Operation: Skip bombing mission to Chérisy, France

Date: 14th June 1944 (Wednesday)

Unit No: 393th Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, 70th Fighter Wing, 9th Air Force

Type: P-38J Lightning

Serial: 42-104211

Code: 8L:?

Base: Stony Cross (Station #452), Hampshire, England

Location: Near Hellenvilliers, 17¾ km (11 ml) WNW of Dreux, France

Pilot: 1st Lt. Byron Forbe Phelps Jr. O-743083 AAF Age 22. Id No. 78331 *, PoW No. 8151 **

* 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).

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 14th June 1944 1st Lt. Phelps, Yellow flight leader, took off from Stony Cross in Hampshire on a skip bombing mission to Chérisy, France. The circumstances of the loss of him and his aircraft were described by the other three pilots in his flight:

Yellow #2 - 2nd Lt. Joseph A. Dobrowolski DFC. O-756513.

'On June, 14, 1944 I participated in a dive bombing mission at Dreux, France, as wing man to Lt. Byron F. Phelps, yellow flight leader. As our primary target had been destroyed, Lt. Phelps led the flight down to skip bomb a railroad fill running west from the town at approximately 1815 hours. We both released our bombs scoring direct hits and then Lt. Phelps right engine feathered and he called and told us that his ship was on fire and that he would have to bale out. The ship stopped smoking for a moment but began again. As soon as that happened I saw the nose pull up, and Lt. Phelps fall out. The ship turned to the right and went straight, in flames. Something dropped from Lt. Phelps when his chute opened, which I believe was his dinghy. He landed about 4 miles west of the town, his chute being pulled into the woods and then he disappeared'.

Yellow #3 - 2nd Lt. Burnus W. Hayden O-756565.

‘I was flying No 3 man in Yellow flight led by 1st Lt. Byron F. Phelps on a dive and skip bombing mission, 14 June 1944 on the railroad near Dreux, France at approximately 1815. The flight dropped their bombs and pulled up over the outskirts of a town believed to be Dreux where light flak was encountered. At this time I noticed Lt. Phelps’ right engine was smoking and that the engine was feathered. He called on then radio and said his plane was on fire and that he was going to bale out. He baled out at approximately 1800 ft. I saw his chute open and Lt. Phelps landed near a grove of trees. He immediately pulled his chute under the trees, at which time we departed’.

Yellow #4 - 2nd Lt. Owen R. Johnson DFC O-446034.

‘I was flying No. four man in Yellow flight, led by 1st Lt. Byron F, Phelps on 14th June at approximately 1815 on dive bombing mission near town of Dreux, France.

After making a skip bombing attack on rail-road targets in the vicinity of Dreux, Lt. Phelps called stating that his plane was on fire and that he believed he would have to bale out. I noticed his right engine appeared to be backfiring while Lt. Phelps was trying to gain altitude. He called again saying he was baling out, whereupon the rest of the flight circled covering him. He got out in level flight at about 1000 ft about 1815 hours. I saw his chute open. And he landed safely either in or next to a grove of trees and ½ ml from a small village, and 400 yds. From a large brick farmhouse. The plane crashed and burst into flames about ½ ml from where Lt. Phelps landed. I saw no flak when attacking our target but light inaccurate flak at the small village after we had passed.

His escape and evasion leading up to his betrayal and capture in Paris with a number of others on the 19th July 1944 in unknown.

He was 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 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 who received 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

None - Survived

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this Pilot (Apr 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