SECOND MISSION

Was this mission really necessary?

Our aircraft ( B-26 ) # 117862 was shot down by the enemy on May 17 1943. There were six men in the crew. Only three of us lived and taken to a hospital in Holland. There were eleven planes on that raid. One had to turn back over the North Sea and I heard later that he gained altitude. This was a no as we were supposed to stay at low level. Around fifty to seventy-five feet. So the German Radar would not pick us up. We guessed that the Germans must have picked them up and spotted the raid. As I thought about it just before we got to the coast of Holland there were some small crafts in the water and they may have notified that a raid was on it's way. Boy did we run into a lot of flak. As we approached the coast I saw black smoke coming from the ground in puffs. As one would look up you could see the tracers as they passed by. Yes you knew there was some one down there that did not like you. For they were trying like hell to down you. Col. Stillman would strafe the coast as we came upon it. I was standing behind the Pilot and Co-pilot as that was about the safest place. There was a sheet of steel under them and I wanted that for protection. I noticed that one of our guns on the right side of the plane was not firing, it was my job to eject the dead shell so it could start up again. And I turned back to do my job. I did not remember anything after that. Col. Stillman told me I just slumped down in the back department. A little later we were hit and he said the plane turned over and over bursting in half. I guess that was when I was thrown out along with Stillman and Freeman. On the shore of enemy territory.

WHERE IN THE HELL WAS I?

Son please forgive me for the blunt remark I may make. I know God will as he was with me.

I felt a sharp pain all over my body. I don't know what was wrong. I could see about a foot or so the body of our co pilot. I remember calling out to him to help me. But he did not move. Will some one help me? Why can't any one answer. O! My god we are all dead. No one should have to look upon a dead friend. Or friends. No I did not see any one but Lt. Resweber and he was bloody all over. I was very close to him and I look him in the eyes they were wide open and I thought I did see him move one or two times but he would not answer me. I though I was screaming but when one thinks about it I may not have been making a sound. How long before the Germans came to pick us I do not know. It was some time before they came. I remember being on a stretcher of some kind and swinging along between two men. They were trotting or jogging me up and down and speaking in a language I could not understand. By this time I remember I did not have much feeling. No I was not hurting as I was in the beginning. The pain does not stay with one too long. Yes son God was there I know it, I did not see him but I had a feeling I was not alone.

IS THERE A GREATER LOVE THAN TO OFFER YOUR LIFE FOR YOUR COUNTRY?

Col. Stillman did his best to keep control of that ship. He was a good pilot. Even though we did not get along too good. He wrote a little story about marking his name in the sands of Holland beach with the antenna of our ship. Col. Stillman was sent to STALAG III. I spoke of this place before. It was for officers of the air forces. British and American.

THIS ONE DAY WE DONATED TO STALAG III THE FOLLOWING TEN GOOD OFFICERS

LT. COL. ROBERT M. STILLMAN
1ST. LT. D.V. WURST
2 ND, LT. R.L. STARR
2ND. LT. A.E. SPEER
2ND. LT. A.A. ALAIMO
LT. COL. W.R. PURINTON
2 ND. LT. W.H. KINNEY
1ST. LT. V.S. GARRAMBONE
2ND LT. L.S. LANG
2ND, LT. J.R. HOEL
The above list of officers were given to me by Col. Robert M. Stillman

AIR CRASH OVER ENEMY TERRITORY

It was noticed that when our plane was shot down there were two planes that tried to take the lead and they flew into each other. This was told to me by some of the POWs who was on the same raid and was shot down and saw the action. It was said there were a large flame and they wondered if any one got out alive. I look on the list I have and see if any did. I never thought about that before now. O yes I am writing this in January of 1997 fifty-four years later. There is a lot of things I do not remember and I still don't want to but as they come to my mind I will write them down. Yes of the two planes Cap. W. Converse and 1st. Lt. R.O. Wolf there were four men that did get out. The Cap, and Lt. was KIA. There were eight KIA out of those two planes.

CAPTURED

"For you the war is over" A phrase we heard very often. I did not know when the Germans picked us up. Whether it was a few minutes or a few hours. When I was in the hospital, Wilhelmina Gasthaus this was a Luftwaffe hospital. Sgt. Freeman was to my left and we were in beds. He said I had been out about two days. Would stir a little or make a little noise. After I began to know a little about the things that were going on I found out that we were not allowed any water. We could drink tea or something they called coffee " earsat " what it sounded like. The doctors just keep us bandaged up and applied water on my wounds. The first words I remember was "for you der vor iss over, jah?" I had my right leg shot and it broke the bone. Where some scrap metal entered and came out on the other side. I had a head wound that a first the doctors told me I would be blind. What the hell did they do to me? I know I was not blind just after the crash or was I dreaming? My head was all bandaged up and I could not see. I managed to get a hole in the bandage and I looked around. I can see I can see I said. At this time a nurse came in and plug up the hole. I did not care then, as I knew I had one eye anyway. I had a bad wound on my left shoulder. That left a big scar. I tell every one that is where I got a vaccination against wars. It was reported by Col. W.R. Purinton that Col. Stillman and his crew was all dead as he witness the crash. And that he could not see how any one could get out alive. But three of us did.

STILLMAN TRIES TO CHEER US UP

Col. Stillman came in soon after this to see us as there were fourteen of us in the room all from that one raid. There was Sgt. Freeman, Sgt. Thompson, Sgt. Walas, Sgt. Jones, Sgt. Nash, Sgt. Dempsey, Cpl. Heski who lost a foot (the right), Sgt. Gunther, Sgt. Duhasor, Sgt. Miller, Sgt. Legan and Sgt. Longworth. Col. Stillman (Moose) his nick name. No! I did not call him that, was the pilot of the ship that I was the radio operator on. As he walked around talking to the boys I said to my self look at this joker. I think he had a broken finger and here I am in a bad state.. Much later I found out that he had some head wounds and a few broken ribs. But he was a lot better off than most of us. For this raid he got the silver cross. Or some medal like that. He tried to talk to me but I told him to get lost as it was his fault that I was in this shape. If he had not wanted the best crew he could have picked another radio operator. I guess it was my fault if one was to think about it, as when we landed in England he was to show us how to go on raids low level that was. He got up and briefed the crews and he had to pick Too Much Texas to fly that day. When we got to the plane he asked for the radio operator and I said here. Did you do thus? I said no. Did you do that and again I had a no answer. Boy did I get a cussing out . Moose was mad and I said "Sir I know what I am supposed to do. On the practice mission" I was so mad I just picked out four stations and gave them five code letters, which did not mean a thing but I had the secret code and I applied that. I told them not to answer but if they received this message to call Col. Stillman and tell him so. No matter what time of the night or day it was. But to ask for a reply. Well the next day at the briefing Col. Stillman asked for the radio man who was with him yesterday. I did not stand up as I had one cussing and I did not want to take another. But Lt. Fry stood up and said "Clyde get up". To which I did and Col. Stillman said if he had to go a mission this is the radio man he would want. Also he was keep up all night answering some foolish code message that was sent by him. And did he get the coverage. He must have been getting back at me for the talk I gave to him yesterday. Col. Stillman was sent to STALAG III. That was the camp for officers. He told me after the war was over and he retired from the Air Force that he escaped three times and each time the Germans would capture him and bring him back to STALAG III.

OUT OF THE HOSPITAL

In about a month and half I and about twenty other POWs was placed on a train to be taken to a dulag luft, while at the station in Holland a group of women gathered around us and gave us some sweets. It was sugar beet jam. They asked if we wanted to escape but we were all shot up and could not walk so we thanked them. I do believe they would have done something to help us escape. The German interrogation center. It was a large castle like structure and I found out it was once a mental hospital. Used for the mental insane. The windows were so strong that a German who was interrogating me took a chair and slammed it against the window. I tried to move but I could not as I was strapped to the bed with straps. They were so tight around my legs I though I did not have any feeling in them. When I did talk to a guard I asked him why I was tied up like this. This fellow acted very friendly. He told me about places in Mississippi that we young people went to. Like Red Bluff. He said he helped build the bridge over Pearl River there a Columbia. "For you the war is over" was his remarks as we went through the game of questions. He tried to be a friend joking like he said we were like the knights of old as we had flak vest on. These were vests that had metal in them. The only thing was we did not have the sword. So he said. Boy I did not want to joke or talk at all. I keep saying. Clyde D. Willis Sgt. 14071397 the next guy that came in told me that I was just being foolish not to tell them what they wanted to know. What they wanted was beyond me. I was only a Tech. Sergeant. What did I know ? Name rank and serial number was all I would give. He acted tough and said, "we have ways to make one talk ". Take these straps off of me and I may be a little friendlier and talk to you. Yes I was strapped to the bed. I found out that this place was an insane hospital and that was one way they keep control of the patients.. While this fellow was with me another soldier came in and told him that they were going to shoot a prisoner who would not co-operate. Well how was that going to help? They both walked to the window. At this time I hear a rifle shot or a loud bang. My interrogator just walked back and shook his head and said, " what a waste he could have talked and all would have been ok". Boy was these guys good I have had a lot of tricks played after that. I did not have anything that would have helped them. Why, they had a picture of every one in our group. In a big book the fellow showed this to me and said there you are. Yes it was but I did not tell him that I was placed in the wrong squadron. That was for me to know and them to find out. I did not see any of the other guys in this place. They must have been in another room. I know they came to this place as we rode in a train up the Rhine River. Yes we followed the river all the way up to this place. I did see some good sights along the ride. I clawed a hole in the bandage of the right eye so I could see something. I could see large castles all along the Rhine, they were build on the mountains on our right side as we traveled up the river on rail. The railroad ran through a lot of little towns and we were in a regular train with the conductor and all. Yes there were other people on the train. A little girl came up to me and I offered her a chocolate bar. She looked at me and I bit a piece off to show her that it was ok and gave the rest to her. She went back to her mother and they talked. There the little girl look at me and I could see the scare in her eyes. There were about twenty of us American POWs on this train along with ten guards, guns and all. The only time we saw them all was when the train stopped for what I don't know but it did stop a lot of times.

One place we stopped and some of the women of that town brought us some sugar beet jam. It tasted sweet and it went fair on their black bread. The whole lot of us were shot up pretty bad so we were not too hard to guard. I said to myself I don’t believe it will be too bad being a POW. But I did not know after I got to Stalag seven it was a hell of a place. And then I found out that it was not too pleasant. We did not have very much food as they told us neither did their soldiers and we had to do with black bread and cabbage dirt and all. We were not going to seven then but to a British camp Stalag IX-C Which was not too bad as the British had a lot of time to do things around the place. I have a CD of some of the things they did which was sent to me by a fellow in England who’s uncle was at that camp. I have lost contact with him but I do enjoy looking at the pictures he sent. And this was one place I learned to like Tea. There were tea time three times a day and I do mean they would have their tea. Also they made meat pies which was real tasty. They got Red Cross packages from Canada. And they had can of steak and can bacon and real butter. And you bet there were a lot of Tea in the packages. They were a lot better than the USA packages I did not know that until I was transferred to the American Stalag. VII-A. We got our Red Cross food packages but the Germans would make sure we could not store them away. They would put holes in the cans so we had to eat the contents before they went bad. We gave most of the meat to the kitchen so they could put it in the soup and Cabbage that was delivered to us in large buckets. No it did not taste very good but we had to eat it or starve. There were some POW’s who worked in the kitchen as the first time we got our soup it had dirt and grass in it. So we asked that we would cook our own soup.
Captured! Now a POW

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