SYNOPSIS

[Note: this report except for Appendix C, was OCRed from the original and then edited]

E&E/191

Members of crew

SGT BROWNING'S STORY:
When we circled the target at Frankfurt our bomb-bay doors were not open but those on other aircraft were, Fighters attacked the group behind us while we were on the bomb-run and then suddenly they were at us. We didn't see the start of the attack and first knew of it when our number two engine was hit and tho cowling blown off. The propellor was wind-milling and there were 20mm holes in the tail and wings, About seven minutes after the attack the ball turret man said he was hit but he continued to fire. There was a running fight for about fifteen minutes withat least 17 fighters attacking.
We dropped out of formation and lost altitude rapidly. One of the engines was vibrating badly. Fighters followed us down but left us around 6000 feet. All the way down they attacked in elements of three from the tail. The left tail-gun would fire about ten rounds, quit and have to be recharged. The attacks on the waist were the same as those on the tail except that the fighters came up from below.

SGT WHALENS STORY:
We baled out soon after the fighters left us. The co-pilot gave the order. I heard the co-pilot ask the pilot if he could pull out of the dive but there was no answer. The ball-turret operator asked if he could get out of the turret and was given permission by the co-pilot. When the co-pilot asked if he should give the order to bail out I could hear no answer but soon after that I heard the order. Vibration in the ship had increased ouring the dive.
I was the first man to leave the ship at 4500 feet. The waist gunners had kicked out the waist door and the other crew members were lined up in a calm and orderly fashion waiting to jump.
I can remember dropping the tail door and putting my legs through but that I remember nothing until my chute was open which could not have been long after I fell away from the aircraft. Other chutes were coning out of the ship and I saw the first man make a very delayed jump. Then there were suddenly five chutes in the air. The plane continued in level flight. I did not know whether we were over Germany or France and because I had heard that the German people shoot from the ground I was worried. I could see people running around and it looked to me as if they were following the chutes. There was a road and a stream beneath me but I landed in the backyard of a house near a village after mapulating the shroud lines to avoid a tree.
For about a minute I was dazed and lay on my back unable to move. No one came out of the nearby house,but while I was pulling in my chute a Frenchman ran up to me and spoke. I can speak a little French and asked him first if he were French. He helped. me with my chute and flying clothing and told me that a comrade had landed about two kilometers away. While we were talking an old woman came up and kissed me. Leaving her, I walked with the Frenchman down a road toward comrade. The Frenchman seemed very calm about the whole episode and explained to me that I should not worry about the Germans because they were twenty kilometers from us. We had walked less than two kilometers when we found Sgt BROWNING in a field surrounded by about ten Frenchmen.

SGT BROWNING'S STORY:
I baled out below a thousand feet and pulled my ripcord immediately. From then on I was busy trying to work the shroud lines so that I would not fall in a village. I came down in a tree and was suspended just off the ground. Before I could do anything about it I was surrounded by a group of Frenchmen who took charge of the situation and cut me down. Two men took me by the arm and led me from the field. I looked back and saw that other Frenchmen were getting my chute down out of the tree.
One of the Frenchmen asked me if I were German and when I said I was American I had the impression that he had known it all the time. They hurried me along telling me that the Police were coming but did not try to find cover. We went through village followed by several Frenchmen, and into a field where I met Sgt WHALEN.

SGT WHALEN AND BROWNING:
After joining up we stood in the field, while our two French friends discussed us with some of the other people. We passed around a package of cigarettes and then went over to our two helpers and told that we wanted to get away quickly. The two men led us into dense undergrowth and told us they were going to get food and clothing. Ten minutes later they returned with these things and were accompanied by a man who arranged our journey.

[Note: this page was copied from a handwritten Appendix C]

Sgts Whalen and Browning came down on 4 October 1943 near SAVIGNY SUR ARDRES (10 kms SE of FISMES). Several Frenchmen hid them in a wood, fed them and gave them food; and later PIERRE DEMARCHEZ and his mother took them to their home in SAVIGNY SUR ARDRES where they spent the night. The next night M. CURIE [Abbé Fontaine, curé of Savigny] took them to his house where they stayed until the night of 6 October. While they were there they were visited by a man from British Intelligence; he came from FISMES and was radio operator for the organisation. On 6 October M. PRENOST took them to his home in CRUGNY (7 kms SE of FISMES) where they remained from 6 to 13 October. During this time Whalen was given medical treatment for gonorrhoea.
On 13 October they were taken to a farmhouse in PRIN (just SW of Savigny) where Whalen and Browning met three RAF sergeants and an American, Lt. Carlyle Darling. They were here until 17 October. Then M. CURIE came to say that the Germans were making a house-to-house search, and so he moved the evaders to a cave three kms away. On 19 October Whalen and Browning were taken back to the farmhouse at PRIN and the other four evaders to CURIE’s house.
On 3 November the CHIEF of the organization came to FISMES and took them to PARIS by train. They picked up De Roschers [John Desrochers (USAAF)] and Kline [Ellis Klein (USAAF)] on the way. They stayed for three days with Mme. BASTIN (husband a P/W) near CHATEAUROUGE. On 6 November they went by train from PARIS to BERTINCOURT. A French woman met them at the station and took them to a farm twelve kms away. That night they waited until 2230 for a plane which did not appear; but the next night they received a message and the plane came in. They got aboard and were in UK within an hour.