Lancaster Bomber 514 Squadron

I will attempt to find out more about that Mustang rash too. I guess there must have been many crashes at Chippen Warden , but you never know. I assume the poor amn had no chance to bail out and died in the crash.
Hey, only 9 days left before I go to Vendôme. Although I go there for work, I will stop at Moisy, possibly Freteval and take a couple of pictures in a Blitzkrieg way. Unfortunately on the way back it will be dark, so I will have to go back.

 

Good Morning,

I found another reference to the Mosquito crash at Chipping Warden.
Not a lot of information, the first number may be a serial number?

"LR259 FBVI 464 Hit hangar low flying Chipping Warden 6.1.44 DBF"

Source: http://www.dehavilland.ukf.net/_DH98 prodn list.txt
Nothing on the mustang.

 

Well this is some useful information. 464 was an elite Mossie Squadron. I'll check for more and wil be back later today. At least we have a serious hint now.

 

I forgot to say that what you said about the serial is right.

LR259 = serial
FBVI = calling code
464 = squadron

 

Something more about 464 squadron. It is not surprising that you remember that at least one of the crew members was Australian because 464 was an Australian Squadron. They participated in the attack of the Amiens prison and other famous targets such as Gestapo HQs. There is a good book about this story :
http://www.banner-books.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=6

 

Skipper when do you take time to sleep? I see you contribute so much here and throughout this great Forum. Alex Campbell

 

Skipper in my post of Mar22nd I mentioned a 2 wheeled buggy. This is likely wrong. I can't picture such a vehicle out on the roads. It must have been 4-wheeled. I do remember the seat with three men side by side. There was a two wheeled cart in the grain storage barn at my first safe-house. I slept on the ground beside it covered with sheaves from the cart. The only other traffic I can recall that day was a large black car raising a pall of dust and carrying 5 or 6 uniformed passengers. Sorry about that. Good luck Alex Campbell

 

Well , actually I think you were right when you mentionned two wheels. This was a typical local carriage and I even know a farmer who used one to transport hidden airmen. I'll try to get a picture of it. By the way, I will be going to Vendome tomorrow.

 

Well, I'm back from my trip to vendôme. Although I had very little time, I managed to concertrate on the historirical aspect related to Alex's Campbell's evasion to Freteval. Therefore I took the road from Orleans to Vendôme (last time I drove from Orleans to Chateadun) So this time you will not see the pictures of the crash place , but of the hiding place in the Freteval Forest. It is incredible, but in one of the villages , about 3 miles from Freteval there was a two wheeled buggy on display, exactly one of those you mentionned that were used to hide airmen. I also saw a Lorraine cross monument. It was dedicated to six resistants were caugt and shot by the Germans on August 10th 1944, only a week before Patton arrived. I will try to find out about their story. The monument is near the main road, about 2 miles from Vendôme. Itired to take pictures of placesthat you may remember, such as the village of Freteval, an old tavern, a ruin of a medieval tower, the landscape etc...

 

Road at Freteval between the forest and the River (hidden on the right)



Mansion at Freteval forest



Ruins of Medieval tower at Freteval








monument dedicated to six resistants who were shot near Vendome.



Two wheeled buggy on display in a village near Freteval. these karts were used by farmers to hide airmen.



Old tavern, probably almost as it was during WWII



The Loir river on the bridge at Freteval village and the local church.

 

Skipper that's fantastic. I did not know of the Resistants being shot on Aug 10th/44 and so near to our refuge in the Forest. Your photos are excellent and so thoughtfully chosen. Gives me an eerie feeling. I shall go over them all at leisure and thanks again. Alex Campbell

 

You are more than welcome. Feel free to use the pictures for your personnal archives and share them with your relatives and other Freteval veterans.
Regarding the Resistants, I have found some interesting material, including a terrible picture of their dead bodies that I shall not post. Those germans who killed them thought it was "funny" to take pictures as a souvenir. However the French captured the owner the next day and when the pictures were developped they found that one! In fact Vendôme was liberated by the FFI as early as August 11th after some street fights. The Amercians did not know this and when they realised there were no more fights going on , they send a patrol on August 12th. They got to Freteval the next day. In fact these patriots were executed only hours before the French took control of the town by retreating Germans. On the picture there is a Kübelwagen and there must have been a truck to transport the prisonners too, so I believed this was one of the last actions the Germans did in Vendôme while retreating to Orleans. After Vendôme, the Americans rushed towards Olreans where they got on August 15th. Meanwhile the Resistance assaulted Blois and were therefore able to Harass the Elster column that surrendered with 20.000 men when the got to the Loire. I shall try to find out what the resistant mission was, but I wouldn't be suprised their job was to disorganize the Germans in Vendôme before the attack.

 

Skipper,

Thanks for the images. I'm sure you are right about "La Taverne" certainly unchanged in 60 years.
The monument to the Resistance Fighters (Maquis?) is poignant, hard to imagine the brutality of those times.

Wayne

 

I found some more info regarding the maquis people. By typing the names, I found some information on a carpetbagger site. These guys were called "Sussex agents". They had been dropped by Carpetbaggers crews above Vendome and the Resistance had given them a German truck . Their mission was to infiltrate the German lines before the allies arrived. However they got caugt by the Germans who fled from vendome on August 10th when the FFI fighters arrived. The Germans tortured them , but they revealed nothing and were shot. I believe the woman was from Le Mans.

 

That adds more to this intriguing story. Again thanks Skipper, Alex Campbell.

 

Carpetbaggers were indeed involved in support for Patton troops in August 1944. They even supplied infantry with petrol tanks , but they also dropped sabotage agents called "Sussex men" I will try to see if there was a link with the Vendome men with Freteval, or if they were used for the 3Rd Army, or both. If you want more Freteval area pictures, I have some more.
Reagarding St Cloud, the Town Hall has not answered my letter at this point.

 

The carpetbaggers subject appears quite extensive and interesting. I was not aware of such a group or at least not by name. More Freteval photos? Yes I recall Erich some time ago suggesting this thread needed more pictures. I think you are doing your part quite well with your informative input. Alex Campbell

 

I will post more photos later or send them directly to you if there are too many of them. Also Christian told me that you are almost Number one for the waiting list regarding the drawing of your Lancaster. We are currently working on a P-38 for an American veteran, it's almost done. After you lancaster, we will draw a B-24 for an other veteran and we are also working on P-47s.

 

Great news. Today I have recieved a letter from Saint Cloud en Dunois. We have now identitified some of the people who helped Mr Campbell, his hiding place and the crash place. Also we have hints to find some of these people alive after all these years.

 

I see this fine thread continuing on it's journey .........

yes back a couple of posts the Carpetbaggers were known quite well for moving agents into enemy territory along with some stealth bombing raids and leaflet-propaganda leaflet drops. Several all black B-24's were shot down by German Bf 110G-4 night fighters during 1944. the carpetbagger missions were dropped the unit then stayed on daylight missions. Another stealth like unit with all black B-24's was attached to the 15th AF as the 2461st bg and they proceeded to drop agents, soldiers/armaments and supplies in Yugoslavia, Czech lands and towards southern Austria. They also felt in 1945 some losses due to Ju 88G-6's of NJG 100