Escape from German Occupied France
I graduated from Navigation School in Hondo, TX, on July 15, 1943, and left for Ephrata, Wa. for 1st phase training. I was assigned to the 401st Bomb Group on a B-17 and met my crew:
Marvin H. Bender Pilot
William J. Grupp Co - Pilot
Harold O. Freeman (myself) Navigator
Robert J. Wilcox Bombardier
Francis E. Anderson Engineer
Lawrence R. Anderson Armorer
Veiko J. Koski Asst. Radio Operator
Harold F. Long Asst. Engineer
Robert L. Plunkett Asst Armorer
Francis W. Rollins Radio Operator
After six weeks working with the crew, we flew in an 18 ship formation for the 1st time on Sept. 18, 1943. We left on the 26th for Gander, Newfoundland, our first leg of the trip to England.
On October 29th, we took off at midnight in heavy overcast and landed in Prestwick, Scotland, about noon on the 30th. (35 planes took off and 11 made it, others called back) November 3rd we moved to Polebrook, our duty station in England. We were transferred to the 351st Bomb Group. Both Grupp and I were grounded because of colds, so we did not go with our crew on their first mission to Bremen on November 26th.
My first mission was on December 1st to Solingen. This mission was rough, lots of fighters and flak. It was my introduction to flak (shells that fragment and burst at high altitude) sent up by artillery. We lost two out of 36 B-17s.
We experienced an air raid near Polebrook on the 10th of December and it was a bad one. You felt trapped. It seemed like no matter which direction you ran, bombs were there. I took shelter in a concrete basement. London got the worst of it, and we realized what the English had been going through.
My second mission was on December 11th to Emden, that day they greeted us with 35 incendiary bombs but no fighters. We had to come back and land with the bomb bay doors open, which was very cold for the men in the back of the plane.
My third mission was to Bremen. We got squeezed out of formation at 30,000 feet and went in above, lots of flak. The flack left small holes through the plane but not enough real damage. It had to be a direct hit to do real damage.
On December 23rd, we had a 3 day pass and went to London. Results of the air raids were devastating. Visited Westminster Abbey and St. Pauls Cathedral, then went with the bunch to a pub and drank warm beer--- YUK! (quite different from a nice cold one)
My 4th mission was to Mannheim and Ludwigshaven, we had trouble with Tokyo tanks (gas) and we really sweat it out.
My 5th mission was to Cognac and the first time we had a mission two days in a row. Plunkett did not fly that day and was replaced by Levi Collins. The group lost 29 B-17s, ours was one. Flak was hitting all around us and broke the nose of the plane and burned Wilcox's leg. Then I heard the bottom turret gunner (Collins) holler that he had a fire and to get him outta there. You had to help the bottom turret gunner in and out of his hole. Then the pilot yelled that we could not make it back and would have to jump. He turned the plane toward the French coast. It was jump or burn.
On flights, I always took my hiking boots, tied together by the laces, for an emergency. I knew I could not walk far in those fleece lined flying boots with the electric lined boots inside. I slung my boots over my arm and was ready to get out of there.
Some of the fellas went out the front of the plane and some out the back. Anderson went out the bomb bay, then Collins, then me, with Wilcox right behind.
You have no idea the difference in the sound and commotion of the loud airplane, then you jump, and it suddenly seems very still as you float down. My first thought was that my chute didn't open, but when I checked, it did. I felt all alone as I floated down. I saw no more of the plane.
As I got closer to the ground, I could see this fence with an iron gate. I tried to miss it by swinging, but hit the fence, then hit the ground and was knocked out a minute. When I came to , my first thought was that my legs were broken off as I could not see them. It was such a relief when I pulled them out of the mud and found they were okay.
I sat there, took off my flying boots, and changed into my hiking boots. Boy was I thankful I had them. An old man and a boy came running up to me waving their arms and motioning to me and saying something (but I couldn't understand French). I caught the word Germans and realized that they were trying to tell me to hurry. I gave them my gun, parachute, and flying boots and the kid tied it all up on his bike and took off.
The man motioned for me to follow so I did and pretty soon we came to a hut where several other Frenchmen were, they took off and brought Collins back, then left. When they didn't come back, we figured that we better get out of there before the Germans found us. We hid behind a barn until dark and it was then that I discovered that my leg was injured. We planned our strategy--- hide out by day, travel by night. Being the navigator, I knew that we had come down near Rochelle, north of Royan.
At dusk, we started out. We had to get out of the restricted zone, so we went east. We hid in ditches, and in the hay when we saw anyone going by. We had a few narrow escapes and were not sure we were going the right way because of darkness.
January 1 --- We arrived on the outskirts of Saintes, in the early morning and found a deserted place and rested about an hour. We were so hungry and tired we knew we would need to get help. We went up to a farm house and declared ourselves to a farmer ( an Italian deserter with a wife and baby). He took us into the house and gave us food and a bed and I must say that it did not take us look to go to sleep.
Around noon, the Mayor of Saintes came in , (the Italian had told him we were there). He said he was going to turn us into the Germans and if we tried to escape, the Germans would kill the Italian. After arguing with him for about an hour, he went to get the Gendarmes and we went the other way.
We walked till around four in the afternoon. Then we had to swim a small river and arrived on the outskirts of Colombiers. We came up to a farmhouse and approached two women in the yard. They took us into the house and as soon as we convinced them we were Americans, they gave us food. The took us out to the barn and after dark the farmer came out and brought us into the house and gave us most of their meal. People began to come in and see us. We slept there that night in a bed.
January 2 --- The next morning, they gave us civilian clothes, and took our flying clothes. At about nine that morning, we started out to walk south east, but could not cross the river. A German staff car passed us while we were hiding in the ditch, but they did not see us. Near Pons, we stopped for water and there was a woman who warned us not to go into Pons, because it was full of Germans.
We walked on and finally found a bridge and started over it. We approached a farm house and asked for water and the man asked us in. There were about 20 people inside. They fed us (by that time we were really hungry). The old man said he had taken two of our flyers in just yesterday. After we had eaten, we got ready to go and one of the men said No! Stay! When all the people left, the man took us to his house in Bougneau (near Pons). After awhile, a blonde French woman came to talk to us, she spoke English. Her husband had gone that morning with four evaders to the unoccupied zone. That night, he came in and told us he had just returned from the unoccupied zone and would take us in the morning.
January 3 --- In the morning, he called us to his truck, told us to get under the straw in the back, and be very quiet. We crossed the occupied zone and went to a house in Coursac (near St. Mathieu). There we met Sanderson and Shields from another crew. He then drove us to a house on the outskirts of town. (Maquis House) Here were Carson, McLaughlin, Fier, and Dymek, (men from other crews he had transfered the day before). We were taken to a hotel in town.
January 4 --- At night, Jean Picheaud came for us (all 8) and took us into Coursac to a mansion belonging to a priest. This house was near a textile mill owned by the priest's brother. The family was rich, it was a large house on a hill and at the bottom of the hill was a big factory where they made woolen clothes. They gave us some which we badly needed. We stayed upstairs in the house during the day. Picheaud was the manager of the mill and he was in the resistance organization near Ceu De Guerre. We ate well and they were very good to us. For some reason, Germanbs did not come around.
Picheaud said we would be taken by his Lt. to a cave and wait for a plane to fly us to England, they had a radio there. On the day we did leave, he went out into the yard and dug up some champaign and we all had a drink. We stayed there 13 days and during that time, I finally managed to brush my teeth and did that feel good! I was trying to grow a mustache to look more French. My hair grew faster than my moustache.
January 17 --- Alexander (Picheaud's boss) came from Limoges and took us to the station, where we waited by the graveyard until taking the traction to Limoge. Here we split up. Collins, Dymek , Carson, and I were led by a Spanish guide ( a Spanish loyalist who fought in the revolution). He took us to a house in the restricted district on the outside of town, owned by a paralyzed man and his wife. We stayed there the night.
January 19 --- In the morning, the Spaniard took me to Alexander's store where the other evaders were. Chcuk stayed there for he was sick. The other seven of us were taken by bus to Sussac by a gendarme. (Sussac was 12 kms SW of Elmoutiers). In Sussac, we were taken into a house (headquarters of the Maquis). Four men came and took us five to six miles to a house in the country and then to a chateau, where we slept in the barn. A woman from British Intelligence came. She had us moved to the Chateau and we slept on straw in a room. We were there four days.
We sawed wood early in the mornings and then peeled potatoes while waiting for a French Intelligence officer. We had to stand at attention after meals and were told when to get up and when to go to bed. At one time, I watched a man trying to dig a passage out. They had a good guard system at night two. We had two good meals a day and cigars.
On the 4th night, we were all taken by truck with an escort of two cars full of armed men to Salon La Tour on highway 20, 40 kms south of Pierre-Buffier, SE of Limoges. Here we met Jacques --- he had an aunt, uncle and sisters in London, and got supplies by parachute from Briton. Jacques brought an English speaking girl and for a change we could understand all that was said. The plan was to split us up so we would not be discovered. We were told to keep quiet while traveling.
January 23 ---- Sanders and I went in a convoy to a farmhouse. There was a man and his wife, an 18 year old daughter named Rosemarie and the grandparents. Rosemarie spoke some English. The house looked like a barracks, cattle came in one end, and us in the other. Rosemarie referred to the grandfather as Papi, and we were soon calling him that. His son had a one year old baby, and the mother fed the baby a bottle of diluted wine. They gave the child only wine because the cows were not tested. We were told not to drink the water as most wells were contaminated.
We helped Papi out with his pigs in the woods, hidden so the Germans would not take them. Otherwise, the Germans would demand that he give them all up.
One day he made bread in a big oven outside. 30 or 40 loaves. They were big, black loaves ---- when fresh, it was soft and tasted so good. When it was hard, you could hardly chew it. At supper time, they would pass the big loaf around and each guy would cut of a slice with a sharp knife, then pass it on. Rosemarie told us the bread flour was about 10% wood by byproduct.
For supper, they cooked over a fireplace inside a big Dutch oven --- the whole meal in one pot! First came the soup off the top, then the meal below it. One time when I was standing next to the fireplace to get warm, the woman came over and stirred the meal. I noticed the chicken head, still with a few feathers on it, as well as the feet. I didn't care, I was hungry.
Jacques arrived and told us we would go to Brive and leave from there in bunches. He would stay with us. We started getting out underground equipment. Jacques said that he is being watched. We had a scare, and were rushed to the cider alcove to hide and going through the window, I cut my leg. After dinner, Sandy and Jacques and I crossed the creek. I fell in and had to go to Papi's to get dry. The had planned for us to leave, but later cancelled plans.
We went to work helping Papi, trimming brush, splitting fence posts, etc. It was a stormy day, planes were flying over all day. We thought it must be a big raid. Jacques and others came and issued us guns. Now there were Collins, Sandy and I here plus four in the other cabin. I spent evenings walking up and down the trail to get in shape for the climb over the Pyrenees.
February 9 --- We were returned to the first farm house and on the second night, two automobiles came with Jacques and Georges. They took all seven of us to a house on the outskirts of Terrason where we stayed there for two days.
February 11 --- Jacques came in the same car and took us to a little village, Auch La Mothe. The put us in empty houses where we stayed for sixteen days. On the second night, Jacques came with a British Intelligence woman, who brought Finney. She interrogated us, then left and a week later, a British Intelligence officer came. He had just come from London and also interrogated us.
February 27 --- Jacques and Georges came and returned us to Terrason. We stayed there for more than a week.
March 6 --- Lucien, a British Intelligence officer, arrived to see Georges. He spoke English, but was very German looking. He assembled all eight (including Finney) together. A woman and man who had come with Lucien arranged our papers. That night, Lucien split us up into three parties and took us by train to Toulouse. Before we got there, the resistance had blown up a troop train.
We were met by an old woman, Francoise, there were nine or ten of us Americans. She told us to walk up and down the platform (all the time the Gestapo was inside the depot). While we were walking up and down, a German came up to Sanderson, who was smoking, grabbed his arm and lit his cigarette. Sanderson nearly passed out.
Francoise went into the baggage room and paid the man a bribe so we could leave the station. When we got out of there, she split us up into two groups. We were taken to a meeting room of the Young Peoples League (a wild bunch where we stayed two nights). While there we were joined by an Australian typhoon pilot by the name Tuckin who had twice before tried for the border.
March 9 --- Nine of us, with three guides, took a train to Carcassonne where we had two anxious hours in town, and left soon after. We arrived by train in Quillan and were turned over to a Spanish guide. We stayed overnight and the next day boxed up in a room and ate nothing except potatoes.
March 11 --- The next day, we went by bus to Axat. We walked out of town and waited till dark, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Then our guide came with a taxi and a girl who could speak English. We rode 12 miles and 6 Poles and a Spanish mountain guide joined us. He led us on foot to a village four miles from Querigut where we were joined by 6 more Poles. The guide took us to a house where we spent the night.
March 12 --- We started over the mountains, finally, but the snow was deep and soft, and the men faltered. Some even had frostbite on their toes. De Frenzen gave out and we had to carry him. Again I thanked my lucky stars for taking along my hiking boots on the flight. At the crest, the guide made us turn back and took us to a barn in a little village. We stayed there for three days. Then the guide from Toulouse came and advised us to return back to Quillan. Some of us wanted to try it again the next day, but the guide said no. We had no choice, we could not go ourselves.
March 15 --- We were told to spread out and get back on the bus to return to Quillian. The first three to board were Dymek, DeFrenzen, and I. Then further down the road Shields, McLaughlin, and Sanderson got on. When we came to Fier, Collins, and the Aussie the bus was full and we did not stop. We never saw them again. In Quillian, we found out that they had been captured by the Germans the next day in Axat.
The six of us got back to Quillan and met our guide. (He rode down on a bicycle from Quillan and looked for the other three, but could not find them). The guide took us to a hotel, met up with the girl in the tax. We stayed in the hotel room for eight days.
March 23 --- We were taken back to Querigut by the first two guides. We went back to the barn where we had been before.
March 24 --- We were led a mile to an old mine which was a rendezvous for Spanish smugglers. A third guide brought us food. We spent the day in the mine and nights in the barn. We remained there for three days, during which time the Gestapo raided the neighboring village. They caught the guide who had run to warn the people of the Germans approach. Later four Englishmen, and six Poles were brought up there to the mine to join us.
March 28 --- We started out again. It was snowing with high wind, but we were hell bent on making it across this time. When we finally did get to the border, money changed hands from our guides to the Spanish Border guards. When noone was around, we did get to cross during the night of March 30th at Puigcerda. We stopped in a barn on the 31st. On April 1st, one guide went to Barcelona and came back with a truck.
April 1 --- Our guide took us by truck to Barcelona. We were taken by the Americans and British to the British Consulate. It was now April 2nd.
April 4 --- The British Consulate took Shields, Dymek and I to Madrid by automobile where we stayed in the British Embassy until April 9th. The next day, we were taken to the British Embassy in Gibraltar.
April 11 --- Left on a liberator and rode in the bomb bay to Swinden. A nine hour flight with a Jerry (JU88) chasing us. We climbed to 20,000 ft without oxygen to shake him off. We arrived in London about 1 p.m.. I had been traveling for 102 days since I bailed out over France, and IT WAS GOOD TO BE BACK!
April 13 --- Started interrogation at 63 Brook Street, under house arrest pending my clearance. Interrogation went on and on. Then had problems getting someone to identify me as most of those that I had known had either finished their tours or were in POW camps. Finally they located Joe Adamik who knew me.
May 10 --- My promotion to 1st Lt came through and I left England for home. I saw my son for the first time, he was 8 months old then.
June 9 --- Reported to Redistribution Center at Santa Monica, Ca. I had the usual Psychology interviews. I was classified as an "evader", ok for combat, but could not return to the European theater. We saw Sanderson at the center.
****NOTE***
(The following note was written at the bottom of the last page of the paper copy of this story that Earl gave me.)
I have compiled this report of my husband's escape from his outline of the events, his diary, and numerous notes.
Harold continued his career in the Air Force and reached the grade of LTC. He retired in September 1965 on disability which the VA linked back to his use of the oxygen mask while flying in the early days of his career
Harold received numerous medals while in service:
The Air Medal, The Purple Heart, American Defense Ribbon, Presidential Citation, 8th Air Force, EAME Theatre Ribbon with Air Offensive Unit Star, WW II Victory Medal, Victory Medal Army Of Occupation Medal, Japan
After his retirement from the service, he went to work for the US Air Force Aeronautical Chart & Information Center in St. Louis, Mo. He retired from that job in December, 1978. Harold passed away on August 5, 1985.