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Evasion Reports

When an allied aircraft was shot down over territory controlled by the ennemy, some airmen were KIA, others were made prisoner and others managed to escape and eventually return to allied controlled territory. Upon returning to the United Kingdom, they were interrogated and requested to write down their stories. The reports concerning US airmen can be downloaded on http://www.archives.gov/research/search/. However these reports are in scanned format and therefore not indexed on search engine. Furthermore they are mostly handwritten and sometimes difficult to decipher.  You will find below a few evasion reports that I transcribed.

These evasion reports are fascinating to read. Each of these reports is a the personal story of a man that contributed to History. It tells us about his courage and about the courage of the French who risked their lives to help him. It sometimes also tells us about the darker side of the war: collaboration, suspected collaborators being beaten up or summarily executed by the underground, French girls having their heads shaved etc... However, for the most part, these evasion reports tell us about the amazing courage of these women, men and children who took huge risks to save escaping airmen. I hope transcribing and translating these reports to French will help us remember their courage.

Name Date Landing place Comments
Captain Dal L. Hollingsworth November 11, 1942 Atlantic Ocean Rescued by a Spanish ship
Captain John L Ryan March 6, 1943 St Jean Trolimon Picked up by an airplane in a field
Thomas Moffett May 20, 1944 Arnouvilles les Mantes Hidden by the Beton family till the liberation
Private Robert A. Burks June 6, 1944 Near Ste Mère l'Eglise Joined the Maquis
2Lt William E. Giffhorn June 24, 1944 Epône, Yvelines Hidden till liberation
Sgt William F. Koenig June 24, 1944 Goussonville, Yvelines Hidden till liberation
Capt Moses J. Gatewood June 24, 1944 Flexanville, Yvelines Reached Spain
Captain Kenneth H. Powers June 24, 1944 Calvados Hidden till liberation
Sgt Willis H Hudson June 24, 1944 Calvados Hidden till liberation
S/Sgt Leo R Orifici June 24, 1944 Glanville, Calvados Hidden till liberation
T/Sgt Frank Garland Coon June 11, 1944 Jouy Le Moutier, Val d'Oise Reached allied controlled territory in Normandy
Sgt J.H. Nekervis June 12, 1944 Norville/St Maurice d'Etelan, Seine Maritime Hidden till liberation
Captain William M Davis July 7, 1944 20 miles NO of Orléans Hidden in Fréteval forest
T/Sgt F.C. Moyer July 8, 1944 Saint-Saire, Seine Maritime Hidden till liberation
Lt Myron E. Sabin July 8, 1944 Saint-Saire, Seine Maritime Hidden till liberation
F/Lt E.H.E Hearn August 7, 1944 La Frenaye, Seine Maritime Hidden till liberation
Sgt W Johnson August 7, 1944 La Frenaye, Seine Maritime Hidden till liberation
F/Sgt Arthur Robson Meredith August 7, 1944 La Frenaye, Seine Maritime Hidden till liberation

 

More information:

 

http://www.conscript-heroes.com/escapelines/index.htm

 

 
     

 

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