Operation: Senonches fuel dump, France

Date: 5th July 1944 (Wednesday)

Unit No: 575th Bombardment Squadron (M), 391st Bombardment Group (M), 99th Combat Wing, 9th Air Force

Type: B-26C Lady Godiva

Serial No: 42-107811

Code: O8:V

Location: Saint-Georges-Motel, about 9½ km (6 mls) north of Dreux, France

Base: Matching Green (Station #166), Essex, England

Pilot: 1st Lt. Michael Robert Petrich O-684039 AAF Age 23. Id No: 78325 *, PoW No: 8150 ** (1)

Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Robert Bain Sullivan O-669809 AAF Age 25. KiA

Bombardier/Nav: T/Sgt. Edwin Goodrich Insley 33064534 AAF Age 25. KiA

Engineer/Gnr: S/Sgt. Byran Byron Ambrose 34240010 AAF Age 28. KiA

Radio Operator/Gnr: T/Sgt. Ernest Martel 31150127 AAF Age? KiA

Tail Gnr: S/Sgt. Robert Reginald Read 32058677 AAF Age 24. PoW ***

* 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).

*** Stalag Luft 4 Groß-Tychow, Pomerania, Prussia now Tychowo, Poland (Moved from Stalag Luft 6 Heydekrug on 28th May 1944. Moved to Wöbbelin near Ludwigslust and then to Usedom near Swinemünde).

REASON FOR LOSS:

B-26C Lady Godiva took off from Matching Green on the morning of the 5th July 1944 on an operational mission to attack the fuel dump at Senonches, about 30 km (19 mls) SW of Dreux in France.

Just before the bomb run the aircraft received a direct flak burst between the turret and waist guns. The aircraft disintegrated in the air, broke in two, and crashed in the vicinity of Saint-Georges-Motel, about 9½ km (6 mls) north of Dreux in France at 10:30 hrs.

1st Lt. Petrich was not aware that the aircraft had been blown apart until after he had baled out and saw one parachute above the falling tail section of the aircraft. He found later that this was S/Sgt. Read.

T/Sgt. Insley was in the nose of the aircraft and had no chance of escaping. S/Sgt. Ambrose and T/Sgt. Martel were instantly killed when the aircraft was hit by flak and broke in two.

(1) 1st Lt. Petrich landed not far from Saint-Georges-Motel in a forested area, today named Forêt domaniale de Dreaux.

His parachute caught in a tree so he unharnessed himself, dropped to ground, and hid his Mae West and pistol. He immediately started walking away from the location along the edge of the forest. He almost stumbled into German Flak unit but managed to stay out of sight.

At around 15:00 hrs he approached a farmer in a nearby field who took him to his home where he remained until the next morning. He was then taken to another house where he stayed for the next two days. It was here that he was told by his French helpers that 1st Lt. Sullivan had escape the aircraft but that he had been severally injured after being struck by a propeller and that the Germans said that he was too badly injured to be taken prisoner and shot him.

Note: No other information has been found regarding the circumstances leading to the death of 1st Lt. Sullivan so this assertion cannot be refuted or corroborated.

He also met with a Lt. Joe Denaro, and two other members of his crew whose names he did not know.

This was 2nd Lt. Joseph C. Denaro O-703963, the Navigator from B-24H 42-95170 ‘Hell and Back’ of the 850th BS, 801st BG. (5 PoWs, 1 Evd, 2 Rtd).

From here he was told their escape from France was to be arranged. Initially they were to be picked up by a DC-3 but after a number of days of continuous rain it was not possible for the DC-3 to land and take off again. The second escape route was through France, Spain and Gibraltar and arrangements were made for them to be collected and taken across the border to Spain.

The four airmen and four French, two men and two women drove to Paris and were then onwards to to Spain. Arriving in Paris they were deposited in a Hotel where they remained for several days during which time they were turned over to another group of helpers. One of whom was a collaborator and would eventually betray them.

After four or five days and a number of sight seeing tours around Paris they were loaded into a truck. They were joined by a number of other evaders eventually numbering 17 in total. They were driven to Gestapo headquarters at 84 Avenue Foch in Paris where they were arrested.

They were 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 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.

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:

2nd Lt. Robert Bain Sullivan. Air Medal (6 Oak Leaf Clusters). Recovered and interred in the US Military Cemetery St. André near Evreux, Plot F, Row 1, Grave 16 on the 2nd March 1945. Repatriated and interred at the Industry Cemetery in Illinois. Born on the 5th February 1919 in Industry, Illinois. Son of Leon Bain and Dorothea Christine (née Sturm) Sullivan of Industry, Illinois, USA.

T/Sgt. Edwin Goodrich Insley. Air Medal (6 Oak Leaf Clusters), Purple Heart. Commemorated on the Brittany American Cemetery, Tablets of the Missing. Born on the 19th January 1919 in Baltimore, Maryland. Son of John W.P. and Nina B. (née Webb) Insley of Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

S/Sgt. Bryan Byron Ambrose. Air Medal (7 Oak leaf Clusters). Recovered and interred in the US Military Cemetery St. André near Evreux, Plot B, Row 4, Grave 68 on the 3rd September 1944. Repatriated and laid to rest at the Southern Memorial Cemetery, North Miami, Florida. Born on the 20th July 1915 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Son of Edward Clinton and Lena Sarah Susan (née Bryon) Ambrose of Dade, Florida, USA.

Above: Grave marker for T/Sgt. Ernest Martel (Courtesy of memento mori-FindAGrave)

T/Sgt. Ernest Martel. Air Medal (7 Oak leaf Clusters), Purple Heart. Recovered and interred in the US Military Cemetery St. André near Evreux, Plot B, Row 4, Grave 69 on the 3rd September 1944. Laid to rest at the Normandy American Cemetery, Plot J, Row 16, Grave 14. Son of Henry and Imelda Martel. His Brother, Ralph Martel from Saco, Maine, USA, was recorded as his Next-of-Kin.

His brother: Cpl. Arthur Roland Martel 31152648 serving with the 654th Tank Destroyer Battalion was killed in a tragic aircraft accident on the 23rd May 1945. Arthur was a passenger aboard C-46D Commando #44-77507 of the 31st Air Transport Group, which was taking 40 American soldiers, mostly newly liberated PoWs, who were ill or injured to hospitals around Paris.

Enroute the right engine caught fire causing the starboard wing to shear off resulting in the aircraft crashing in a field about a mile from the village of Taillefontaine, Aisne. The 4 crew and 40 soldiers were all killed.

Courtesy of Andy Anderson - FindAGrave

Arthur was laid to rest at the Epinal American Cemetery, Plot B, Row 48, Grave 16.

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