Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum  

Go Back   Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum > Discussion > Allied and Soviet Air Forces

Allied and Soviet Air Forces Please use this forum to discuss the Air Forces of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 25th March 2018, 13:31
Henofred's Avatar
Henofred Henofred is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Rennes, France
Posts: 509
Henofred is an unknown quantity at this point
U.S. POW- Assistance to locate a building in West Germany.

Hello/Bonjour,

I received a handful of pictures from a place a U.S. airman has been imprisoned for several months during spring of 1944. He was there – in this building - for several months, questioned by the Gestapo, then, sent to a POW camp. According to its recollections it was a prison located in France but when I take a look at the pictures I received from his son (without other information) taken several years ago, the license plates of the parked cars show that it is in Germany; the license plate indicate the Wiesbaden or Rüdesheim areas, two cities not far from Frankfurt-am-Main. Somebody who is familiar with this type of building can perhaps help me? I would be very grateful.

Best regards,
Frederic
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 25th March 2018, 20:37
Horst Weber Horst Weber is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 595
Horst Weber
Re: U.S. POW- Assistance to locate a building in West Germany.

Good evening

This looks like a normal procedure to allied aircrews those days. The German Interrogation Center for allied alied aircrews in the West was at Oberursel near Frankfurt am Main. Can you provide us with more details like the date of crash ?.

I'm sure, more information will be gain.

Best wishes !

Horst Weber
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 25th March 2018, 21:18
Henofred's Avatar
Henofred Henofred is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Rennes, France
Posts: 509
Henofred is an unknown quantity at this point
Re: U.S. POW- Assistance to locate a building in West Germany.

Hello Horst,

Here some details:

This airman (Top Turret Gunner in a B-17 bomber) bailed out of its damaged plane on March 6, 1943 on the way back to Thurleigh (mission on German submarine pens at Lorient). He was hidden during 11 months in various French families of Brittany but he was captured by Gestapo at Quimper on January 20, 1944. The last family he was with, was active in a French resistance network (Gestapo was looking for them). Of course, when captured, this airman was dressed in civilian clothes. In a talk with its son, he told him that he had been in this civilian prison about six months - the Germans saying he was a spy. His army discharge (1945) mention also that fact - 6 months in civilian prison.

It is the first time I have heard of this. As you write, captured airmen were sent to Oberursel...but that time, this airman was not dressed like a soldier.

Best regards,
Frederic
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 26th March 2018, 03:28
Alex Smart Alex Smart is online now
Alter Hase
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Great Britain
Posts: 4,269
Alex Smart is on a distinguished road
Re: U.S. POW- Assistance to locate a building in West Germany.

Hello,
There were only two B17's that had MACR reports for this date in the 8th AAF, a third did not.
They were -
MACR 15536 - 425262 303BG - pilot Plocher.
2 killed, 8 pow.
One crewman of this crew was subject of a war crime report.
MACR 15568 - 42-5130 306 BG - pilot Ryan
1 killed, 1 evader, 8 pow.
The other was
42-5378 - 306 BG. pilot Tunnel.
3 killed, 1 evader, 6 pow.

Hope this is of some use
Alex
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 26th March 2018, 10:16
Henofred's Avatar
Henofred Henofred is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Rennes, France
Posts: 509
Henofred is an unknown quantity at this point
Re: U.S. POW- Assistance to locate a building in West Germany.

Hi Alex,

It is serial-number 42-5130 belonging to 306 BG. Another airman escaped along with Capt. Ryan, but - after 11 months - he was captured... and sent for 6 months in this building/jail (see the attached pictures).

Best regards,
Frederic
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 26th March 2018, 10:46
jschreiber jschreiber is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 131
jschreiber is on a distinguished road
Re: U.S. POW- Assistance to locate a building in West Germany.

Hi Frederic

The third picture depicts the ancient court house of Wiesbaden (altes Gericht, ancien tribunal). The two others are depicting the ancien prison, also of Wiesbaden, demolished 1996.

Some links :

https://www.deutsche-digitale-biblio...4QN72ELGOOQWYE

and

https://sensor-wiesbaden.de/app/uplo...5/DSC_4387.jpg

Have a nice day. Bonne journée !

J Schreiber
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 26th March 2018, 11:33
Henofred's Avatar
Henofred Henofred is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Rennes, France
Posts: 509
Henofred is an unknown quantity at this point
Re: U.S. POW- Assistance to locate a building in West Germany.

Hi Jschreiber,

Great!

Thanks you for the links and these explanations. By chance, on one picture (not shown on the forum) I was lucky to decipher two license plates, which limited the searching area.

Once again, merci beaucoup!
Frederic
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 26th March 2018, 19:30
Alex Smart Alex Smart is online now
Alter Hase
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Great Britain
Posts: 4,269
Alex Smart is on a distinguished road
Re: U.S. POW- Assistance to locate a building in West Germany.

Hello,
According to the crew listed in 8&9th AAF losses book the TopTurret Gunner was -
T/Sgt. Charles E. PERRY.
Alex
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 26th March 2018, 20:02
researcher111's Avatar
researcher111 researcher111 is offline
Alter Hase
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,066
researcher111 will become famous soon enough
Re: U.S. POW- Assistance to locate a building in West Germany.

No matter where and who he was ...fact is, he was a lucky SOB because once
an Allied airmen was "upgraded" to the spy status by the Gestapo while was caught
in civilian clothes in most of the cases they were executed .
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 26th March 2018, 21:08
Alex Smart Alex Smart is online now
Alter Hase
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Great Britain
Posts: 4,269
Alex Smart is on a distinguished road
Re: U.S. POW- Assistance to locate a building in West Germany.

I fully agree.
Odd that NARA Has this for him though ?
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-...t=12873,102724
The Pilot, Ryan evaded and was returned to UK by Lysander in April 43.
CoPilot, Simmons was shot immediately after the crash.
Eight of the crew are listed in the NARA POW lists, with the 6 March 43 date.

Perhaps it was another crewman after all ?

Last edited by Alex Smart; 26th March 2018 at 23:08.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Les davenport - 7 squadron raf / pow 1941 LIST OF NAMES Davenport7 Allied and Soviet Air Forces 4 15th January 2024 23:33
B-17 Losses 11. January 1944 streak98 Allied and Soviet Air Forces 8 11th September 2015 09:58
Allied air superiority in 1944: P-47 D Razorback decided it? GuerraCivil Allied and Soviet Air Forces 61 7th August 2015 16:20
Hooton's Luftwaffe Loss Totals - request for clarification Paul Thompson Luftwaffe and Axis Air Forces 94 20th July 2012 22:24
Airpower summary Pilot Post-WW2 Military and Naval Aviation 0 23rd February 2007 16:11


All times are GMT +2. The time now is 07:11.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2018, 12oclockhigh.net