COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
"ORIGINAL 100TH BG 350TH BS CREW"
1ST LT CHARLES L."SCOTTY" DUNCAN P: POW 10 JUL 43 PARIS-Le BOURGET
2ND LT ARCHIBALD L. ROBERTSON CP: EVA 10 JUL 43 PARIS-Le BOURGET
1ST LT OLIVER M. CHIESL NAV: POW 10 JUL 43 PARIS-Le BOURGET
1ST LT WILLIAM H. FORBES BOM: POW 10 JUL 43 PARIS-Le BOURGET
T/SGT ERNEST De Los SANTOS TTE: POW 10 JUL 43 PARIS-Le BOURGET
S/SGT BERNARD I. HANOVER WG: POW 10 JUL 43 PARIS-Le BOURGET
T/SGT JOHN K. BEARD ROG: CPT 29 JAN 44 FRANKFURT
S/SGT GENE F. FRANK BTG: POW 10 JUL 43 PARIS-Le BOURGET
S/SGT GEORGE R. APPLETON WG: NOC DID NOT FLY OVERSEAS WITH CREW
S/SGT WILLIAM D. WHITLEY TG: POW 10 JUL 43 PARIS-Le BOURGET
DATE: 10 July 1943 350th Sqdn. A/C# 42-30050 "JUDY E"
MISSION: Paris (Le Bourget AF) MACR #268,Micro-fiche 89
1st Lt Charles L."Scotty"Duncan P POW
2nd Lt Archibald L.Robertson CP EVADEE
2nd Lt Oliver M.Chiesl NAV POW
1st Lt William H.Forbes BOM POW
T/Sgt Ernest De Los Santos TTE POW
Sgt Edmund A.Oliver ROG POW (From Capt Mark Carnell's Crew #10)
S/Sgt Gene F.Frank BTG POW
S/Sgt Bernard L.Hanover WG POW
Sgt Parrish Reynolds WG POW & ESCAPE
S/Sgt William D.Whitley TG POW
EYE WITNESSES:
Major J.C.Egan - "Duncan's ship went down in France near coast. Saw 8 chutes. Plane broke into flames."
1st Lt.R.C.King - "A/C #050,#1 engine on fire dropped below formation and circled.Six chutes seen all bailed out over land between Dieppe & FeCamp. After six bailed out ship headed approximately 180 degrees True and disappeared in a cloud."
1st Lt. C.R.Biddick - Saw 10 chutes at 27,000 ft. Landed,we think,on the ground .
Parrish Reynolds (Sgt Robert Quientin "Parrish" Reynolds) was a replacement for Sgt Clifford Starkey and Sgt. Oliver was replacing T/Sgt John K.Beard. Apparently, S/Sgt George Appleton (original WG on Duncan Crew) did not fly to England with this Crew and was replaced by a T/Sgt James C. Brown (Special order #103, last page, May 25, 1943). Sgt Brown was in the 418th ground crew in October 1942 at Boise, Idaho. Sgt. Brown was KIA April 28, 1944 in aircraft flown by Capt W. G. Lakin and new C.O. Col. Robert Kelly. Soon after arrival in England, it seems that Sgt Brown was put into a gunners pool and did not fly one mission with this Crew. A Sgt Clifford Starkey flew as WG on the first two missions with Lt Duncan then was replaced on the June 28, 1943 mission to St Nazaire by Sgt Reynolds. Sgt Reynolds was flying as a waist gunner on July 10, 1943. He was briefly a POW but somehow managed to escaped. After many months, he was returned to England with the help of the French Underground.
Bill Forbes told this writer(1979)the "Judy D." was named for 1st Lt Charles Duncan's infant daughter. The crew was returning from the target when jumped by FW 190s. Engine and wing on fire. No chance to get to England or crash land in channel so bailed out. Ollie Chiesl became stuck in escape hatch & Forbes had to literally kick him out."
" The "Judy D." was named for 1st Lt Charles Duncan's infant daughter but photo evidence shows this aircraft was painted Judy E, not Judy D…mpf 2007)
Navigator Oliver M.Chiesl wrote a book published in 1948 entitled "Clipped Wings" ,experiences as P.O.W in Stalag Luft 3.
Interesting note: B-17 42-30050 was later dispayed in a German museum near Paris (forward section).
S.O.C. p.7 states that Bernard Hanover was the first man in the 100th to get a Purple Heart (St.Nazaire 28 June 1943). However, the first 100th man to WIN a Purple Heart had to be from one of the three crews of the 349th Sqdn. That went down on 25/6/43.
Mission List of 1st Lt Charles Duncan
June 25, 1943-Bremen
June 26, 1943-LeMans
June 28, 1943-St Nazaire (nick named Flak City) first mission of Sgt Parrish Reynolds
June 29, 1943-Le Mans
July 10, 1943-LeBourget(Paris)
westmoho@hotmail.com
Posted by Judith Duncan West on 6/5/2002, 9:07 am , in reply to "Re: Oliver M.Chiesl"66.91.116.32
I am the daughter of Lt. Charles L. Duncan, the pilot of the plane with Ollie Chiesl. The plane was named after me as I had just been born. This is the first time I have seen any information about this plane and it is quite exciting for me. Both my father and Ollie have died but I seem to remember something about a book. They kept in touch over the years and when my father died Ollie sent a remarkable tape to my mother where he spoke of times they all shared and went on to discuss the crash over France. I have often felt that this should be shared but did not know where to send it.My Father spent the remainder of the war in Stalag Luft III and later at Moosberg. How he got there how he got home and anything in between we can only piece together. He did spend one week immediately after the crash in the French countryside hidden by a farm family until it became too dangerous for them. After his release he returned to the town and was taken to the crash site where he found a piece of the plane. Our family would be grateful for any information you might have.
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Lt Archibald Robertson was sent home after he was returned to Thorpe Abbott, spent a month of leave with his mom around Christmas, some training at Ft. Worth, and then Flight Instructor at Tuskegee. He was only child and only son and not sent back in to combat as I understand it. I do recall him telling me that the family that hid him had a grandfather that would come to the barn loft to play checkers with him. My dad said that he won most of the time and the grandfather would hit him over the head with the checker board and end the games. Of interest is the post card signed by Jane. In my dad's handwritten accounting he mentions a Jane that was the translator. I bet this is the same person.
He was a Flight Instructor at Tuskegee. Completed his obligation and got out to work with his father which didn't work out and re enlisted. He flew KC 135s, then, in the 60s he was treated for blood clots and could no longer fly. He took over the 19th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron as AMMS commander at Homestead AFB
... Mary Krystine Robertson Baum
MEMO 2:
Person passed by Comet via the Pyrenees
Robertson on his fake comet papers in 1943Archibald Lawson ROBERTSON / O-798030
328 West Mag., Auburn, Alabama, USA.
Born in Alabama on September 12, 1923 / † July 31, 1972
2nd Lt, 100 Bomber Group 350 Bomber Squadron, co-pilot.
landing place: Between Dieppe and Fécamp.
Boeing B-17 F Flying Fortress, 42-30050, "Judy-E", shot on July 10, 1943 during a mission on Le Bourget.
Forced landing near Sainte-Colombe / Saint-Valery-en-Caux.
Duration: two months ½
Passage of the Pyrenees: September 22, 1943.
Further information :
MACR crew loss report 268. E & E escape report 116.
The aircraft departed Thorpes-Abbot around 17 hours and landed in emergency around Le Havre on the return, without being able to bomb because of the cloud cover. They are then attacked by FW "Yellow Nose" as they move to the second target. After a dive to the clouds, Robertson gives the order to jump to 15,000 feet (5,000 meters). The mechanic jumps after dropping the bombs. Only pilot Charles L. Duncan remains on board when Robertson jumps to 3,000 feet. All the other members of his crew are taken prisoner.
He lands in a wheat field around 10 pm and hides immediately in thickets. After 15 minutes, Germans arrive to search. The next day, he is captured by a German sentinel which he gets rid of by crossing a railway. He receives a farmer's evening meal and is hidden for two days in a sort of prison camp working in the fields.
On July 12, they go to Paris by train, they miss. They spend the night on the floor of a house that serves as a mess to the guards. He buys the tickets with the money from his escape kit. In Rouen, they take a correspondence. His guide disappears on the train and Robertson arrives alone at the station Saint-Lazare around 11 am. He goes to an "American bar" but no one can help him. He leaves Paris for Orleans, being only questioned about his identity by an old policeman who lets him pass. He is fed and sleeps on a farm before continuing. He receives food, but must go every time.
Finally, a farmer heals her bells and puts him in contact with two men who drive him in a truck to a village. He stays there from July 15th to September 4th. The rest of his escape is organized.
With a woman, he meets in a park Roy Hodge . At 22 hours on September 18, they take the train to Bordeaux. There, Jean-François NOTHOMB takes them on a train to Dax with Roy Hodge, Edward Kinsella and a Belgian ( Philippe de Liedekerke ). When they arrive at Dax, they meet William Maher . NOTHOMB and another man (Marcel "Max" ROGER) guide them by bike to Bayonne. They live in Sutar at Jeanne MENDIARA's Larre inn, except for the Belgian (who will actually live with the HOUGETs in Biarritz).
This is the 57th crossing of Comet by the Bidassoa. Because of the rain, the crossing takes ten hours. They stop at a farm on the Spanish side around 06:00 on 22 September. The Belgian and Kinsella, being the two most fit, leave this farm around 11 am and go to San Sebastian by tram.
He arrived in Gibraltar on October 1, 1943, was debriefed by Major Lewis on the 2nd, departed by plane on the 5th and landed at Bristol on October 5, 1943, probably with Kinsella and Hodge.
Died in 1972, Archibald Robertson rests at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, USA.
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PHOTOS:
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Cadet Archibald Robertson and proud Mother, Evelyn Lawson Robertson future CP on Lt Charles Duncan Crew. Evaded. Photo courtesy of Daughter Mary Krystine Robertson Baum. |
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2nd Lt Archibald Robertson - 4th from Left, front row. CP on Lt Charles Duncan Crew. Evaded. Photo courtesy of Daughter Mary Krystine Robertson Baum.
gDid you get the photos of him and the group shot in front of the B-17? He is kneeling, 4th from the left. He was sent home after he was returned to Thorpe Abbott, spent a month of leave with his mom around Christmas, some training at Ft. Worth, and then Flight Instructor at Tuskegee. He was only child and only son and not sent back in to combat as I understand it. |
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Front of Post Card from Family that hid Lt Archibald in France after Bailing Out! Photo courtesy of Daughter Mary Krystine Robertson Baum |
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Back side of post card sent from French family that hid Lt Archibald after he bailed out. Photo courtesy of Daughter Mary Krystine Robertson Baum |
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Archibald Robertson at a reunion in early 1950’s he is dead center with the rifle. Photo courtesy of Daughter Mary Krystine Robertson Baum |
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PASSED BY COMET VIA THE PYRENEES
Archibald Lawson ROBERTSON / O-798030
328 West Mag.
Auburn, Alabama, USA.
Born in Alabama on September 12, 1923 / † July 31, 1972
2nd Lt, 100 Bomber Group
350 Bomber Squadron, Co-pilot.
landing place: Between Dieppe and Fécamp.
Boeing B-17 F Flying Fortress, 42-30050, "Judy-E", shot down on July 10, 1943 during a mission on Le Bourget.
Forced landing near Sainte-Colombe / Saint-Valery-en-Caux.
Duration: two months ½
Passage of the Pyrenees: September 22, 1943.
MACR crew loss report 268. E & E escape report 116.
The aircraft departed Thorpes-Abbot around 17 hours and landed in emergency around Le Havre on the return, without being able to bomb because of the cloud cover. They are then attacked by FW "Yellow Nose" as they move to the second target. After a dive to the clouds, Robertson gives the order to jump to 15,000 feet (5,000 meters). The mechanic jumps after dropping the bombs. Only pilot Charles L. Duncan remains on board when Robertson jumps to 3,000 feet. All the other members of his crew are taken prisoner.
He lands in a wheat field around 10 pm and hides immediately in thickets. After 15 minutes, Germans arrive to search. The next day, he is captured by a German sentinel which he gets rid of by crossing a railway. He receives a farmer's evening meal and is hidden for two days in a sort of prison camp working in the fields.
On July 12, they go to Paris by train, they miss. They spend the night on the floor of a house that serves as a mess to the guards. He buys the tickets with the money from his escape kit. In Rouen, they take a correspondence. His guide disappears on the train and Robertson arrives alone at the station Saint-Lazare around 11 am. He goes to an "American bar" but no one can help him. He leaves Paris for Orleans, being only questioned about his identity by an old policeman who lets him pass. He is fed and sleeps on a farm before continuing. He receives food, but must go every time.
Finally, a farmer heals her bells and puts him in contact with two men who drive him in a truck to a village. He stays there from July 15th to September 4th. The rest of his escape is organized.
With a woman, he meets in a park Roy Hodge . At 22 hours on September 18, they take the train to Bordeaux. There, Jean-François NOTHOMB takes them on a train to Dax with Roy Hodge, Edward Kinsella and a Belgian ( Philippe de Liedekerke ). When they arrive at Dax, they meet William Maher . NOTHOMB and another man (Marcel "Max" ROGER) guide them by bike to Bayonne. They live in Sutar at Jeanne MENDIARA's Larre inn, except for the Belgian (who will actually live with the HOUGETs in Biarritz).
This is the 57th crossing of Comet by the Bidassoa. Because of the rain, the crossing takes ten hours. They stop at a farm on the Spanish side around 06:00 on 22 September. The Belgian and Kinsella, being the two most fit, leave this farm around 11 am and go to San Sebastian by tram.
He arrived in Gibraltar on October 1, 1943, was debriefed by Major Lewis on the 2nd, departed by plane on the 5th and landed at Bristol on October 5, 1943, probably with Kinsella and Hodge.
Died in 1972, Archibald Robertson rests at the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, USA. |
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Article on Archibald Robertson (courtesy of Laura Shivers) |
SERVED IN:
- DUNCAN, Charles L. - P
- ROBERTSON, Archibald L. - CP
- CHIESL, Oliver M. - NAV
- FORBES, William H. - BOM
- De Los SANTOS, Ernest - TTE
- BEARD, John K. - ROG
- FRANK, Gene F. - BTG
- APPLETON, George R. - WG
- REYNOLDS, Parrish - WG
- HANOVER, Bernard L. - TG
- WHITLEY, William D. - TG
