Operation: Marshalling yards at Ameins, France

Date: 27th May 1944 (Saturday)

Unit No: 647th Bombardment Squadron (L), 410th Bombardment Group (L), 97th Bombardment Wing, 9th Air Force

Type: A-20G Havoc

Serial No: 43-10218

Code: 6Q:?

Location: Caix, 25¾ km (16 ml) ESE of Amiens, France

Base: Gosfield (Station #154), Essex, England

Pilot: 2nd Lt. Warren Archie Thompson O-690332 AAF Age 20. Id No. 78329 *, PoW No. 8156 ** (1)

Turret Gunner: S/Sgt. George Willis Jones 15081237 AAF Age 24. Evader (2)

Tunnel Gunner: Sgt. Martin John Tourbier 36291780 AAF Age 27. Evader (3)

* 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:

2nd Lt. Thompson and his crew, all on only their second mission, took off from Gosfield (Station #154) on a mission to bomb the railway marshalling yards at Ameins in France on the evening of the 27th May 1944.

Over then target the aircraft was hit by flak setting the left engine ablaze. The crew abandoned the aircraft at about 10,000 ft. Shortly thereafter the left wing burned off and the aircraft crashed at 20:20 hrs near Caix, 25¾ km (16 ml) ESE of Amiens in France.

S/Sgt. Linville F. Young 14068507, Tunnel Gunner, provided the following eye witness account of circumstances surrounding the loss of 2nd Lt. Thompson and his crew:

‘We passed over the target and I saw two chutes pass under my ship. I was riding at the end of the formation. I looked for the plane that they bailed out of, but could not find it. We turned off our course and went on for a few seconds. I then saw a plane with its left engine on fire. It was passing at about 90 degrees from our course. I saw it turn and try and follow our formation. It seemed as though it was catching us and then it began to drop behind. It was below our level and in plain view. As it began to drop back I saw one object leave. About three seconds later I saw another object leave and a chute open . There was no delayed jump of any length in time. I thought at first that there were two bailing out, but later came to the conclusion that one of the objects, the first, was the canopy. The plane continued on the same course for a few seconds and then started down. As it went down, part of it broke off. The part was burning most looked like it crossed in the center of a small village. It blew up immediately. The fire looked like gasoline burning, and it went out almost immediately’.

(1) 2nd Lt. Thompson was captured on the 15th July 1944 near Breteuil about 19 km (12 ml) west of Montdidier and some 32 km (20 ml) SW of the crash site. It is believed that he was betrayed by a neighbour to the house in which he was hiding.

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.

(2) S/Sgt. Jones landed near Harbonnières and was slightly wounded. His parachute and Mae West was buried by a French civilian. He was hidden by a local family in Harbonnières until American forces entered the area.

Harbonnières is some 4 km (2½ ml) NNE of the crash site.

He returned to the UK and his unit on the 7th September 1944.

(3) Sgt. Tourbier landed near Bayonvilles. He hid his parachute and Mae West in a wheat field which were found by the Germans. He was hidden by families in Ignaucourt and Arvillers until American forces entered the area.

Ignaucourt is some 5 km (3 ml) west of the crash site and Arvillers is some 8 km (5 ml) due south of the crash site.

He returned to the UK and his unit on the 7th September 1944.

Burial details:

None - Survived

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