Just thought I would throw this up here. I have found a couple of guys at Rennes that indicated they were Glider Pilots. One guy doesn't have a right squadron id but maybe you guys can figure him out (Lemon). The date is when they got to Rennes. 1LT O/370984 Bolan, Richard V. US Fracture head of right Tibia AAF 437th Trans Group 86th Troop Carrier Squadron Glider Pilot flying CG-4A crashed 6 June MACR# 6474 13-Jun-44 F/O T/122010 Kuller, Floyd K. US Fracture head of right Tibia AAF 437th Troop Carrier Group Glider Pilot 13-Jun-44 2LT O/710286 Lemon, Vincent A. US Suspect fracture ankle AAF 437th Group 750th Squadron Arrived hospital around 28 June broken ankle sprained shoulder 27-Jun-44
Hi Dale, Philippe Esvelin's 'Forgotten Wings' has two of your three guys tagged: They are both from the pre-dawn 6th June 'Detroit' Mission Wacos to LZ 'O' Glider #23 1st Lt. Wilbert C Laird (O-373757) Pilot F/O Floyd K. Kuller (T-122010) Co-Pilot Glider #29 1st Lt. Richard V. Bolan (O-370984) Pilot F/O Thomas E. Stewart (T-1257) Co-Pilot Waco #23 is either location 6 or 7 on Phipippe's 'Far Flung' map and Waco #29 is location 2: I'll keep digging... Regards, Pat
Dale, My apologies, Kuller's number should read T-122010 (now corrected above). Philippe was unable to differentiate between the landing locations for Waco #23 and Waco #31 at points 6 and 7 on the map. However, he states that: Regards, Pat
Not sure Dale, This page on the ArmyAirForces.com site puts Bolan/Stewart (Waco #29) in the 86th TCS but I cannot confirm Laird/Kuller (Waco #23) as being from the same squadron. Perhaps Patrick can help? Regards, Pat
I think I found Lemon. It appears to be a typo of 437 really being 457 which then puts him in 457 bomber group and 750 squadron that matches up nicely. Also I don't see a MACR for Laird as pilot so I guess they didn't crash.
Hi Dale, Laird's Waco #23 did 'crash out of official sight' so to speak but I presume he was picked up by a unit of the 9th ID during their drive to the sea while shutting off the Cotentin Peninsula. The map below shows the (very) approximate location of sites 6 and 7 from Philippe's 'Far Flung' map: Source: 'The Struggle for Europe' by Chester Wilmot (p. 320) We have him back in England on the 21st as per the narrative in 'Forgotten Wings' which presumably stopped the filing of the MACR. Well done on Lt. Lemon; I was wondering if he had given a false name Regards, Pat
Hi All, Reading further from page 48 of 'Forgotten Wings', it appears the Germans were on to the two gliders very quickly. They were stationed in the Presbytery of the local village Le Vretot (shown at lower right of Philippe's 'Far Flung' map. A local girl, Germaine Desprez, was threatened with being shot for bringing food to an American with a broken leg (almost certainly F/O Floyd K. Kuller) at the double crash site. She had also gone to get an English speaking school teacher to interpret for the American pilot. Such a pity there is no NCAP cover for the area. Regards, Pat
Hi Dale, To follow up on your post #3 in Hans's 'US7 Sortie 1836' thread, I found an account of Rennes Hospital given by S/Sgt Bill Musitano, D Squadron, Glider Pilot Regiment on pages 147-151 of 'One Night in June' by Kevin Shannon and Stephen Wright. Bill Musitano was wounded and captured while trying to fire the A/T gun which he brought to Normandy at a German tank. His co-pilot, Sgt Paddy Perry was killed in the same incident. Rather than type excerpts, I have scanned the five pages and uploaded to the following links: Page 147 Page 148 Page 149 Page 150 Page 151 Any mention in your records of the names which appear in these pages - S/Sgt Musitano himself, the Rhodesian Spitfire Pilot and Major Oxley, RAMC? Thanks Dale, Pat
Mmm... I wonder is our Rhodesian pilot one of the two survivors from No. 41 Squadron RAF hit by flak on D-Day? :dodgy: This is cut from the Squadron's Wiki page: Regards, Pat
Well I have SSG 7625958 Musitano, Paul William Barnes BR GSW back entrance and exit wound Glider Pilot Regiment Arrived hospital 12 June Glider Pilot after healed stayed on in Hospital became carpenter on 28 July, liberated 4 August. arrived 13-Jun-44 discharged 28-Jul-44. I also have his E&E report. Major Oxley was the Senior British Medical Officer and most times the Senior British Officer at the hospital. He was liberated 4 August with the rest of the hospital staff at Rennes. I have his E&E Report. 63803 MAJ William Malcome Oxley 223rd Para Field Ambulance Co. Senior British Medical Officer arrived 18 June Had A&D records for EPS Rennes I don't have a Rhodesian or 325 Squadron pilot listed but I have a number of unitless fellows. What was the name? I have a New Zealander and a Netherlander and a Belgian who faked being a South African. All my identified Spitfire pilots are Canadian.
Thanks Dale, I don't have any additional information on the Rhodesian other than what's mentioned in the book. Another mystery to resolve Regards, Pat
Hello there, There was a Belgian pilot from 41 Sqn, F/O J G H Refshauge, shot down near Carentan on June 9th. He "ended up in a US hospital" and returned to duty on 10th September '44. No indication as to what happened to him between being shot down and "ending up" in the US hospital. Might be worth checkin out, if only for elimination purposes. Some links: http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=1629 http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=90255 http://www.worldnavalships.com/directory/airframeprofile.php?FrameID=11991 Cheers, Sean
Thanks Sean, I don't have 41's ORB but from reading the account on your three links, I get a sense that F/O Refshauge was not captured by the Germans. Regards, Pat
Sean - Refshauge was not Belgian, he was Australian, born Sandringham, Victoria, Australia on 28 April 1919 - "SD/AA poss from US Merchant Navy) & WIA (bullets left hand & left leg), baled out of Spitfire XII MB794, Near Cherbourg, F.9 June 1944; RR & and admtd to US Army 94th GH, Falfield, Gloucs, 9 jun-4 Jul 44, trans to RAFH Wroughton, Wilts, 5-7 Jul 44; admtd RAF Rehab Unit, Loughborough, Leics, 8-16 July 44" source "Blood, Sweat and Valour" by Steve Brew - history of 41 Squadron RAF 1942-1945, published in 2012 by Fonthill Media. This book, along with Blood Sweat and Courage - 1939 - 1942 was compiled from official 41 Squadron archives, and other data held in other archives worldwide, pilot accounts etc. I have helped Steve over about 11 years with these two books, and his website. "On the way home, Spencer led his section back over the Cotentin Peninsular where they came under Flak fire from Cherbourg, and F/O 'Jack' Refshauge was hit. He notified Spencer over the r/t that he had to bale out, and Spencer replied but he heard nothing more from Refshauge. he was not seen to jump, but it was assumed he had baled out, although his initial fate was unknown." Logbook of Spencer "Filthy weather - swept at 800 ft. Vast quantities of shipping all sizes off coast. LCs unloading on beach. Most towns & villages in smoke. Refshauge shot down by flak from Cherbourg. We were in cloud" I also have the text of the telegram sent to his mother - "but three days later, the Squadron received news of Refshauge. He had been rescued by the Americans, who found he had been wounded by bullet through his left hand causing a fracture of the third and fourth fingers, and a bullet in his left leg.." it then gives hospital details as per his bio above. "Some reports today suggest that Refshauge had actually been shot down by friendly fire, popssibly from a US Merchant Navy ship, but no evidence for this lies within Refshauges RAAF personnel or casualty file....fellow pilot Fg Off Keith Currie recalled many years later that he was indeed shot down accidentally by the Americans who picked him up but initially thought to be German" as he had gone missing, believed captured or killed, his kit was packed up for return to Australia, so when he returned he had to be issued with new kit. As an aside, Terry Spencer became a well known war photographer in major events post-war, and gained fame, and a vast portfolio, for following the Beatles as they got famous, at the instigation of his daughter (whom I have met), and I have his book as well, which majors on his post-war photographic activities mainly. Hope this "brief" account proves he was not a Belgian! Happy Easter to all Allan [hr] "I don't have a Rhodesian or 325 Squadron pilot listed but I have a number of unitless fellows. What was the name? I have a New Zealander and a Netherlander and a Belgian who faked being a South African. All my identified Spitfire pilots are Canadian." Please confirm Squadron number as no 325 squadron is listed in RAF records - it jumped from 322 (Dutch) Squadron, which operated from the UK, to 326 (Free French) Squadron, formed Ajaccio 1 Dec 1943 - GC/II/7 "Nice" and served in the med, and then southern and Eastern France fom 24 Aug '44 where it was at Calvi, so not near to Normandy. Allan
Hello there, Thanks and apologies:blush:. That will teach me to think before writing. Well, maybe it won't...:-/ Anyway, Dale, is your "Belgian who faked being a South African" van Molkot? [hr] Does this guy fit the bill for the Rhodesian? W/O F Balloch 165 Sqn Spitfire IX MK855 Shot down Gourin, SSW of Carhaix (in Brittany, about 90 miles west of Rennes) Cheers, Sean
Hi Guys, The figure '325' is from No 41 Squadron's wiki page and refers to the total number of pilots which flew with that squadron in WWII: Sean, I had considered W/O F Balloch but for some reason I cannot now recall, I had discounted him. blush The term 'Rhodesian Spitfire Pilot ' could mean that the pilot in question was from a RAF Rhodesian squadron but may not have been from Rhodesia himself. Anyway, I am glad to see the Emerald Isle represented amongst the 325 pilots who served with No. 41 Squadron Regards, Pat