Christian Jacques
Pam
Genet Leroux
ms eta)
Les deux Charentes sous les bombes 1940-1945
The Two Charentes Under The Bombs
1940 - 1945
This is the translation of the chapter about Richard Frievalt and his crew from the above French book sent to me by Alan Latter, who has a home near where Richard Frievalt and his crew crash-landed in France during WWII. Translated by Quick-Frievalt Family Tree, with the help of Google Translator. Many thanks to Alan Latter for the book, pictures, final editing and translating.
Bombardiers Abattus
During mission number 171 on December 31, 1943 many bombers of the 8th Air Force were shot down by the German anti aircraft defenses or by warplanes of the Luftwaffe. Eight of these planes are now tombs in Charentes, and the neighboring départements of Gironde and Deux-Sevres. (A département is the equivalent of a State inthe U.S. ora county in the U.K.). A total of ten planes were downed in the area.
This four-engine B-17 Flying Fortress named "Miss Lead" has made a forced landing in a field at "Le Joug" close to the ville of La Bataille (Deux-Devres). The event attracted many curious sight seers from nearby villages, both on foot and bicycle. One of them, Raymond Jousse, was able to take this photo.
"MISS LEAD"
crash lands at La Bataille.
This flying fortress has fallen in Deux-Sevres, near the northwest boundary of Charente. Some members of the crew were on the run through the the countryside, a few remain together in the area long enough that their remarkable adventures deserve to be reported. While crossing the channel over the Bay of Biscay on the way to its goal of BordeauxMerignac, the four-engine B-17, serial # 42-30733 referred to as "Miss Lead" and belonging to the 326th Squadron of the 92nd Bomb Group, has some mechanical problems. The oil feed line on # 3 engine burst and the engine stopped. That necessitated the dropping of our bombs while the aircraft is still flying over the Atlantic Ocean. Fortunately, we were able to feather the remaining engines and still control the aircraft. We had two possibilities, testified first officer Lloyd Busboom, "Stay in formation or turn around and fly back over the Atlantic." The instructions were to stay in formation as long as possible in order to be protected by the other planes. This is what we tried to do. To make matters worse, low clouds hide Merignac and "Miss Lead ", like the rest of the
92nd Bomb Group, we had to divert to the secondary objective of Chateau Bernard. It was our understanding that the Germans had an anti-aircraft school at Bordeaux. They must have been having final exams that day with all the flax that was aimed at us. On the 2
edge of the flax area, our plane took a flack burst directly into two engines. With only one engine now running properly the fate of "Miss Lead" is in the proficiency of the Pilot. Two German fighters, Messerschmitt 109s have seen the plane in trouble. The landing gear of the Flying Fortress is lowered in surrender. The German fighters seem to understand the message and continue to make passes without opening fire (1).No more returning to England, to try would be a crash in the Atlantic Ocean. Continuing to fly over French territory seems more reassuring. Machine guns and ammunition are tossed overboard but the plane is still losing altitude. The order is then given to parachute. All members of the "crew are preparing when the parachute of Sergeant Clarence Muntzinger opens accidentally in the cabin during handling (2). Following this incident we decided to stay together on board and make a make a wheels up landing. With great composure and dexterity, James Grumbles, the pilot manages the maneuver perfectly. It is 1:15 p.m. the "Miss Lead" ends up ina plowed field at "Le Joug" located 400 meters northwest of the village of La Bataille (Deux-Sevres). (3) The soft and slightly sloping ground enabled rapid deceleration of the aircraft. Fortunately, because at the end of the field is a rocky terrace. All of the fields around were terraced 4 to 5 feet high that way. The entire crew is safe. Before taking flight, necessary precautions are taken. The Navigator Edward Neu and the radio operator Richard Frievalt sabotaged their material. The pilot himself destroyed all his papers. We put chutes partially in the fuel tank, wetting them and then lighting them. It proved highly unsuccessful, the chute would give one big puff and go out. The fighters were still making passes and it was agreed that we should get out of there. (1) As told by the copilot Lloyd Busboom. (2) Evasion Report FE & E #395 James Grumbles. The explication of the parachute accidentally opened by copilot Lloyd Bushboom. This indicates that several parachutes had been damaged by shell strikes. (3) Departmental Archives of Deux-Sevres. 1208 W 67 record. (4) Meeting with Raymond Jousse, August 8, 1996 at Beauvoir-sur Niort
The American four-engine flying fortress is found by German troops by the end of the afternoon. Meanwhile, the news quickly spreads around the neighboring villages. The curious crowd is increasing over time. Raymond Jousse, a notary clerk of Chef Boutonne has even came on his bicycle to discreetly take photographs (4). Subsequently, the Germans took over the plane and after dismantling the wings, have it moved to the station at Saint-Jean d'Angely. A witness, Noel Santon, gave us the details. "The crates waiting to be loaded in the cars are pieces of an American bomber disassembled ... Splendid device with the power and sophistication to arouse admiring glances. The tail missing, the giant wings and their propellers lie beside the four huge engines, one wing is broken, Through the narrow communication door between the front and the back, one perceives an indescribable tangle of switches, levers and control devices. The curious play hide and seek with the sentinel who has a hard time keeping them at a distance and preventing the kids from picking up debris. The airplane window is intact, at the front of the nose, a name, "Miss Lead" (5).
The B-17 crew. From left & right, left: Robert Mcgee, Lloyd Bushboom , James Grumbles, Edward Neu. Bottom: Miland Bills, Richard Frievalt Clarence Muntsinger, Huges Halsell Jr., Michael Cahill Jr., Alex Dominski. The four officers are standing, the six Sergeants are sitting.
The Waste Gunner Miland Bills arrested in Villefagnan Of the ten members of the crew, the Germans arrest three fairly quickly. The capture of Robert McGee and Clarence Muntzinger offer nothing special, but Miland Bills capture was a little different. To move as far away as possible from the forced landing of his plane, Miland Bills walked south after all afternoon and part of the next night. Still in his flight suit and with fleece lined boots, he manages to get to Saveille, an important hamlet in the town of Paizay-Naudouin, Charente. Very tired, he spots a castle and its out buildings and lies down in a haystack to take a rest. On the morning of January 1, 1944, dogs have discovered the aviator at the farm and begin to bark. Attracted by the noise, a farmer in turn alerts his neighbors and the news is spread rapidly around the village. Now that the whole population is aware of the presence of an American Aviator on his property gets him worried. The owner of the castle is obliged to notify the police of Villefagnan. Which has to do twice, because at first the commander of the police brigade is not very enthusiastic at the idea of arresting an American aviator. Helpless, the young American offers no resistance and docilely surrenders to the brigade. This it is not normally how one treats a prisoner the former policeman Rene Boudreault remembers. The women of the small garrison prepare him a good meal and cakes for New Years. He even spends the night in a cozy room instead of jail cell. The head of brigade even very kindly allowed him some freedom, hoping that he will take the opportunity to flee. Late the next day, two men from the Feldgendarmeris came to pick up the American aviator and take him to Angouleme. When he was picked up Miland
4
Bills wore his military jacket with American military insignia on its shoulder along with a sign around his neck to show his status as a POW (6).
USAAF
Mission Number 171 on December 31, 1943
Fortress Type: Boeing B-17F-120-BO Code: IH7 Bomb Group: 92nd Air Bomb Division Departing Airport: Podington Objective: Conac-Chateaubernard Crash Cause: Engine problems
Serial Number 42-30733 Name: "Miss Lead" Squadron: 326th 40th Combat Wing MACR Number: 1958 Crash Point: La Bataille
Personal Pilot: Copilot: Navigator: Bombardier: Radio Operator: Top Turret Gunner: Ball Turret Gunner: Waist Gunner: Waist Gunner: Tail Gunner:
2nd Lt James A. Grumbles F/O Lloyd C. Busboom 2nd Lt Edward F Neu 2nd Lt Robert G. McGee Sgt Richard J. Frievalt S/Sgt Clarence J. Muntzinger S/Sgt Alex J. Dominski Sgt Hugh L. Halsell Jr. Sgt Miland F. Bills SgtMichael F. Cahille Jr.
Evaded Evaded Evaded Prisoner Prisoner Prisoner Killed Prisoner Prisoner Prisoner
Table of personal that crashed on a bombing mission near La Bataille on the 31st of December 1943. The fate of the Aviators were six captured, three evaded and Sergent Dominski who was killed in combat alongside the maquis Charente of Negret who had been tracked down to a farm at Endourchapt by the Germans. (5) Noel Santon. Saint-Jean voies la butts, Brisson, 1947, page 135. (6) Interview of 1st November 1995 in Villefagnan with the policeman Rene Boudreault, who after 52 years after these events does not recognize the sergeant Miland Bills on a photo of his crew. (7) From Escape and Evasion Report # 395. (8) 1998 interview with Bernard Ballanger and Jeanette Busboom Sather 9) The village of Arbon, in Haute-Garonne.
Lieutenant James Grumbles Evades to Spain Abandoning his plane, the pilot James Grumbles runs for the cover of the woods and hedges. He succeeds and finds two of his comrades, which ensures that all members of the crew have left the aircraft unharmed. His adventure will continue alone, through the woods and fields, from village to village. In his evasion report, he recounts his hike through France to Spain. "I had just met two of my crewmen when I saw for the first time a German coming towards me through the fields. He had a glimpse of me between the bushes, I rolled on the ground and crawled up the densest hedge that I could find. From there, I ran to a deep pit where I rested until dark. That night it was too cold to sleep so I went out and walked in the moonlight. Then I stopped in the woods until daybreak. 5
In the morning I walked until I reached a farm. No one could understand me. No help was offered to me, other than an idea of the general direction I should take. I walked south all day with the help of my compass and my evasion card, eating vitamin tablets and drinking water. When night fell, I went to a village. I noticed a haystack near the edge of the road and sat down. I was wearing a khaki shirt under my flight suit. My flight jacket with military insignia on the shoulder was under my arm. I saw a man and sat there and I knew he had seen me. He came toward me, accompanied by another man, he stood in front of me. I looked him straight in the eye and said "American", he replied "German". I presented my evasion card and other personal items, it still took me several minutes to convince them of my identity. They then advised me to take the insignia off my jacket. Then James Grumbles is led to a house where he found food and shelter. In his escape report, the name of the village is not indicated but it's probably somewhere in Charente, taking into account two days march south. Everything has gone very quickly, the men of the Resistance have facilitated his flight, probably by train, he is assigned a Pyrénées guide on the French side of Perpignan. Information that could not be verified with certainty, says James Grumbles would have been transported by train January 2, 1944 by Madame Beau and her daughter, from Angouleme to Perpignan and Elnes, his arrival being around noon next day. His evasion report also mentions: "With the guide we crossed the mountains in about twenty hours on January 3, walking until we reached the border about one o'clock the next day. Then the guide left me. The land was covered with icy snow. Alone I began the descent to Spain without having a very good idea of the way. At eight o'clock on January 4, I came to a village where I headed for Barcelona. At ten o'clock the Spanish police stopped me and confined me for the night. Then, the next day, I was sent to prison. I stayed there four days until the American consul intervened to liberate me "(7). Spain is not a belligerent country. General Franco sometimes supplies aid to the Germans by refueling submarines and supplying Russian divisions with delivery of strategic products. Relationships with the United States and England are not affected. The diplomatic contacts continue to operate thanks to the ambassadors of these countries stationed in Madrid. The Franco-Spanish border is regularly crossed by men in danger of being arrested by the French police and the Gestapo. They are fleeing France with the help of Pyrenees smugglers to regain their freedom. While most French refugees are housed in camp Miranda before being shipped to North Africa, the English and American airmen have a better fate. Consulates take care of their arrival in Spain and then channel them towards Gibraltar, a British possession from which they can return to their military bases. After a month of waiting in Spain, during which he can move freely, Lieutenant James Grumbles arrived by plane in England February 6th, 1944.
Lloyd Bushboom and Edward Neu travel to Spain. The first officer Lloyd Busboom has wrote a very detailed narrative about his scenic adventures, which leads him and his traveling companion Edward Neu, towards the Spanish border and distant freedom (8). The names of the villages they passed through have not been retained, but it is likely that they passed through the Charente. Many people, resistant or not, offer support in their flight south. Who they were, remains anonymous After the crash Lloyd Bushboom and Edward Neu left their plane and ran towards the wooded areas seeking cover. But after ten minutes, they got together and decide to team up. Fifteen minutes later they met Alex Dominski. "He was white as a ghost, obviously shocked and very nervous. We insisted that he come with us, but he wanted to go it alone. We told him three people together have a greater chance of survival, nothing helped. He left us eager to try his luck alone." Then came the period of escape, trying not to be noticed. We remained hidden in wooded areas during the day, our movements were made at night. After about six days on the road, we stopped at farms to ask for food. After a full stomach, we continued to walk,
putting more distance between the aircraft and us.It was also necessary to find civilian clothes. On a farm, residents are trying to find us a large size, as the French are smaller than Americans. With some boldness, we went to houses located near villages. We were supplied bread, wine and cheese. This is generally what was given us when we knocked onthe door and we used hand gestures to make people understand that we were hungry. We left after having eaten and drank well. Ina village, there was a discussed the possibility coin, fate designated me table is already difficult
railway station. We stayed in the area and that evening and of taking the train and going south as far as possible. Flipping a to go to the station and check departure schedules. A scheduling to understand, but when you do not know the French language it
is even more difficult. I had memorized the names of cities in the south of France, thanks
to my evasion card. I tried to find them in the railway tables. After a while, I decided to take the stairs that leads up to the platforms. There were speakers giving arrival and departure times for the trains. The place was full of people. In the hustle and bustle I vaguely heard something about Americans. I decided that it was time to leave the station. About half way down the stairs I saw a group of four or five German soldiers ahead of me. They joined another group of soldiers standing at the bottom of the stairs, talking loudly and blocking the entrance. Without hesitating I circumvented these Nazis and got out of the station, when I turned around I saw them quickly run up the stairs. Even today, I still think they were looking for me. Outside the village, I joined Edward Neu and we stayed hidden until the end of the day. One night, after a very long walk, we noticed an isolated farm about daybreak. The lamp had just been lit, one should never approach a house so early in the morning. We knocked at the door, a woman opened, she seemed very upset with us and quickly made us enter. The breakfast she made satisfied our appetite. The woman first advised us to go back into the woods then she took us to the barn, speaking with forceful gestures. We knew that we had to hide in the hay.
That day we unwound and slept. That night, help came for us. A car arrived and a man presented himself as Maurice Landre. After having tried to speak, which is difficult when no one knows the language of the other, the car took us about twenty kilometers. After a while the driver stopped and flashed his headlights repeatedly. Some time after stopping, five or six French men approached the car and took him to a hideout. Three hours of waiting followed before being led to the home of a retired commander of the French army. Late that night, about ten or eleven o'clock, a real banquet is served. There is the commander, his wife, two very charming young girls and also five or six members of the Resistance. Edward and I understood that the commander was conducting a clandestine life. He was suppose to be living a simple life of military retirement, but in reality he was very active as a leader in the resistance. After the meal, I took out my pack of cigarettes. In the eyes of the girl placed near me, the desire to smoke was seen. So I gave her one, but looks around the table showed me the others were thinking the same thing. So I passed the pack around, but there was just barely enough for everyone. With the pack halfway around the table, the commander said something in a strong and commanding voice. Then the cigarette pack started going in the opposite direction with everyone putting the cigarettes back in. I protested and told them to consider this a testimony of my gratitude. But it fell on deaf ears and my pack came back full. I had lighted mine, and needless to say, I never enjoyed a cigarette less. For the next couple of hours the Major's wife and the daughters went with us to the study, sat and smiled at each other and tried to converse. In the mean time there was a high level meeting going on between the major and the French resistance men. We were called in to be given a briefing for a train trip. We rested that night and another day. We were assigned to play different roles and were told how we were to act. Ed was traveling as a peasant. The largest clothes they could find for him came up to the tops of his sox. The sleeves came several inches above his wrists. His over six foot frame could not be covered! He did appear to have “hand me down” clothes as perhaps a peasant wore. I was to travel as a scholar. They prepared us to the hilt for the train trip. I had bread, cheese and wine to eat and drink on the train, Ed had nothing. We were in the same railroad car, but were in the car behind the one that our guide was riding in. We were never to see our guide again until we debarked in Toulouse. We had been given our tickets ahead of time, we were to watch our guide, as soon as he entered his car, we were
to go into ours. We sat in different seats but not to be more than one seat from each other. During the course of the trip I really felt sorry for Ed and gave him some of my food. There were a lot of stops on the trip, it was monotonous. After getting off the train, we followed the guide with a block's distance between us. When he stopped in front of a pub (or whatever it is called in France) we were to wait until he moved on. Then we went in, had some wine and ordered lunch. We were sitting together and the people seemed to know who we were. We really didn't have to order Lunch. We were just served! The guide came in & told us which way to leave from the bar and start walking, we saw him, then, about a block ahead of us. Then he went into a mansion type building on about five acres of land in the middle of Toulouse. Going through beautifully landscaped grounds we went into the house. This was the house of the designer of the Cote d'Azur. We spent about three or four hours touring the house & then were instructed that a laundry truck would pull up in to a breezeway. We got inside laundry bags and were thrown into the truck along with laundry. After getting in the truck we were permitted to get out of the bags. The truck then drove toward St. Gaudens. At a predetermined signal of men cutting 8
wood, the truck was to stop, let us off and then drive on. The men continued cutting
wood for ten minutes after we had disembarked. They then spoke to us and took us to a spot where we met the men that we would spend the next three months or so with and come to know very well. There were five members of the Resistance, They were called Leon Bohr, Andre Blanchon, Lamolle Henri, Gaston and Paul Pierrard, Both members of the maquis Campels, in Haute-Garonne. Also two Alsatians who had fled their country to escape being drafted into the German army. One of the resistants, Paul Boe, seemed to have significant influence. His role was to take care of all Frenchmen in trouble and put them in contact with the smugglers to cross the Pyrenees. Knowing the area well, he also helped with the supplying small local resistance groups. Lloyd and I stayed in a small stone barn surrounded by hills and pastures. The village of Arbon was several kilometers away (9). A small charcoal stove is used for heating and cooking. During the night, we hid in the hay in the attic. It was necessary to leave no trace of our passage.
Lloyd Busboom and Edward Neu, two Airmen from a flying fortress that made a forced landing at La Bataille, have found refuge with the Maquis of Campels in Haute Garonne. There are seven resistants in this photographs of March 20, 1944, a few days before the two Americans are helped to get down to Spain and then return to England, four months after their plane had crash landed at La Bataille.
This was the beginning of our stay with the maquis, which lasted for three and a half months. A continual picnic waiting for the snow to melt in the Pyrenees so we could get to Spain. Normally we spent the day in the woods, making it our kitchen and returning to the barn at nightfall. We were on very good terms with our neighbor, a farmer who lived ona farm less than five hundred meters away. He cultivated tobacco plants and gave us some leaves. These were dried on the stove, then cut into small pieces and rolled into cigarettes. Paul Boe spoke some English, as did the two Alsatians. The exchanges of food and tobacco were common. A very generous farmer showed us the place where his calves were put to pasture. Occasionally one could be shot and used for our meat. This man also had a large amount of wine which he gave us and also some charcoal. The father of one of our French comrades, a bakery owner, provided us with bread regularly. During all this free time, I learned from Edward how to play chess with parts that we cut from wood. Some have been blackened with ink, others have remained in their natural
state. The game was our primary relaxation. The two Alsatians also knew how to play chess and we were challenged often. On March 20, everything was ready to meet our guide and cross the Pyrenees. A car arrived with two men on board, one was the guide. Edward and I traveled with them to a village. As they drove through it they were speeding and honking loudly. A German motorcycle with a sidecar started following us. The driver tries to go faster but is unable to out run the bike. He reached the car's top speed and had to stop. We did not look good, our short pants with long legs in this little French car. A German officer came out of the sidecar, examined the passengers in the back of the car several times. I think he had his doubts about us, but the driver was rudely scolded because of excessive speed and that was all. The car took us up to a house situated on a hill. The view was beautiful over the valley. When we arrived, there were already thirty or forty people there. In the middle of them were the two Alsatians. How they arrived there before us while leaving after us. I do not know, but I am happy to see them. Most of the people present were Americans, soon we were talking among ourselves. At dusk, we were all put in an old truck without a tarpaulin. We had to stay low so our heads did not exceed the side boards, packed in like sardines. Four men with submachine guns have positions around the truck and are very visible. I do not understand this because the best way to travel is unnoticed. In the mountains, the truck lacks power and everyone jumps off the vehicle to push. The final stop was made in front of a very large building where a large picnic had been prepared. This was a very protected place and the meal was filling. Then specific instructions for a night walk in the mountains were given. Remain in line without exception, do not lose sight of the person who precedes you. do not speak. If a man wants to stop, he taps the shoulder of the person in front of him, which in turn will tap on the shoulder of the next man and so on up to the first guide. There were a total of four 10
smugglers. One of them could assist you at any time, if you needed something for one reason or another. During the night, the group arrived at a very dangerous place. I could not really see much, but the path was narrow with very abrupt turns. Sometimes my elbow would touch the rock wall. It was so dark that it was impossible to see the depth of the precipice where we could fall at any moment. In some places there was packed snow, which increased the difficulty of walking. At a moments notice, it seems to me that we did an enormous descent and crossed a high bridge. That's when we made a stop ina clearing. The guide announced that we are in Spain. I cannot go any further, he said, take a rest and when it gets light enough to see, I will show you the direction to take. Some had sore feet, others complained of muscle pain. But most of us were in good physical condition . Curiously, a rumor circulated saying that the group had lost some members along the way. That day, the descent took us to the Spanish village of Bossots. Rooms were taken in a very friendly hotel. I slept all day and all the next night. AlthoughI had no Particular pains from the journey, I felt very tired. After some rest, we got in contact with the American consulate in Spain. Nevertheless, we must remain cautious in our manner and conversations as German spies are on the look out for people that have escaped from France. An appointment is made with a delegate from the Embassy, new clothes are purchased. We had rooms that were reserved for free by the Spanish Air Force, in a hotel with a spa situated at the foot of the mountains (name unknown). Several weeks pass in which we walk to town, take mineral water baths in spas as though we are wealthy tourists. Then we received the order to leave for Gibraltar, our first stop was Madrid. We took a train to get us to the southern border of Spain. The small English colony of Gibraltar extends around the city and its port. But above all, what characterizes it, is a vast rocky promontory that juts ito the Mediterranean Sea. For a few days the American airmen are going to visit the bustling rock that is a bristling fortress of cannons, with the interior full of warehouses stocked with weapons, ammunition, and stores of food that are part of
military cantonments. On 27 April 1944, Lloyd Busboom and Edward Neu left Gibraltar by plane and flew to England. For a few days they were interviewed at length about their escape, and finally sent home on leave to the United States.
Quatre Americains au maquis Bir-Hakeim. We abandoned the four-engine fortress, "Miss Lead" after a forced landing in a field near the village of La Bataille. The members of the crew scattered in all directions, Richard Frievalt, the radio operator (this was his second mission) took cover in the woods and hid until nightfall. Once it was dark he set out on foot through the Charente countryside. He soon came across two of his fellow crew members, Michael Cahill Jr. and Clarence
Muntzinger, The three Americans then pass through several small villages without landmarks. Only dogs accompany their passage, barking as they go by. 11
On the outskirts of the town Chef Boutonne, the three fugitives decide to separate, attempting to escape individually. But on the third day, January 2, 1944, Richard Frievalt and Michael Cahill Jr. meet by chance and decide they would rather stay together. "We were full of courage and of hope says Richard Frievalt. As we walked a trail in the woods, a man on a bicycle began to pursue us, a bottle of wine in his hand. He was a very amiable French man who guided us to an isolated house." During the night, someone came for them and brought them to a farm. The owners, a couple, fed and looked after them for several weeks. They were then visited by a Monsieur Egor who spoke English quite well and even knew a bit of American slang. He took them to another safe house, this time a farm on the edge of a river, where they were surprised to find there two other members of the crew, Hugh Halsell Jr., and Alex
Dominski. We have no knowledge how Hugh Helsell arrived there. Alex Dominiski had been spotted on the 1st January in the woods near Couture d'Argencon in the Deux Sevres by Marcel Belaire. He passed this info on to Marian Juraszek who went and picked him up that evening and offered him shelter in his home. Knowing a few words of Polish he was able to communicate with Dominiski who was of Polish descent. The next morning he took him to Saint Claud in the Charente to stay at a farm owned by Marcel Petit. The same farm that Richard Frievalt and Michael Cahill Jr. would be taken to a few days later. As a sign of appreciation Alex Dominski gave his guest a gift of his compass and escape scarf which had a map of France on the front and Germany on the back.(10) Close by in Chassenecuil sur Bonnieure a group of resistants had set up camp in a clay hut located in the woods at Fougére in the community of Cherves Chatelars, this had been used as a shelter for the last few months of 1943. The group includes Alfred Gin, the brothers Montauban and Ray Barussaud and Charlot Lagarde. This group would become the future maquis Bir Hacheim created by Colonel André Chabanne, Guy Pascaud and Helene Nebout. During the winter this shelter at Fougére quickly became pretty uncomfortable due to bad weather. Even though it had been built with a tiled roof the cold and rain managed to get in. It became necessary for a new shelter to be found for this small group. Nearby in the village of Chatelars there was an old chateau, pretty much in ruins and uninhabited. In December 1943 the resistants camped in the woods at Fougére were moved into this manor house and would be able to stay there for a few months without being troubled. It is probably about the 20th of January 1944 that the four American aviators, Richard Frievalt, Hugh Halsell Jr., Alex Dominiski and Michael Cahill Jr. were
transferred to the chateau making it about twenty people staying there. Richard Frievalt remembers a large building with two floors, a large barn on the side where a portion of beef was soaking in a large cooking pot of water. The resistants were already preparing the feast for Mardi Gras. On the 4th February they welcomed Colonel Claude Bonnier "Hypotenuse", who had been sent over by De Gaulle a few months earlier to organize all the different resistant groups in Region B (Aquitaine and Charentes). He was welcomed by André Chabanne who presented to him his men. It was during this meeting that Claude Bonnier gave this maquis group the name Bir Hacheim after the celebrated battle in Libya lead by the free 12
French Forces under General Koenig(11).
During his visit Colonel Bonnier had given
one of the American aviators, Richard Frievalt, the title of Corporal .
A Quote from Richard Frievalt: "One thing happened to me there before we got the message on BBC. I made Corporal in the French underground. After the ceremony I was picked up and thrown out of a second story window, down below was a group with a blanket and they snapped it just as I hit it, when I looked down, I was higher than the window I came out of."
A photo of the manor house, the old chateau Claude Bonnier on February 4, 1944. Lovely Bir Hacheim decided to stay there after their Latter.) This photo, the two following photos added for their additional information.
at Chatelars where Richard Frievalt stayed and met Colonel looking building but pretty much in ruins when the maquis camp in the woods became too damp.( photo courtesy of Alan and the quote from Richard Frievalt are not in the book, but
"Hypotenuse" is the code name for Colonel Claude Bonnier, A French Patriot and Hero. Claude Bonnier was pivotal in uniting the disparate resistance groups into an organized guerrilla fighting force that helped liberate France from the Germans during the Second World War.General de Gaulle appointed him Lt Colonel and Délégué Regional Militaire for Region B covering an area that included the Charente, Charente-Maritime, Gironde and Dordogne. He committed suicide with a cyanide pill in a German prison.
13
Youth of the 2nd company of the of the largest scrub, it is based in regional military delegate Claude guerrillas, mostly refractory from because of involvement in acts of
Maquis Bir Hacheim. The Maquis Bir 'Hacheim Charente became one Cherves-Chdatelars and takes its name, Bir Hacheim when visited by the Bonnier on February 4, 1944 . At that time this maquis had about thirty the S.T.O. (Compulsory Work Service), or wanted by the German police resistance such as train derailment. (Resistance Museum)
Au maquis de Negret. Later in February Andre Chabanne gave the four American aviators to a marquis group close to the village of Négret in the community of Saint Claude in Charente. The transfer is done a few days after the battle that took place the night of February 5, 1944 in St. Mary between Albert Gin's group and a German detachment. This group consists of around twenty, mainly young men who had refused to go to Germany as forced labor. They were soon joined by another fifteen or so young men. Richard Frievalt explained that he had enjoyed the Marti Gras festival in this new shelter. There were oysters and many other appetizing foods at this celebration. For security reasons the group must leave this camp and are settled in the town of SaintLaurent-de-Ceris, at a place called Endourchapt, in the buildings of an isolated farm situated near a woods. It is only accessible by a single road that ends in a cul-de-sac. These men have very few weapons and no military training, most of them remain inactive. Obviously, they lack an experienced leader. Albert Gin a member of the maquis Bir Hakeim has been designated by Andre Chabanne, but this patriot was wounded during an engagement with the Germans, the Endourchapt group command decision is delayed and will never take place.
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Provisions however were good, a local baker supplied them with free bread and during the night it would be dropped off along with some meat, milk and a little wine bought from local farmers. There were two families at Négret who kept a close eye on the camp, they were the cousins Alfred and Germain Potevin. Alfred ran construction company and Germain ran a sawmill. His two sons Gaston and André were part of the resistance at Endourchapt. It is sufficient to say that Germain Potevin, his wife Helene and their two daughters Jacqueline and Eleonore devoted themselves tirelessly to provide support for the guerrillas. Types de Maquisards
The various maquis lived in the forests in general, They were often dressed as hunters with leather jackets and sturdy clothes suitable for walking in the forests and large fields. Their weapons were few. Initially it was limited a few rifles and revolvers. Subsequently, during the allied airdrops, the maquisards received "Sten" submachine guns and some explosives.
The young André Potevin sympathizes with the American Richard Frievalt. It has even caught the attention of his parents that their might be a relationship between Richard Frievalt and his big sister Jacqueline. There is also the fact that they spent the night at the family home in Negret. Richard has a certain affection for Jacqueline. Are these young people sweethearts? An exchange of photographs was envisioned, but according to his statements, Richard has always refused to carry a photograph that could identify his French girlfriend. If he was taken by the Germans in possession of a compromising document, he feared that Jacqueline could be arrested, perhaps executed. (12) 15
10) Testimony of Juraszek Manan, July 30, 1997. (11) Claude Bonnier, coordinator of the Resistance in the South-Quest was arrested a few days later in Bordeaux. He suicide capsule allowed him to avoid the torture of the Gestapo Agents. (12) May 1, 1945, back in the US Richard Frievalt has written Jacqueline Potevin , declaring that he would be happy to receive her photograph now. He promised , after the war, to visit France to see her again. (13) In particular, Guy Pascaud, a member of marquis Bir Hacheim is arrested. He will be deported to Germany where he survives. He will come back at the end of the war
Since the battle of Feb. 5 in St. Mary, the Germans heightened their quest to find the guerrillas shelter. In the early hours of the March 22, 1944 the Germans swept through the area around Chasseneuil and cordoned off the town. They arrested and interrogated 127 people.(13) In the same reprisals a detachment of Germans and French Miliciens headed out in the direction of Saint Mary looking for the resistants camped at Endourchapt. That morning they ransacked the village of Négret and interrogated and tortured Vignaud and Dubois, two young men involved with the resistance from the village. To put them off the scent they told their interrogators that there was a maquis camp in some woods at Les Carmagnats less than a mile from Négret, but the Germans quickly realized that it was just an old unused camp. They returned to Négret where under torture and believing that those camped at Endourchapt would now have had time to flee, the two young men were forced to tell the Germans the location of the camp. Inthe meantime a young man by the name of Camille Chambaud rode his bike over to the farm building at Endourchapt where the thirty or so resistants and the American aviators were camped. He warned them that the Germans were at Négret and were looking for them. They were not well armed but decided to stay in the barn. After a while Gaston and André Potevin and three of their comrades decided to leave and head into the adjacent woods. André decided to return to convince the others that they too should leave the barn and head out into the woods for safety. It was too late, the Germans had started to attack the building and had machine guns posted around the exits. Under fire and surrounded, the others all surrendered. Two of the resistants, Marcel Dumont and Roger Bonnier, decided not to leave the barn with the
others and hid out of view from the Germans in the workshop part of the building. By chance the attempt by the Germans to set the building on fire was not successful and the two were not found and survived. Camille Chambaud was arrested at the top of the lane that leads down to the farm. As well as Albert Moreau from Saint Claud and a young man from Négret called Vignaud. Thirty-seven of those camped in the farm outbuilding were taken prisoner and led away to the La Pierre Levée prison at Poitiers. The resistants were tortured then condemned to death by a German military tribunal and subsequently shot on the 8th May 1944 by a firing squad at Biard close to Poitiers.(14) Apparently still having the strength to sing the Marseillaise as they stood waiting to be shot. The young Vignaud was released due to lack of proof of involvement with the resistance, but Albert Moreau was deported and 16
died in a concentration camp. Camille Chambaud was deported also and died on the day that the allies came to liberate the camp.
At Endourchapt in the commune of Saint-Laurent-de-Ceris Charente, the maquis from Negret, thirty men in total, were settled in the outbuildings of an isolated farm, near the woods and accessible by a narrow road. On the side is a monument erected to the memory of the resistants captured by the Germans March 22, 1944 and shot on May 8, 1944 in Poitiers.
André Protevin and Alex Dominski were injured by bullets in their attempted escape. They are last seen on-site talking with German soldiers. In a report prepared by Richard Frievalt, it is said that Alex Dominski has been shot three times. I saw his injuries, the leg, hip and behind the ear. I heard from a Frenchmen he was shot in the head as he lay on the ground wounded.(15)
Gaston Potevin and his three comrades were on the run through the Woods. Gaston has waited in vain for his brother Andre, who was also killed in the raid. He often walks
alone for long periods of time, as far away as possible from the scene of the tragedy. According to the testimony of Andre Vergeauh, he arrived at his parents home in Ansac-sur-Vienne, near Confolens, "in a sad state, brambles still on his clothes. He was
haggard, on the brink of total exhaustion". He hides there and spends some time with this family. Gaston Potevin then took him to the patriot Gerbaud, a farmer in the town of Lassac who was already hiding other young people including Jews ".(16) As for the other survivors, the lack of information makes it impossible to know their fate. Did they scatter in the Charente countryside? According to the memories of the commander Maurice Gary evoked in the book Battalion Foch, two or three of them, there names he could not remember, "would have been directed by Gaston Potevin to the 17
patriot Gerbaud", a brave man who stood up and helped persecuted victims, saving them in their time of need. (17).
At the farm of Endourchapt the maquis of Negret including four Americans taken in and welcomed by the maquis Bir Hacheim at its beginning and then transferred in February of 1944 to this new site. The four airmen were part of the crew of the Flying Fortress that had crash landed at La Bataille. During the attack of the farm by the Germans March 22, 1944, the American Alex Dominski tries to escape but is shot by the enemy. A small commemorative stone was erected at the site of his death. This picture shows the ceremony that took place March 22, 1964 at the twentieth anniversary of the tragedy.
Trois Americains prisonniers de guerre. To find out what happened to the three Americans caught at the farm Endourchapt, We refer to the narrative given by Richard Frievalt. They have not been shot as their French comrades who were condemned as "terrorists". Their status as American soldiers has saved them from the execution post. Incarcerated in the prison of Poitiers, "we have been interviewed by the Nazis and the police. "The Germans were bullies more often than not, usually starting the interrogations with a beating". The guerrillas also suffered torture, but the day of the execution, they still found the strength to sing the Marseillaise. Hugh L. Halsell Jr., Michael F. Cahill Jr. and Richard J. Frievalt spent some weeks in Poitiers prison. They were then transferred to Fresnes Prison in Paris, after the landing in Normandy on June 6, 1944 they were moved to Frankfort, Germany then on to the Gestapo Headquarters in Wiesbaden, Germany where the interrogations continued. In each new place of detention, the Gestapo questioned them thoroughly. Towards the end of June, they are finally delivered to the Luftwaffe, which controls the prison camps for Allied airmen. They are sent to Stalag Luft IV, in Gross Tychow, Pomerania (now Tychowo, Poland), where they stay from July 1944 to February 1945. Richard Frievalt was separated from his two friends Hugh Halsell Jr. and Michael Cahill Jr. One day, during a transfer of other prisoners, Richard was surprised and happy to 18
recognize Clarence Muntzinger. This was the first time he had seen him since the days that followed the forced landing in France, near the village of La Bataille. When the Russian army began to invade eastern Germany, Stalag Luft I'V is evacuated. Long marches are performed by day. The nights are spent in empty fields or hangers. On April 16, 1945 Richard and two other prisoners escape . They move at night to the west and sleep during the day in the woods. On April 19, 1945 an American truck collects them which is already full of American prisoners on the run.(18) The following steps are part of a common path for all the liberated allied troops. They were first transported to England, lived in a military hospital for a couple of weeks then eventually returned to the U.S. by ship so everyone could be reunited with their families. Barn at Eudourchapt as it looks today.
Barn at Endourchapt as it looks in 2015 .( photo courtesy of Alan Latter.)
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Barn and Monument at Endourchapt and the Memorial to the maquis de Negret ( photo courtesy of Alan Latter.)
Resistance members arrested March 22, 1944 at Endourchap Executed May 8, 1944 at Biard. Baltos, Joseph, 40 of Fountafie
Kowalsky, Leon 18 of Roumazieres
Barraud, Gaston , 40 of Mouton,
Lalay, Pierre, 20 of Vibac
Agricultural Worker Bisserier, Robert, 20 of Confolens
Lathiere, Marcel, 19 of Mouthier, Turner
Boisdon, Robert, 25 of Loubert
Lhermite,
Bornet, Theophile, 19 of Nieuel
Lostetter, Edgar, 19 of Sareguemines
Chambaud, Raymond, 21 of Saint Laurent de Ceris, Agricultural Worker
Miner
Chambre,
Mousuier, Marc, 26 of Saint Michel Pacton, Pierre, 22 of Saint Claud Mechanic
Maurice,
20 of Licheres
Martin, Michel, 20 of Yves
Paul, 26 of Negret
Chapon, Albert, 26 of Nieuil
Agricultural Worker
Prevotel, Jean-kcques 19 of La Rochefoucauld Carpender
Chartier, Francis, 19 of Villefagnan
Blacksmith Dugalais, Pierre, 20 of Chavent
Reix, Leon, 23 of Exideuil Reix, Marcellin, 20 of Saint Juniun Blacksmith Rousselot, Daniel, 19 of Angouleme Cook Smyczynski, Tadeus, 21 of Ansac Tallon, Andre, 20 of La Peruse Agricultural Worker
Agricultural Worker Deville, Adrien, 19 of Saint Projet
Duchiron, Marc, 20 of Loubert Agricultural Worker Duagas, Robert, 32 of Saintes (SNCF) Duprat, Robert, 20 of Neuil
Agricultural Worker
Vignaud, Marcel, 21 of Ansac Voiseux, Robert, 25 of Loubert
Faubert, Francois, 29 of Loubert (SNCF)
Kahu, Max, 51 of Negret Kahane, Simon, 21 of Paris
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(14) In the local paper Le Matin Charentais of 10 May 1944 it lists the 33 résistants shot, speaking of them as a terrorist group, headed by the Communists, tyrannizing the French population of the Charente by numerous acts of terror.
(15) Alex Dominski is interred at the American cemetery in Draguignan, Parcel C-12 Rangee-Tombe # 6. He was decorated with the "Purple Heart" which was awarded posthumously. (16) Letter to Bernard Ballanger August 19, 1995. (17) Lucien Couturier and Jaques Faugert, Battalion Foch, page 145. (18) Richard Frievalt was arrested March 22, 1944, he weighted 150 lbs, When he escaped April 16, 1945 he weighted 75 Ibs.
Extra Information From Other Sources
Pictures and a article that pertain to Miss Lead and her crew. A fortress falls to Battle “The December 31, 1943 to 13 hours, a flying fortress being crushed at the Battle to rescue airmen was well organized and managed. "Mr. Griffau/t Battle, did not see the plane down, he had just heard a loud noise, and then he went to the scene
American fortress
to Battle December 31, 1943
Bomber mission was to destroy the Bordeaux airport, Cognac and La Rochelle. The American
B17 fell
Battle was chased by two Messerschmitt. Ten men made up the crew. Some of these airmen were transported into the region of Charente Chasseneuil where a sector allowed them to cross the line, and
the free zone and Spain, then reach England. “ According to Sauzeau, two Americans were seen to Saveille (Paizay-Naudouin), arrested by the gendarmerie Villefagnan would have released them.
Miss Lead in a French News Paper December 1943. (The captions have been translated from French.)
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A second photo of the manor house, the old chateau at Chatelars where Richard Frievalt stayed and met Colonel Claude Bonnier on February 4, 1944. Lovely looking building but pretty much in ruins when the maquis Bir Hacheim decided to stay there after their camp in the woods became too damp.{ photo courtesy of Alan Latter.)
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Two pages from the book
'Home Run’ by Richard Townshend Bickers
When winter came, not only was this small group armed with merely a revolver and a few rifles, but also were finding their hide away very uncomfortable in the cold, wet weather. They adopted a new sanctuary in the chateau de Chatelars, a ramshackle uninhabited building, which was a good vantage point from which to survey the surrounding terrain. On 5 February, 1944, thirty of them, well armed by then, were installed there when the Regional Military Commissioner, Lieutenant Colonel Claude Bonnier, alias 'Hypotenuse',
visited them. (During his visit Colonel Bonnier had given one of the American aviators, Richard Frievalt, the title of Corporal.) Before the war he had been a mining engineer. Now he bad been sent from London to reorganize the Maquis in this area after the betrayal at Taponnat. He was welcomed with the Maquis song, composed by Jean Luissel, one of Chabanne's original companions in the forest. Says someone who was present, 'He was surprised and moved to the point of tears in his eyes. Impeccable, all in blue pullovers, these young men were a proud sight.' It was on this occasion that Chabanne's group was named Ie Maquis Bir Hacheim. The name, spelt in this way by the French, when comedy translated from Arable script into Roman, reads ‘Bir Hacheim' and means 'Well of the Sage (or Doctor)’. It was chosen in honor or the only notable action to that date fought in this war by the French Army, when in May, 1942, Rommel attacked the Gazala Line in Libya. The southernmost end of this defense line at a desert spot named Bir Hacheim, was held by General Koenig's Ist Free French Brigade. The battle there had a special significance for the French. It was the first time they had fought the Germans since capitulating to Hitler in 1940. They showed exemplary gallantry in helping the British and Commonwealth forces to repulse the enemy. Madame Helene Nebout, a school mistress, who had joined a Resistance group near Limoges in 1942. She, who took the Maquis name of 'Luc' designed a badge for the members of her Maquis to wear on their pullovers or jackets: a shield on which was a V (for Victory) with the cross of Lorraine between its arms, surmounted by the words ‘Bir Hacheim. The embroidery was done by girls in the local villages. This meeting at the chateau was the last time that the Bir Haecheim or any other Marquis was to see Claude Bonnier. Four days later be was arrested in Bordeaux and immediately committed suicide by poison, to avoid torture that might have extracted secrets from him. On the evening of that visit, the Bir Hacbeim was fortuitously engaged in a fire fight at Saint-Mary. Eleven of them were on their way by motor van to replenish their food stocks and to bring back with them two members of the Resistance from Saint-Cloud, when they were stopped by a German patrol. The maquisards' instant reaction was to open fire with their machine pistols and kill the lot. The sound of shooting alerted an enemy detachment that happened to be near at band and rushed to the scene. In the renewed fighting one Frenchman was killed. Three others kept the Germans at bay while the rest hurried back to the chateau de Chatelars. More than a hundred German troops engaged the four maquisards who were covering their comrades' withdrawal. The enemy retreated with heavy losses. When one of the Bir Haecheim, Albert Gin, was wounded by
grenade fragments the four withdrew into a wood. During the night the whole of the rest 23
of the Maquis joined their comrades, to help the wounded to cross the River Bonnicurs and make the long trek back to the chateau. If this first battle of the Bir Hacheim cost the enemy dear, it also alerted them to the fact that an organized and armed maquis existed in the Chasseneuil neighborhood. It would be unwise to stay at the chateau until a systematic search was made. They moved to another, le chateau du Gazon, whose owners, the Mesdames de Villemandy, harbored them. The three leaders, Chabanne, Pascaud and Madame Nebout, decided to disperse their men in
three groups. One set up a camp in the forest of Horte. The second, preferring mobility, moved frequently from one wooded area to another. (Richard Frievalt was with the second) The third stayed with Andre Chabanne, Guy Pascaud and Helene Nebout in the forest of les Jautieres, in the commune of Cherves-Chatelars. where their number was
gradually increased. During this time Guy Pascaud was caught and deported.
A group of the Bir-Hacheim maquis surrounding Héléne Nebout (Photo credit: departmental archives of Charente.)
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