Get your own Free HomepageMeanwhile, the jumped crew members came down in the northern area from Rambrouch, probably in the limit from north east to west. It is reported that 3 crew members got hurt when they came down, but it's highly probable that all 4 got wounded.
The other one tried to take the escape route, which passed from Boulaide to Steinfort. He got captured by the Germans, as the peoples say, probably during the day of September 9 or 10, sitting on a milestone on the road between Holtz and Petit Nobressart.
Both became POW's at Stalag 80 in Germany. There, they were removed to Bad Sulza where Sgt. Whitfield died of pneumonia due to starvation and dysentery on March 5, 1945.
Sgt. Wright survived as POW and returned to the UK.
"I came down in Luxembourg, not
far East of Martelange, at about 0100 hours, (17)
September 9. My parachute collapsed at the top of the trees, and I dropped
the rest of the way to the ground. I had a black eye, skinned face, a barked
shin, and one of my heels injured. After smoking a cigarette I hid my parachute
harness and mae west under some leaves, and got into a clearing, whence
I was able to pick out the North Star. When I jumped I left my escaping
kit in the aircraft. After sleeping for a little I walked about half a
mile Westwards just before daylight and hid in a thick part of the forest.
About this time the Germans
began searching, using at least 2 Alsatian dogs. The searchers consisted
of cyclist and infantrymen, in pairs or single and a few officers and some
motorcyclists who appeared to be officers. The cyclists and motorcyclists
passed along a side road that run through the cup at the foot of the hills
in which I was hiding. The search went on till after sunset.
Just after dark I went back
to about where I had landed. I then walked through the wood across gullies
and clearings, one road, and a railway line, keeping West all the time
and avoiding houses and people".
September 10
"I slept for about 2 hours during
the night among the stooks in a wheat field and then walked again through
the forest till about 0800 hours. As I was going through the forest I saw
a German guarding a railway across a road. This made me return to the forest
where I had another sleep. I wandered about for a little and found a cemetery,
still in the forest, near a little village. I read the inscriptions on
the gravestones in the hope of discovering where I was, but I could not
find the name of the village, though I recognised the names of the people
as French.
About midday I had another look
on the German guarding the railway. He did not see me, so I crossed the
road with my hands in my pocket and got into the forest. The German was
about 300 yards down the road when I saw him.
I walked through the forest,
crossed a railway line, and continued through the forest again. I then
saw what I took to be the Belgian frontier because of the posts at regular
intervals. I watched 2 German sentries parting and slipped across the frontier." (18)
Sgt. Griffiths came probably down near the same area as Sgt. Heap.
Sgt. Griffiths: (19)
"We had to bale out between midnight
and 0030 hours, September 9, over Luxembourg.
I do not know what happened
to any of the others except Sgt. Heap.
I came down on top of a tree
in a forest in Luxembourg, the location of which I do not know. I left
my parachute in the tree top and dropped to the ground, a distance of 20-25
feet. I fell on a carpet of leaves, but cut my nose and lip in falling.
I was temporarily stunned and when I came to, I tried unsuccessfully to
locate my position and then started walking in the hope of finding other
members of the crew. I did not find any of them. I walked till dawn, when
I discarded my "tailor suit" (a suit, embodying mae west, electric
suit, and flying suit, supplied to rear gunners). I was carrying my
aids box in an inside pocket of my battle dress blouse. I kept on my brown
canvas "electric jacket", which I thought would make me less conspicuous.
I put my flying boots inside my trouser legs and rolled in the mud to make
my slacks (which were new) less obvious. I hid the "tailor suit" in a bank
of leaves in the wood. I then opened my aid box and purse and got out the
maps and compass. I hid the two files on my person. I tried to locate myself,
but failed. All I know was that I was West of Frankfurt, but I didn't know
I was out of Germany."
September 10.
"I headed West by the small compass from the box, which I checked next night by the Pole Star and found accurate. By afternoon I had gone about 15 km, mostly through woods. I saw a village some distance away, but I didn't approach it, as I thought I might still be in Germany. Once I heard labourers talking in a field and, thinking they were speaking German, I avoided them. While resting in the forest I heard people moving about 100 yards away, and imagined they were German soldiers. Immediately they had passed I began walking again after taking an "energy tablet" (Benzadrine)." (20)
(14) As the hospital doesn't exist anymore today and as the archives got lost, it is not possible to find out who was the airman who was treated there.
(15) Debriefing report ! This report was done when Sgt. Heap reached Gibraltar.
(16) As in his report Sgt. Heap was wrong by one day (saying he came down the 8th of September), I corrected the dates.
(17)
Sgt. Heap was probably wrong when he say that it was 0100 hours. As most
of the official sources say that the order to bale out came at 0040 hours
and as the plane was already very low, it's practically
impossible that Sgt. Heap's parachute jump took 20 minutes.
(18)
Basing my conclusions on Sgt. Heap's details, like:...the side road in
the cup at the foot of the hills...,...keeping west all time...,...crossing
railways and roads...,...avoiding villages...,...a railway across a
street...,...the cemetary in a forest near a little village...,...posts
at regular intervals; it's highly probable that Sgt. Heap came down in
the forest called "Nummerboesch", north north east of Rambrouch. Then
he passed between Rambrouch and Koetschette, heading through the forests
"Schankelshoh" and "Hierscht", crossed the road somewhere around Wolwener,
Klaus or Stackels, toward the forest of
"Gringebur" where the cemetary is in the forest near the little village
Wolwelange. The he crossed the frontier to Belgium avoiding Haut-Martelange.
This is only a hypothesis, but by consulting the maps it's
the closest probability.
(19) Debriefing report ! This report was done when Sgt. Griffiths reached Gibraltar.
(20)
Note: Sgt. Griffiths must have, sometime during September
10, crossed the belgium border. No information is available when, how or
where this was done; nor which way he took in the Grand-Duchy
of Luxembourg.
Get your own Free Homepage