Lt Cleve M. Brown Jr. - P-47 - 41-6211 - POW question

[Leendert]

On 1 Dec 1943 Lt Cleve M. Brown Jr. was shot down over Belgium in his P-47 41-6211. He was with 56th FG/61st FS on an escort mission to Solingen. Incident covered in MACR 1432, but shooting down itself not further subject of this thread.

According the NARA POW record of Lt. Cleve M. Brown Jr. it states 1 December 1943 when 'reported' as captured (see https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-...&pg=1&rid=9602

In reality however he was hidden for nearly a month by families in the small communities of Huise and Lozer, just SW of G(h)ent, Belgium.
In a postwar letter (see https://catalog.archives.gov/id/25345886?objectPage=132) Lt Brown writes the name and address where he could find shelter, plus that he apparently got as far as southern France when caught after all.

His stay in Lozer/Huise is accounted for in letters to the families that hid him, plus local stories.
Also see https://catalog.archives.gov/id/262469434?objectPage=2

I wonder who can help with any leads to (German?) online documents that can shed some light where and when Lt. Brown was made POW? Surely not 1 Dec 1943...

Also on behalf of a local historian, all info appreciated.

Regards,

Leendert

[Alex Smart]

Hi Leendert,
P-47 a twin engined aircraft ?
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-...&pg=1&rid=9602

Also in regards to the MACR, is there any difference between pages 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 ?
Alex

[Leendert]

Alex, yes, I had seen "twin engined" and similar pages in the MACR, but not relevant here regarding POW question.

As additional info, it appears that Lt Brown with another Allied soldier were taken by the Germans from a train "very close to safety", which must have been in S. France on their way to the Pyrenees.

Also adding to the question, is that Lt. Brown was not in Stalag Luft 4 as on his record, but in Stalag Luft 1, as was his former 56th FG Commander Hubert Zemke.
See http://www.merkki.com/PageB.htm and scroll down to Brown, Cleve M.

Regards, Leendert

[RSwank]

The family received notification that he was a POW in the first half of March, 1944.

https://www.newspapers.com/article/f...ram/142932624/

I wonder what escape line was handling his escape, Comete?


https://ww2escapelines.co.uk/belgium-france/comete/

This site has a list of names, several Browns but not Cleve.

https://www.evasioncomete.be/

[Leendert]

Rolland, thanks for clipping.
Indeed, no Cleve Brown on the websites you mentioned, nor on https://www.cometeline.org/


Leendert

[RSwank]

Leendert,

Another clipping, this about his death in 1950 caused by polio.

https://www.newspapers.com/article/t...own/106777818/

[Leendert]

Received a scan of a letter (undated, most likely early 1946) from the Belgian family where Cleve Brown could find shelter in Dec 1943.
It transpires that Lt. Brown was captured 'just on the frontier of Spain'.

Regards,
Leendert