Wellington HZ355 from 429 Squadron

a few things about Belgium: the Meuse (spelling ) is the Maas in Dutch. Flemish Dutch spoken by the Flemish people (almost the same , but with some specific words and a different accent), the Walloons are their French speaking counterpart. Also Belgium is in fact trilingual : Eupen malmedy and St Vith have a German speaking minority and the Germanophones count about 1% of the total population.

 

Skipper,

Thank you for the information. I will make my corrections. (I need to keep up with my to-do list) Spent 2 hours on the phone today with my Uncle...

The 2 parachutes that he saw where his crew. The ME-110 he saw was on fire but didn't see it crash. His best guess for the Air Combat took place over Maaseik, Belgium.

Fresnes - He was visited by a young (20's) Luftwaffe Medical type. He had a basket of medicine. He put a black salve on a boil my Uncle had on his shoulder. Within an hour the boil popped. Ate Cabbage soup with large worms floating in it (A lot fo this soup). From the 5th floor cell, he was in with Whitney, Ford and Sharp and they could see the exercise yard. He saw (along with the other cell mates) a man and a woman facing a wall and German Guards shot them. He was about 100 yards away. He was told the next day that the man and the woman were the Female Jewish Doctor and the British Agent that was with his group when they were arrested by the Gestapo. He could not tell from the distance (and they had their backs to him) whether it was them or not. (He said the female Doctor told him she was wanted by the Nazi's for eliminating 2 Nazi men by a canal. She did not appear to be afraid nor look very Jewish. She did not provide medical treatment to him. The interrogator at Fresnes had an office. He had a Louisville Slugger Bat from America. He did not have an accent at all. My Uncle believes that he was an American. He said he would definately recognize him. Wore street clothes, no uniform. When he spoke about him during his reports (Liberation, Escape and Evasion) They sent for an Intelligence Officer and it appeared that they knew about this man and had a file already with writing in it. A Guard at the prison came to his cell and gave him a Number 10 Can of Del Monte (American Brand) Peas and told him it was from friends in France. He has know idea what that was about. He had no friends in France. He ate the peas with the other cell mates. The French Red Cross would deliver cheese in round boxes. He also got some jam.

Switched names with several POW's when he made his escape attempts:
1. British Soldier - James Wittreck (SP?) in Muhlberg 4B
2. US Army 69th Infantry Division - A. C. Brown in Muhlberg 4B
3. US Army 106th Division - William Boyd Summey



He saw Red Cross at Stalag 4B, drove large white 6 wheeled trucks.

When he was at Buchenwald, early spring of 1944, trace of snow on the ground, very cold. Put in with large mass of people. Shacks with tar paper. Saw some wooden barracks. Was with a lot of Jews, Jehova Witness, Gypsies, saw many different kinds of Clergy. Very sick while he was there, lack of food also. Saw a lot. Did not see any other Allied Airmen ( He said they could have been there but was a huge mass of people). Did not get any names. He got a phone call years back about KLB Club, he said he should be on a list. Remembers someone from Seattle from the club.


He is guessing but he was about 10 miles from crash site of his Wellington when he landed.

We talked a lot more about the Underground and I will fill in on the Transcription.

Jo Ann

 

Very interesting detail. The Luftwaffe Lazarett of Paris was at the Hopital Beaujon which was close from Fresnes. This is where the wounded airmen were helped. Those who were severely wounded in crashes were also operated there. those unfortunate who did not make it were buried in the local Clichy cemetery. You might be intererested in checking the name list at Cwcg

 

again I think of the Bf 110G-4 was one that I described earlier and hit in aerial combat crashing at it's field, the German crew may not have actually placed the time of the incident down until they themselves had crashed which seems to be the case, and also to in their combat report during this time they would also note the time they landed instead of the reaction and time from the RAF bomber

it does honestly get confusing

E ~

 

Erich,

I'm way past being confused....

Jo Ann

 

surely you can see that in just a small amount of spacial time what you have been able to accomplish, now with that maybe time off to put it all in perspective, re-address some of the issues, more interviews and then in textural form -book-film, etc......... ?

sounds real kooky but it works, am doing this now with a new book format I am working on

 

Erich,

Finally got to some typos, started a timeline...my next section of transcript is done...I will upload in a few. I only have a little bit more to go and then work on the continued part from the DVD Interview. I am working on figuring out who is who on each part of his journey. My Uncle's side is mostly description of people and the other side is names. I am re-organizing my information. It seems the more I get the "wider" everything is. Like a sponge that is expanding!

I have little pink "Stickies" all over the place!!!

Jo Ann

 

Erich,

I must say that I have been extremely fortunate to find so much information along the way and I know I will find a lot more. It appears that as my Uncle and his crew travelled along (My Uncle to Paris; and Nicholson and Horton not sure yet where they were arrested exactly) the traitors and Gestapo were close behind arresting people. My Uncle knows this now and wants to know exactly what happened.

Jo Ann

 

And anyway, the next day I couldn’t find this town of Welvaart or anything about it at all. And I didn’t find out until much later when I was in the Underground talking with the people that this was really an advertisement for a brand of bread. A big help you know. Well anyway, that didn’t help and of course I continued trotting on down the road. Then I hear this noise behind me and oh boy. It was a funny noise, very odd noise. Well, as I went along, it went along. And I of course, oh dear, I had to go to ground. I got to find out what this is all about. Well I finally got near some bushes and I hid up in these bushes. And here comes about 4 or 5 geese. That’s what I heard behind me was the geese. Well I wasn’t going to do combat with geese. I’d lose. Anyway, I walked along there. It’s beginning to get daylight. Oh , I stopped at a farm house. I went and knocked on the door of a farm house. And these people in the farm house, they came to the door. Now this must have been about 3:00 in the morning. And of course these people come and I told them who I was and I’m using French. _____(can’t understand) my high school French. So in Belgium most of the people from each side understand the other side. So there’s not really a language problem. But any rate, I ask him, I said “Brussels, Brussels, over here (pointing) Ah we Bruxelles, they pronounce it correctly, I didn’t. Bruxelles and they point to this road. So ah, I got this. I was surprised that I learned that much French. Because I wasn’t very good at it to start with. Anyway, I come back out of there and it was beginning to break daylight. So I went into a cornfield. They call it maize in Europe. And I went into this cornfield and the corn, now this was, bear in mind that this was June and the corns pretty tall. Was probably 5 feet tall. And I hid up in that cornfield through the day. And that’s when I was hunting in this map to find out. Now these, in our battle dress, you ever see a British World War 2 British Army Soldier? He had this short jacket on, trousers, and he wears a what you call Gators. They are like plucky thing down here around the ankles. He wears these. We had exactly the same thing only it was blue. It was Air Force Blue. And that was our flying uniform. Now later on in the war, everybody in the RAF wore it. But when I was there and got knocked down, it was only Air crew had this battle dress. This RAF battle dress. And anyway the, I also cut the insignia and oh we had a little tab right here (points to ankle) so you could pull these things together and button them. And this was the Army ____(can’t understand) went over that. Well when they built the Air Force blue ones they put the same thing on them, the epilates, so I cut the epilates off. I tried to make it as less like a military uniform as I can. Well that’s what I was doing with this little knife in the cornfield and trying to find this town of Welvaart and I couldn’t find it. And when it got dark that’s when I come out of the cornfield went across the road. Because I could see vehicles going up and down this highway, not a lot. The Germans were about the only people, the Germans, medical personnel, and clergymen were the only ones that had vehicles. Oh and some government officials also. Anyway as I said went to this farm house. They gave me a sandwich. They gave me a sandwich. They told me Brussels this way (pointing). Well of course our training had told us, try to get to a big city, because you can blend better in a big city than you can in the rural area. You know, a stranger in a rural area sticks out like a sore thumb. In a city people don’t know you. Anyway, that was my aim, but it didn’t work out that way.

 

Of course I was a lot further from Brussels than I realized. I must have been 100 miles from there, from Brussels. But at any rate, I left that house, it was a brick house, most houses in Europe are brick. This was a nice looking house. Red, new brick, a nice one. And anyway down the road and of course I go. I’m walking. It’s dark. Well I walked quite a while and it began to get, oh I walked down and there was a rail road crossing. Now in Europe they have a system which is far superior than ours on their grade crossings. What they have when there is no train coming, there’s these steel gates across the tracks. When a train comes they go that way (crosses arms). Now you got steel across the road. So there’s none of this weaving around and plowing into the train like we have here. You know we have that flimsy little thing that comes down. They have these steel gates. They’re all over Europe. I mean Britain and all over the continent. So anyway, I come up on this crossing, little tiny, only one string of tracks and there was a German guard standing there and there was a brick factory. Now the brick factory was on my left. Yeah that’s right. There was a brick factory there and this was the spur line that went into the brick factory. Well there was a German guard standing there. So I come walking down the road and this German guard and first of all he spoke to me in German and of course this was part of our training too. If they speak to you, look very much afraid, which is not difficult, it wasn’t difficult for me I tell ya. Anyway, look very much in fear and stammer. Because when you stammer there’s no accent. If you start speaking words there is. But just stammer when you speak. That would be a normal reaction to one of the Germans, to one of the Belgium civilians for this German soldier. And these guys were something to avoid if possible. Well anyway, this guy he said in French, he spoke a little French, not a lot but of course I didn’t either. And he asked me if I had been to see my girl. And of course I’m sitting there stammering, just quivering. And that’s another thing, if you say one short word in a language you very, usually you will not reveal a nationality. If you say a big word, a long word like antidisestablishmentarianism then you got the accent or you got a string _______(can’t understand). One word, a short word, probably. Well that’s what I did. And of course this guy, ah ya, then he blast back in German and of course, I didn’t know what he was talking about. But anyway, in French he was laughing about me going to see my girlfriend. And then finally “Rouse.”(MS?) And you know that’s the first time I ever heard that term. I didn’t know what it meant. “Rouse,” it’s a German word for get out. In the prison camps, I heard it a great deal. So anyway, he kinda pushed me on down the road, so I’m gonna, I’m gonna go away from this guy. And that was my first introduction to the Third Reich by the way. Anyhow, I kept walking down the road and it began to get daylight. I wasn’t too far from where I seen this German soldier and I noticed that there was this, it looked to me like a small hotel off to the right. Well I thought maybe now, maybe , this probably wasn’t a good idea but I went over to this hotel and I was just about to walk in through this small door and this German Officer walked out. He was staying there. Well of course I didn’t, you know, I didn’t do a 180 and run or anything like that. But this guy, I kinda just stood there and stepped aside for him and he walked on by me. And I waited until he turned the corner down there and then I left. I never did go in that hotel. You know if there’s one there, there could be others. I continued walking down the road. Now it’s beginning to get pretty daylight and they had told us and this is wrong, but they had told us that one of the best ways of getting help was to go to a clergyman. Now the clergymen and they had told us, they said that the clergymen in northern Holland are going to be Lutheran. The clergymen in southern Holland and in Belgium are going to be Catholic and in French. Well anyway, oh another thing, they told us and this is funny; they told us now if you have to ask for help, pick a small person, preferably a crippled person, all by himself with nobody else around.

 

So that if you hit the wrong person you can get away. Well I though at the time that they were telling us this, this back in England. And I’m thinking gee that’s asking for a whole lot all at once. A little guy, oh and an elderly person. He has to be a little guy, an elderly person and he’s got to be crippled. And I thought boy that sure is asking for a whole lot. So, I’m walking down this road and sure enough here he comes. A little guy, must have been 80 years old and on crutches. So anyhow here he is. So I asked him, I told him who I was ____(can’t understand) French and he got right away to that and he started telling me, he said go down this street and he was going like this (“A” frame with hands) and he was using some words that I didn’t get. I didn’t understand what he was talking about. We sat there and jaw boned on the road for about 5 or 10 minutes I suppose. And then finally I said yeah, Merci and I went on my way. Walked down this road and it was a little town. There was this town of Eisden here. Then there was another little town maybe half a mile away. And I walk down to the end of this road where it ran into this little town and then I found out what this guy was trying to tell me. On the left was a house and the roof on one side of the house came all the way to the ground. And he was telling me to go to this house and I would get some help. That’s what he was telling me and of course I wasn’t getting it. Well anyway when I saw that roof, I ah yes of course I got the word mazone (MS?). I got that one. House. But I didn’t understand this roof bit. So I went and beat on the door. The back door and of course it was full daylight by this time and so they came to the door, opened it up and I told them who I was in English. And you know the French, I started to speak French and then this woman spoke to me in English. She apparently picked up my accent very quick. And I told her who I was and I needed help and she said ok but she said don’t go here. She said to go back out on the road and turn left at the end of the road. Now this was a dead end road and there was a cross road, street actually. And go 3 doors down on the left and beat on that door and they will give you help. I said ok. So I went out of there, no wait a minute, I forgot the clergyman. After I left this place I saw a church, I wasn’t going to go down to this 3 doors down. I figured, you know they told us “go see a clergyman.” Fine, so there’s a rectory sitting there and the church right next door. So I beat on the door of the rectory and an upstairs window opened. This guy stuck his head out. I told him who I was and also in English, he said “I can’t help you, my son is a prisoner in Germany.” This is a Catholic church. His son! Well I tumbled to that right away. Now this is the wrong guy. So I just told him, “Okay, shhh, say nothing.” And I left there and I didn’t find out until later on that the Germans had removed the clergy in Belgium and put their own people in there. So you know you could get burned real quick on that one. Well anyway finally that’s when I went across the back, down the little street and down the 3 doors down. Beat on the door and they brought me inside. They gave me a cup of black coffee. And that was my introduction to acorn coffee. Yuck. Don’t bother, it’s not worth it. Any rate I had the coffee and they had some bacon. But they don’t cook the bacon in Belgium. They eat it raw. Anyway they gave me a strip of bacon. I was dam hungry by that time. So they said “Okay, now you will go to the underground and our daughter,” now this girl was maybe 8 years old, “Our daughter will guide you, “they said. “Now you will stay behind the daughter, maybe 10 meters behind the daughter” about 30 feet. “And if anything comes, if a vehicle comes, a car or any Germans come, the daughter will know. And she will signal you this way (waved hand behind back) and you leave the road and hide in ditch.” Okay, well that’s as much as they said. So we go walking down towards this town where I had previously come through, it’s called Eisden.

 

Now before I had gone to the other little town. Well we’re walking down this road and here comes this big black car, turns onto that road. The little girl goes (wave behind back) you know she goes like this behind her. And I went into the ditch and she continues walking on down the road. The car goes right by her and when it drove by me, it was a black car and it had a great big yellow Swastika on the side. It had 5 or 6 people in it. That was the guy that was the fake clergyman. He called them. They didn’t see me in the ditch, they kept right on going. So I come out of there and of course she was gone. So I walked back in to Eisden and I went to another church. Now this church was also a Catholic church and I went in, the services were going on. And I didn’t realize it but this was All Souls Day. You know it was services happening. So I walked into the back of the church now. I didn’t even realize but some of this shrapnel had gone into my feet. And also walking all that time in barefoot, actually I had socks on and the socks had worn completely away. There weren’t any socks anymore. So my feet were broken open. Now when I walked into the church and sat down in the back pew, there’s a service going on. Well I didn’t realize that I had left my foot prints into the church. Well I sat there and the services were over. Everybody gets up and they all walk out of church. They all look at me and I hear this speaking and I’m reasonably sure they’re talking about me. Because first of all I was a stranger in a very rural area and when I got up to go out of this church, I noticed my own bloody footprints on the concrete. And that’s what they must have been talking about. These people. Well anyway, I went next door to the rectory and beat on the rectory. And I said, you know I told him who I was, sticking my neck out again. And I still didn’t know that Germans had removed a lot of these people. But this time apparently was genuine. Because he said “Tonight,” he said, “You will be aided.” “Go across the road and there will be a bunch of small haystacks.” Oh, I suppose about 5 feet high in this field. He said “Hide up in one of these haystacks.” “And tonight when it is dark, we will come and get you.” I said “Okay.” He said “Be careful.” He said “The Germans know you’re in the area.” Later on I figured out and I said to this guy, “I went to a church in this little town down here.” And he says “Bad man.” “Don’t go near him.” Well anyway, I come out of this church and went across the street and hid up in the haystack. And about, oh probably I had been in there an hour and these people came out and I had no shoes. So they brought me a pair of Belgium Army boots. You know, high quarter shoes, real tough things. I put them on. They also brought me a big bag of cherries. So big around, almost a fat bag. And they moved me. Now when it happened was these guys had come out, of course none of them knew that I was in one of these haystacks. Well they had come out to spread the hay around, it had been a heavy dew that night and they spread that hay around to dry. And then they put it back up in there and eventually taken to the barn I suppose. Well when they came out there and I could hear them speaking and again it didn’t sound very French to me. So but I hear these people speaking and I peered out through the hay and that’s what they’re doing. They are spreading these out and they got these pitchforks. Well about the time they go to my stack and they started ramming that pitchfork into it, I figured, so I stuck my swan-like neck out and told them who I was again. And so that’s when they said “Okay, we can’t leave you here.” “We have to move you.” And they moved me to a bean pile. Now it was a tripod, a long poles, latched together at the top and they had dry string beans, you know the long vines of beans. And they had them hung on that drying. So they were a great big bunch of it. And it was kinda like a hallow area underneath. Well that’s where they put me you see. He said, “You hide in here because we leave one part at night.” “If spread out the Germans will get suspicious.” Okay, so I got into the bean pile. Well did you ever see an Earwig? (JoAnn – Yes) They are awful looking things. There were millions of them underneath those beans. They were all over me and I had never seen one and they looked as though they would snap your arm off. They’re perfectly harmless but they don’t look like it. Scary. Anyway, these things are all over me, you know. Of course I can’t get up from under there. What am I gonna do about it, nothing. I just had to try and push them off as best I could you know. Late in the afternoon, is when these guys arrived, with this, but before they got there, a woman arrived. Now the only thing I ever saw of her was the bottom part of her skirt. She had a kind of brick red, plaid skirt, stockings and brown low-quarter shoes.

 

fascinating! could some of the sentences be "je ne comprneds pas" "I don't understand" and "je suis americain" "I am amercan"? .
I am quite busy until next Monday (organising a commemoration this weekend) but I am keeping myself informed.

 

Skipper,

He has had a slight stroke but I understand him very well except for his French. I think he was saying I am Royal Air Force or I am Air Force. If you could try that for me then I think we have it. I should have asked!

Jo Ann

 

je suis RAF /RCAF ? Je suis Americain /Je suis aviateur?

 

I think I heard the last word as "force".

 

Would it be Je suis Air Force?

 

"Je suis Royal Aiforce" (that's broken French but very understandable)

 

I think we have it now. I didn't just want to guess.

Thank you. I am working on the next part!

 

Need some help with translation:

He is talking about a French coin....having an R F on it and says something like (sounds like):
Re fulay Francie?

Jo Ann