Operation: Carpetbagger, France

Date: 5th/6th April 1944 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit No: 406th Bombardment Squadron (H), 801st Bombardment Group (H) (Provisional), 8th Air Force

Type: B-24D

Serial No: 42-72870

Code: :H

Location: Near Truttemer-le-Grand (Calvados), France

Base: Harrington (Station #179), Northamptonshire, England

Pilot: 2nd Lt. William Ward Nicoll O-680689 AAF Age 25. KiA

Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Adolph Wilmont Kalbfleisch O-748423 AAF Age 25. Evader (1)

Navigator: 2nd Lt. William Gilbert Harris O-691999 AAF Age 28. KiA

Bombardier: 2nd Lt. Thomas F. Davis O-747648 AAF Age? KiA

Engineer: S/Sgt. Richard Clarence Bindel 37233213 AAF Age 22. KiA

Radio Op: S/Sgt. Warren A. Brewer 14126001 AAF Age 20. KiA

Dispatcher: S/Sgt. Joseph Elmer Porter 35566756 AAF Age 28. Evader (1)

Tail Gnr: S/Sgt. Ralph Lyle Kittrell 39692464 AAF Age 20. Killed (2)

The B-24 normally had 10 crew positions. However, for the Carpetbagger aircraft, the ball turret and nose guns were removed along with any equipment unnecessary for the mission, such as oxygen equipment, to provide more space and to increase the aircraft’s air speed. The crew complement was reduced to 8 with the waist gunner being trained in dispatcher duties. The aircraft were also painted black.

Carpetbagger: The US Army Air Force (AAF) Carpetbagger mission was to transport agents and supplies to resistance groups operating in the enemy occupied western European nations. Operations commenced in late 1943, flying firstly from Tempsford in Bedfordshire, then Alconbury in Cambridgeshire and finally out of Station #179, Harrington which was west of Kettering in Northamptonshire. Initially two Squadrons were formed and in late March 1944, just before the move to Harrington, were given provisional status as the 801st Bombardment Group (BG). In May of 1944 two more Squadrons were added to the Group and in August 1944 the Group was redesignated as the 492nd Bombardment Group (H).

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 5th April 1944 B-24D 42-72870 took off from Harrington at 22:01 hrs and was one of 17 aircraft detailed for Carpetbagger operations this night.

The mission was coded STATIONER 57 which was to drop supplies of ammunition, weapons and explosives to the Maquis at Sainte-Marguerite in the south of France, near Bernière-le-Patry, a little to the SE of Vire-Normandie.

Flying at 1000 feet near Truttemer-le-Grand (Calvados) France, they encountered some light Flak. One burst hit the navigating compartment which was believed to have killed 2nd Lt. Harris. The rudder controls were shot off and 2nd Lt. Nicoll rang the bale out bell. The aircraft crashed at 23:20 hrs.

2nd Lt. Kalbfleisch in his Escape and Evasion report described how he and S/Sgt. Porter abandoned the aircraft.

‘The other members of the crew did not have their chutes on and did not have time to find them in the ship. We went to the bomb-bay and jumped within a few seconds of each other. It must have been about 400 or 500 feet when we jumped, and the plane hit immediately in flames.

We saw each others chute in the air and the Germans fired on us on the way down. I didn’t have time to bury my chute but threw it into the creek nearby. My ankle hurt and I had some burns. I discarded my mae west in the field. I couldn’t see where S/Sgt. Porter had landed so made my way across a field and hid in some bundles of wood the French use. Then I went to a farmhouse, after I had rested, and a man there took me in, fed me, and put me to bed.

S/Sgt. Porter in his Escape and Evasion report described what happened after he had baled out and landed safely.

‘Took off my chute, mae west and boots when I landed and started off at once, as there was considerable rifle fire. I went over a hedgerow and dog-trotted along, passing close to some AA guns to right and left. There didn’t seem to be a good place to hide until I came to a barn near the edge of a small town, I got into a hedgerow, crawled in and stayed there all night.

The next day at noon I saw an old man and a woman and a few other people. Then I spotted a little man and knew if I had trouble with him I could over-power him. I motioned for him to come in and showed him my wings and indicated I jumped. He told me to hide and later came back with food and wine. Also he must have told the man at the house who came with more food and wine. Then I was provided with clothes and told to go south. I had my map to and compass. I hid in a barn that night and next day saw a man on a bicycle. He shook hands with me, took me to his house and fed me. Then he motioned for me to go with me, took me to the house of a doctor. The doctor gave me some treatment, took my shoes and gave me another pair so that mine could be fixed, and told me to go to back to the house with the man. I did so and hid in his barn that night.

The next evening the doctor brought Lt. Kalbfleisch to my hiding-out place. An old Frenchman and his wife, whose house was right by the place where our plane landed came to us she and told us to be patient and wait.

(1) On the 8th April the doctor took 2nd Lt. Kalbfleisch and S/Sgt. Porter to the Beauchêne farm of Mlle. Yvette Dubocq. They slept in 4 concealed chicken houses because they knew that the Gestapo were looking for them but had their meals in the farmhouse. She warned them that a collaborator lived right across the road.

Yvette Denise Marie Dubocq was a 39-year-old former French intelligence officer. She and her partner, Jeanne Cochin, worked for the Resistance in Nazi-occupied France. (23rd August 1905 - 30th November 1982)

During their stay a Frenchman, named Robert Thomas, provided them with identity cards and told them that he had two plans for their evacuation.

The first was to go to the Brest Peninsula to be evacuated by a British torpedo boat. The French thought the invasion was coming a month earlier and that this would get there just about that time.

The second was to go south and cross the Pyrenees into Spain. For this to succeed their spoken French had to improve. A Capt. Geal from the former French army told them until they could speak French fairly well it would be unwise to risk that route. However, as the invasion drew closer word was received that the lines of demarcation were becoming very tight so the Pyrenees idea was abandoned.

They continued to live on the farm for several more weeks awaiting for an opportunity for evacuation. On the 18th June a USAAF Capt. Hagan was brought to the farm.

This was Capt. Kenneth E. Hagan O-740410 a pilot from the 362nd Fighter Squadron, 357th Fighter Group whose P51B 42-106831 ‘My Bonnie’ crashed landed on the 17th June 1944.

Frenchmen who had come from the north told them that it was possible to get to Caen. Thomas had a home there and made arrangements for them to hide there until he could get them through the front lines.

During the 2 day walk to Caen they were stopped once by the Germans, it appeared because Thomas was wearing riding breeches, boots and a sport jacket which gave the impression that he was British. They also examined Capt. Hagan's identity papers and joked that he looked just like Max Schmeling and then let them go on their way.

Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling was a German boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932.

They arrived in Caen on or about the 25th June, but Thomas's house had been bombed and they had to stay in the cellar for the next 2 days. Thomas and Capt. Geal were trying to make plans for them to get through to the Allied lines, but everything was confused because Caen was occupied by Germans and there were few civilians around.

They had a hard time eluding the Germans and hiding out whilst the arrangements were made. On one occasion Germans came to the house in which they were sleeping and thinking that were French refugees, assaulted them and took all of their possessions.

The British were moving down the Orne river and the evaders came under fire from machine guns and from tanks where they were hiding out. They wanted to move away from the danger but Thomas told them to wait. Whilst there a T/Sgt. Nabozny joined the group and that made a foursome.

This was T/Sgt. Edward Nabozny 12055450 who was the Radio Operator from 750th Bombardment Sqn, 457th Bombardment Group, B-17G 42-102464 lost on the 4th June 1944. (5 PoW, 4 Evd).

The large numbers of German troops in the town made it increasingly difficult to talk their way out of situations, and they therefore decided to leave. On the 13th July they were told by Thomas to make their way to Ifs, about 5 km (3 mls) south of the centre of Caen. However, they encountered difficulty en route because the Germans had stopped all civilian travel. They detoured the road blocks and arrived at Ifs but could not find Thomas. They then decided to head back to Caen and again encountered trouble getting through the lines but managed to talk their way through and by skirting road blocks. On the 14th July they once again left Caen to make their way south. They were stopped by the German troops who asked them for news of the SS boys and then let them go on their way.

Their question was believed to refer to the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" which first saw action as part of the German defensive operations at Caen.

Another time a German Military Policeman (MP) stopped to look at their papers. They asked him how they should get away from the fighting and he showed them the direction to take.

They walked about 50 km (31 mls) on the 15th July with feet in bad condition and with very little food and water. On the night of 16th July they arrived back at the farm of Mlle. Dubocq and once again she was very glad to see them. They stayed at the farm for the next 2½ weeks.

German troops who were heading south to the front lines arrived at the farm and commandeered it as a sort of headquarters. Mlle. Dubocq thought it best that the escapees should leave, gave them food and traced a route on a map. On the 2nd August they left the farm and Mlle. Dubocq told them that she was going to cycle to Domfront, some 12 km (7½ mls) to the south, and that they should follow her and wait at a prearranged place.

After that they had arrived at the indicated location she soon arrived with two Frenchmen one of whose name was Andre. They were taken to the Château de Domfront located on a hill overlooking Domfront where they joined a number of refugees. That night they learned that the Gestapo had captured Andre and realised that they were probably rounding up everybody and might also be looking for them so they decided to move on.

Two of the Frenchmen, an Alexander Gueston and a Rene Leray, both from Lonlay L'Adbaye offered to help them and the refugees get to Lonlay L'Adbaye, some 9 km (5½ mls) to the NW of the Château. S/Sgt. Porter carried one of the babies for the French and on the way out they had to hide from German troops along the road. He lay in the bushes by the side of the road and the baby never made a whimper.

On the 3rd August they stopped and hid at a farm near Lonlay l'Abbaye. Alexander left them to determine the situation returning on the 7th August. He had been through the American lines and had informed the Americans about them.

Near Barenton, some 20 km (12½ mls) to the west, they met a recon-patrol of the US 4th Calvary Division who took charge of them and conducted them to Battalion HQ, From there they were eventually directed onto the Air Corps HQ. They were returned to England and interviewed on the 8th August 1944.

(2) The residents of Tinchebray-Bocage told 2nd Lt. Kalbfleisch and Sgt. Porter that one member of the crew was alive but was badly burned and injured and must have been thrown out when the plane crashed.

They said the Germans posted four sentries around him and would not permit the French to render any first aid or give him water. After 3 days of questioning a German officer shot him in the head..

The French told them that the officer was the Commanding Officer (CO) of a Flak unit and that his headquarters (HQ) was at Château de la Rochelle. The Germans also offered a 25,000 Franc reward for their capture, dead or alive, or for any information regarding their whereabouts. The French were well aware of how meaningless this reward was and no one gave up the two airmen.

Château de la Rochelle was about 6¼ km (4 mls) north of Tinchebray-Bocage. It does not appear to exist today.

The crewmember shot was identified as S/Sgt. Ralph Lyle Kittrell in the entry for the aircraft in the “Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces - Volume 3 (ETO Area - April 1944 - June 1944) - Stan D Bishop and John A Hey MBE”.

It is not known if any investigation into this killing was carried out and if there was what the outcome was or if any recommendations resulted.

Burial Details:

The French buried the dead in the churchyard at Truttemer-le-Grand. The Germans would not permit a service in the church but was later read by a priest in the churchyard. Five of the men were buried in one grave and one in a grave by himself. From the description provided by the French the airman in the single grave was believed to be 2nd Lt. Harris.

A LA MÉMOIRE DE 6 AVIATEURS AMERICAINS
TOMBES EN CE LIEU LE 5 AVRIL 1944
EN APPORTANT ARMES ET MATERIEL
A LA RESISTANCE FRANCAISE

2nd Lt William W. Nicoll Pilote
2nd Lt William C. Harris Navigateur
2nd Lt Thomas F. Davis Bombardier
S/SGT Richard C. Bindel Mecanicien
S/SGT Warren A. Brewer Radio
S/SGT Ralph A. Kittrell Mitrailleur

50^eme ANNIVERSAIRE - 1994

Translation:

IN MEMORY OF THE 6 AMERICAN AVIATORS
FALLEN HERE ON APRIL 5TH 1944
WHILE BRINGING WEAPONS AND MATERIALS
TO THE FRENCH RESISTANCE.

2nd Lt William W. Nicoll Pilot
2nd Lt William C. Harris Navigator
2nd Lt Thomas F. Davis Bombardier
S/Sgt Richard C. Bindel Mechanic
S/Sgt Warren A. Brewer Radio
S/Sgt Ralph A. Kittrell Gunner

50th Anniversary - 1994

Above: The memorial to the crew which was inaugurated at Truttemer-le-Grand on the 9th April 1994, on the 50th anniversary. (Courtesy of the 2008 American War Memorials Overseas, Inc)

2nd Lt. William Ward Nicoll. Purple Heart. Laid to rest at the Brittany American Cemetery, Plot L, Row 17, Grave 22. Born on the 5th April 1919 in Lakeland, Florida. Son of Norman Gordon and Helen (née Hegerty) Nicholl of Polk, Florida, USA.

Above: Grave marker for 2nd Lt Harris (Courtesy of Loni Rae - FindAGrave)

2nd Lt. William Gilbert Harris. Repatriated and laid to rest at the Memphis National Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee, Section H, Grave 4094B. Born on the 13th February 1916 in McNairy County, Tennessee. Son of Elijah Thomas and Florence (née Richards) Harris of McNairy, Tennessee. Husband of Elsie L (née Vance) Hudson of Tennessee, USA.

2nd Lt. Thomas F. Davis. Purple Heart. Repatriated and laid to rest on Tuesday 30th August 1949 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky, Section E, Grave 143-144. Son of Mary E, Davis of Brooklyn, New York, USA.

S/Sgt. Richard Clarence Bindel. Repatriated and laid to rest on Tuesday 30th August 1949 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky, Section E, Grave 143-144. Born on the 24th February 1922 in Sabetha, Kansas. Son of Aloysius ‘Ollie’ John and Ruth Leanna (née Kasten) Bindel of Fidelity, Kansas, USA.

Above courtesy of The Greenville News, dated 28th August 1949

S/Sgt. Warren A. Brewer. Repatriated and laid to rest on Tuesday 30th August 1949 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky, Section E, Grave 143-144. Born circa 1925 in South Carolina. Son of Leonard and Katherine ‘Kate’ Alice (née Riddle) Brewer of Paris Mountain, South Carolina, USA.

Above courtesy of the Ventura County Star, dated 4th April 1945

S/Sgt. Ralph Lyle Kittrell. Repatriated and laid to rest at the Pierce Brothers Santa Paula Cemetery, California. Born on the 2nd June 1923 in Santa Paula, California. Son of James Blaine and Edna J. Kittrell of Santa Paula, California, USA.

Researched by Ralph Snape and Traugott Vitz for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this crew (Mar 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