. Mallory, R.C.A.F. No.R113624, was struck by a low-flying aircraft whilst walking around the football field. Date - 30th April, 1944. [Pencil note: 222739 - Mallory's POW number]

Deaths

Sgt. Charles Smith, R.A.F., No.917722, Sgt. Edward F. Wood, R.C.A.F., No.118384, Sgt. Geoffrey Turnbull, R.A.F., No.1533387.

Education

Unfortunately, Education has provided one of the largest problems on this camp owing to the lack of accommodation. However, innumerable obstacles have been overcome and a high standard of results have been maintained. Out of a total teaching staff of 36, the Air Force provided 10 teachers. The number of Air Force students has also been of good proportion to the total and a large number of men, utilising the books of the Technical Library, formed themselves into groups, and also did private studies in their bungalows.

Sports

The R.A.F. personnel have partaken with good representation in all sports played on the Camp and they have always maintained a high standard of sportsmanship. The R.A.F. have played representative games of Football against the ARMY and the other countries represented here. The Canadian section of the Air Force also afforded entertainment to the camp with their games of Basket Ball, soft-ball and baseball. In addition to the above mentioned games, Air Force have been well represented in the following Cricket, volley-ball, table-tennis, swimming, Rugby, etc.

During the summer months, Physical Training was carried out under Air Force instructors.

Entertainments

The entertainment of this camp has always maintained a high standard and can be divided into three categories.

(a) Theatre. We were able to obtain the use of one end of a bungalow for use as a theatre and after all beds, etc. had been removed, alterations were made and a stage, orchestra pit, dressing rooms, and tiered seating accommodation for over 500 men was provided. The Air Force have always been well represented both in the acting and on the producing side. In addition to Plays, Musical Comedies and farces have been produced and a section, called the Experimental Theatre Group, operated with success.

Dance band, symphony and light orchestra shows have also been heard and here again, the Air Force has participated.

(b) Hut Shows. These comprise of small bands of men, moving from hut to hut and providing entertainment to the occupants. They were in the form of variety shows, curtain club shows and radio plays and they proved of inestimable value during the long winter nights.

(c) Hut Lectures. This is a similar idea to the item mentioned above. An individual man would lecture to the occupants of a hut, either about his personal experiences or perhaps of his work before joining up.

These lectures were popular and provided means of filling idle moments.

In addition to the above, we also ran a "Pleasant Sunday Afternoon Hour". This was given over to lectures and debates.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nothing is known of the personal experiences of the five members of the Massie crew at Stalag IV-B apart from the following tragic incident.

12 miles or so north of the camp near Falkenberg was Alt-Lönnewitz airfield, an operational training base for Ju88 and Ju86 crews. RAF prisoners at Stalag IV-B naturally took a professional interest in watching the varying efforts of pilots taking off and landing, albeit from afar. And whilst pilots from the base also took a certain delight in regularly buzzing the prison camp, the RAF prisoners took similar delight in enticing them, by way of waved arm signals and bending knees, to fly lower and lower, a dangerous game that was to end in tragedy.

On 30 April 1944 Wallie Massie was walking across the exercise ground with Sgt. Herbert David Mallory* (RCAF R.113624, PoW No.222739), when a Ju88 flew very low over the camp. The pilot lost control of his machine and although he himself managed to escape relatively unscathed, he hit them both. Mallory was hit by one of the propellers and died instantly whilst Wallie was caught by the tail wheel which resulted in his right leg being broken in 5 places.

In his General Questionnaire for British/American Ex-Prisoners of War of 1945 Wallie refers to having received 'multiple fractures to his right leg' caused by a 'low flying German aircraft, struck ground and self' and he was 'still not completely recovered'

He also reported that he received immediate medical treatment as was obtainable from the British and French but none from the Germans.

*Sgt. Herbert David Mallory was shot down on his first operational sortie whilst flying as 2nd pilot with F/Sgt Thomas Frank Thould and crew in Halifax DK258 of 434 Squadron on the Nurnberg raid of 27 August 1943. Originally buried at Neuburxdorf Cemetery he was re-interred on 5 June 1947 at the Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery - Grave ref: 6.G.8.

CONDITIONS AT THE CAMP IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER LIBERATION

D.P.S. P.O.W. (Information).

[i.e. Director of Personnel Services Prisoners of War Information]

Air Ministry,

Room 128, Bush Hse. N.W.,

London, W.C.2.

June, 1945.

NOTATION.

Conditions in Stalag IVB were always bad, but with the approach of the Russian armies they became even worse. On Friday 13th April, 1945, the German authorities handed over interior control of the camp to the British Officers and Lt. Jessop, Q.V.R. assumed command of the whole camp. F/O. Hunter took command of the R.A.F. on 23rd April, 1945. Up to the time of departure of the Germans the R.A.F. Officers had held no positions of authority in the camp as this was essentially an N.C.Os. camp and all control was exercised through the Man of Confidence, W/O. J.W. Meyers. This was the normal procedure in such cases. In the time following this the R.A.F. under F/O. Hunter played a great part in restoring and keeping order in a large camp which contained prisoners of all nationalities. The action of the R.A.F. was so noticeable that on several occasions they were thanked by the British Officer i/c Camp.

By 25th April conditions in the camp had become almost intolerable. The barrack areas were filthy, the latrines full and the lighting and water supply systems had broken down. The position became so bad that a meeting was called by F/O. Hunter and it was decided that the R.A.F. should become an individual unit responsible to its own officers and N.C.Os.

This was done and the organisation of the R.A.F. section of the camp on Service lines was begun by F/O. Hunter. As the reports show he was splendidly backed up by all the men under his command and 12 hours later things were greatly improved in the R.A.F. compound.

Such an example naturally had an effect on the Army prisoners: within 24 hours discipline and order had improved by a hundred per cent; rations were brought in; the sanitation attended to; and altogether the whole establishment was put on a proper military footing.

R.A.F. prisoners also provided many guards and workers for the whole camp. This arrangement persisted until the final evacuation of the camp.

Throughout the whole of this period the R.A.F. prisoners maintained excellent morale and discipline, and behaved in a way to bring credit to the Service. I am sure that much of this was due to the efficient leadership and command exercised by F/O. Hunter. During the whole difficult period the behaviour of F/O. Hunter and his command was exemplary.

[Signed] (A.J. TRUMBLE)

Wing Commander

D.P.S./P.O.W.

LIBERATION

By 20 April 1945, with Russian forces less than 20 miles of the camp, liberation was imminent and on Monday 23 April 1945 the prisoners at Stalag IV-B woke to find the German guards gone and shortly afterwards the their Russian liberators arrived spearheaded at 0745 hours by a group of Cossacks galloping into the camp.

At the time of liberation there were about 30,000 men and women prisoners in the camp, of which 7,250 men were British with the Royal Air Force contingent numbering 1593 including 33 officers.

The Russians held the British and American prisoners in the camp for over a month although a number managed to get away from the camp and make their way to the American lines.

In early May the Russians decided that the prisoners should move on foot, approximately 15 miles south via Strehla and across the Elbe to Riesa where they were to be accommodated in the German Barrack. It was not long before men started leaving and making their own way to the American lines although any that were caught by Russian patrols were sent back.

The five Canadian crewmates had remained together through interrogation at Dulag Luft and 18 months of deprivation at Stalag IV-B and would seem to have been among those who quickly made their way from Riesa through to the American lines and later flown back to England. An indication of their early departure from Riesa is evidenced by their General Questionnaire for British/American Ex-Prisoners of War, two of which were completed at Bournemouth on 14 May (Halverson and Mackay) and the other three on 17 May 1945.

By 16 June 1945 Wallie was back at home in Canada evidenced by an article in The Edmonton Journal of that date that included: 'Breakfasting with his wife and other relatives early Saturday, WO. Massie was reluctant to discuss his bitter experiences in German prison camps at the time'. Presumably the other four crew members had also reached home by then.

BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS OF THE CREW

(1) WO. William Wallace (Wallie) Massie was born on 27 July 1916 at Edmonton. Alberta, Canada the son of Mr and Mrs George W. Massie of 9912 106 Street Edmonton in 1945. He had a brother Bruce Massie who was a Barrister.

Wallie was educated at McKay Avenue School, Edmonton and Victoria High School Edmonton and after leaving school was employed as a Clerk Accountant in the Aircraft Industry. He enlisted in the RCAF on 8 January 1942.

On 6 October 1942, at the Chapel of Metropolitan Union in Toronto, LAC William Wallace Massie married Robena Katherine McCullogh, the ceremony being performed by F/Lt. K. McCloud of 2 Initial Training School. Afterwards, the newlyweds took up residence in Hagersville Ontario where Wallie was stationed at 16 Service Flying Training School. They later lived at 10416 126 Street Edmonton, Alberta and went on to have a daughter Margo and a son Bob who died in 1981.

William Wallace Massie died in hospital on 4 November 2000. At his request there was no service.

(2) W.O.2. Walter John Prausa from Edmonton Alberta was born on 23 November 1915 at Nutley, Essex, New Jersey USA the son of an American father, Wenzel F. Prausa and Canadian mother, Katherine Prausa née Morkin. He had four siblings: Kathleen M Prausa (1912–1989), Dorothy Antoinette Prausa (1913–1968), Margaret Helen Prausa (1918–2010) and Francis Anthony Prausa (1921–2000). Following his father's death in 1922 the family moved to Kingsgate, British Columbia and later to 10016 114 Street Edmonton Alberta.

Walter was educated at Grandin School and St. Joseph's High Schools, Edmonton and after leaving school was employed as a Bookkeeper at Northwestern Utilities Ltd before applying to join the RCAF on 16 February 1942 when he was 26.

After enlisting in April 1942 he trained at 15 Service Flying Training School at RCAF Claresholm, Alberta and various other stations before embarking for the UK in January 1943

Following repatriation in 1945 he returned to work at Northwestern Utilities Ltd where he eventually completed a total of 40 years service before retiring.

About 1955 he married Maxine Hazel Brower (1921-2018) with whom he had a son, Lorin.

In retirement he enjoyed golfing, curling and volunteering. He was a long time board member of the Edmonton Food Bank, V.O.N. Parish Council, etc.

Walter John Prausa died at Edmonton on 1 August 2006 aged 90.

A Celebration of his Life was held at St. John the Evangelist Church on 4 August 2006.

(3) F/Sgt. Robert Gillespie Gillham was born 2 February 1923 at Ottawa Ontario Canada the son of Harper Caulfield Gillham and Ada Victoria Gillham née Gillespie. He had two siblings: Baby Gillham (1921-1921) and Douglas Caulfield Gillham born 1930. The family lived at 30 Grove Avenue, Glebe, Ottawa Ontario.

A graduate of Glebe Collegiate, Bob Gillham enlisted on 27 April 1942 when he was 19 years old. He trained at 5 Manning Depot, RCAF Lachine, Quebec: 1 Initial Training School, Toronto, Ontario: 4 Bombing and Gunnery School, RCAF Fingal, Ontario and 4 Air Observer School at RCAF London, Ontario where he was awarded his Air Bomber Badge on 14 April 1943.

After repatriation to Canada in 1945 he attended the University of New Brunswick at Fredericton. He later served as a Captain in the Service Battalion Reserves and worked as a Civil Servant for the Federal Government until his retirement.

On 30 March 1959 he married Agnes Elizabeth Tomlinson (1928-2014) at St Thomas the Apostle Anglican Church in Ottawa. They later had four children together: Robert Tomlinson Gillham (1960-2022), Elizabeth Anne Gillham, Mary Louise Gillham and Catherine Lee Gillham.

Robert Gillespie Gillham died of Heart Failure on 6 February 2010 at Ottawa Heart Institute and was buried at Pinecrest Cemetery Ottawa on 9 February 2010 aged 87

(4) WO. George Patrick Halverson was born on 23 November 1920 at Coniston, Nipissing, Ontario, Canada the son of Andrew Oliver Halverson and Marie Rosalie Halverson née Jolicoeur. He had six siblings Maggie Jane Halverson (1914–2004), Earl James Halverson (1915–1998), Helen Josephine Halverson (1918–1999), Joseph Olious Dick Halverson (1925–2001), Andrew Halverson (1928–1998) and Joseph M. Halverson (1932–1994).

The family lived at 14 First Avenue Coniston Ontario.

A Boiler Maker he enlisted on 22 August 1941

He married Germaine Margret Barbe (1920-2003) (date unknown) and they went on to have 5 children: Wayne T. Halverson (1947-1963), Douglas Halverson (1950-2023), a son and a daughter (details unknown) and Mary Ellen Halverson (died 2017)

George Patrick Halverson died on 29 October 1995 at St. Charles, Ontario, Canada, when he was 74 years old and was buried at Saint John's Cemetery, Garson, City of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada

(5) F/Sgt. Thomas Owen (aka Otto) Mackay was born on 9 July 1923 at Victoria, British Columbia, Canada the son of Thomas Otto Mackay and Agnes Gertrude Mackay née Savage. He had six siblings: James Savage Mackay (1911–1998), Mary Agnes Gertrude Mackay (1913–1976), Lota Marne Mackay (1914–1992), Gertrude Agnes Mackay (1918–1931), Dorothy Jean Mackay (1920–1985), Barbara Loraine Mackay (1929–1993). The family lived at 837 St. Charles Street, Victoria, British Columbia.

After leaving school Tom was employed as a Cost Accounting Clerk.

In his General Questionnaire for British/American Ex-Prisoners of War of 7 May 1945 he states that he enlisted on 7 November 1943 which is clearly an error and should probably read 7 November 1941.

At the time of his marriage in 1947 he was a Manufacturers Agent selling Fire Equipment of 837 St Charles Street Victoria British Columbia

(1) Marriage to Muriel Irene Williams (1923–2010) on 12 April 1947 at Vancouver, British Columbia. They went on to have 2 sons. The marriage was dissolved on 26 June 1961 at Victoria, British Columbia.

In 1957 Tom Mackay was a Salesman

(2) Marriage to Margaret (Peggy) Louise Kirby on 25 November 1961 at Canadian Memorial United Church, Vancouver, British Columbia. They went on to have a son and a daughter.

Thomas Owen Mackay died on 23 April 1982 at Langley British Columbia aged 58

BURIAL DETAILS, MEMORIALS AND EPITAPHS

None - all survived the war

Researched by Aircrew Remembered researcher Roy Wilcock and Canadian aviation researcher, David Champion for all the relatives and friends of the members of this crew - February 2025

With thanks to the sources quoted below.

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