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2ND 1000 PLANE BOMBER RAID (ESSEN 1ST/2ND JUNE 1942)

The 2nd 1000 plane raid proved to be one of those rare occasions where outside the usual and expected attacks by anti -aircraft guns etc everything went quite smoothly, tracer fire between night fighters and gunners seen in the distance. Briefing that day had the information that the target was Essen and Krupp works. Weather over target was quite clear and a direct hit on the works clearly visible.

3RD 1000 PLANE BOMBER RAID BREMEN 25TH/26TH JUNE 1942

The day before this raid "N" for nuts our usual aircraft suffered severe damage and was "written off' and the only other plane available was an old one that had seen much service and better days.

Briefing over and all preparations made, at approximately 2300 hrs we were once again roaring down the runway on our way to Germany and the city of Bremen. Warning from navigator that the "enemy coast ahead" coincided with one of the old engines deciding to give up the ghost. This was serious because on a 1000 plane raid with all planes in and out in 90 minutes, timing was strictly essential with a wave given a 10 minutes time range in which to arrive, bomb and leave, otherwise chaos would occur with the possibility of collisions.

Shortly afterwards a second engine dies throwing behind our specified time and a secondary target has to be considered. Suddenly the sky was filled with cannon fire, exploding shells and tracers creating lines of light as they tore through and past the aircraft. Shells ricocheting off the steel door protecting the cockpit gave little lights as they were passing the small gap on the hinge side of the door.

Without full power for evasive action the aircraft was immobilised within minutes and left no other alternative but to abandon. With the forward crew gone I dropped through the escape hatch and hurtled down through the darkness of the night into the pitch blackness of the unknown and enemy territory. Delaying pulling the rip cord to avoid any involvement in the action above I dropped several thousand feet. On opening the straps of the parachute being, a chest clip on type gave me a sharp blow to the head, but fortunately still wearing a helmet was considerably softened.

Although well below the activity above the noise of the fighters seemed extremely near. Floating down a fighter circled as if checking my location. Strangely though my thoughts at this moment were not the usual associated with a dangerous situation but about missing a mess do arranged for that evening. Landing in a ditch without injury I was hiding my parachute when I heard the sound like a guard moving and shifting his gun. Quietly standing up the first thing I saw was a notice board with the word Verboten, apparently I was in some type of official establishment.

Crawling along the ditch for what seemed a interminable age I eventually felt safe and quickly made haste until finding cover under trees I sat down to consider the uncertainty of the situation and so lit a cigarette to help gather my thoughts, with dawn breaking, I took two buttons from my battle dress to make a compass and set course.

CAPTURE BY THE GERMANS

Eventually, well into Holland, I was captured while resting in a wheatfield, surrounded by six men, each pointing a revolver at my head and saying stay still. So several weeks after being shot down, I found myself in August interned in Stalag Luft III P.O.W. Camp. During the intervening weeks I was first taken to what appeared to be some type of official building for interrogation and then under heavy armed guard to a prison in Amsterdam. There in a small cell without daylight interrogation continued on a daily routine for several days.

Then without warning I was taken under guard by train to Dulag Luft for further questioning and more solitary confinement and once again suddenly removed; to Luft III, to start life as a prisoner of war. A life that was to become strictly routine with its daily roll-call and counting and being locked into the hut at dusk, shutters closed on the windows and dogs let loose to roam the compound.

The camp was built in a clearing among pine trees and surrounded by two high wire fences about 6ft apart and containing barbed wire. Sentry boxes were situated about every 100 yards and being approximately 20ft high could survey the perimeter clearly which was lit by boundary lights every 40 yards. Each sentry box contained a machine gun and a searchlight. A wooden rail about 2ft high was set in the camp about 30ft from the main wire and the guards were under instruction to shoot at anyone who touched it.

The only relief from the monotony was to concentrate on escape methods. The camp was specially built for RAF POWs and purposely sited on sandy ground to discourage and hopefully prevent escape by tunnel. The great escape however IS very well known and illustrates the determination of those involved.

The huts were built on stilts to enable inspection by the "goons" as the security guards were called for any evidence of escape. Several weeks later the Germans decided to re-open a camp called Stalag Luft to which, being smaller and situated near to the Baltic coast, and seemly to offer greater opportunities, I volunteered to go and was transferred. Discovering that the stove in my room moved we found the opening of a previous attempt and so started the first of our tunnels. Working quickly we soon neared the distance to the wire fence when misfortune, as so often happens occurred and the roof collapsed leading to its discovery one night. Being called to check, when looking through a slit in the window shutter the guards threw sand into my eyes which took many washing to clear. After one occasion when I was overcome with fumes from the grease lamps I had to be dragged out by the feet, our tunnels were small, just enough to crawl into without ventilation normally. Other attempts followed and I was sent to Stalag Luft VI on the extremity of East Prussia near to the Russian border [situated at Heydekrug, near Tilsit, now in Russia].

Mr Martin’s story continues in ‘Evacuation of Stalag Luft VI’. For other stories by Mr Martin, see ‘1st 1000 plane bomber raid, Cologne 30th /31st May 1942’; ‘Evacuation of Stalag Luft VI’; and ‘The Long March to Freedom’.

This story was entered by Jenni Waugh, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Outreach Officer, on behalf of Victor Arthur Martin, who accepts the site’s terms and conditions.

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