- Contributed by听
- derbycsv
- People in story:听
- John W Windle, Father Norbert, Richard Braun, Erwin Folz
- Location of story:听
- near Edenkoben, Germany. Ludwigshafen.
- Background to story:听
- Army
- Article ID:听
- A4323683
- Contributed on:听
- 01 July 2005
This story was submitted to the People's War site by Linda Freeman of Radio Derby CSV Action Desk on behalf of John W Windle, Flight Engineer, and has been added to the site with his permission.The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.
When I pulled the ripcord the parachute only swung once before I touched down. I can assure you that it was the last thing on my mind, but I had just fullfilled the one and only condition (by the skin of my teeth) to join the Catapillar Club. A dog gave me away and I was taken to a forester's house. His two daughters wanted to know where I had left the parachute. A short while after, two soldiers took me in a lorry and I saw the navigator but our attempt to speak was soon stopped. I was eventually taken to what I guessed was a police station, and told to sit on a chair. After a while a newcomer came in. I was surprised to see that he carried a rolled umbrella, wore spats and a bowler hat. He started to interrogate me in perfect English. It was many years later, in fact 36 years, that that mystery was solved. In 1979 we went on holiday to Germany and met a RC Father, told him that we were looking for the grave of the rest of my crew. He befriended us, took us to some of his Parishioners, invited us to stay any time we would like to. We returned for some years, my wife actually did some cooking for the Father, who had a little old lady to look after him. We returned the favour by letting the Father stay when he came to England. While we were with the Father we were invited to the Burgermeister's office. He was pleased that I had no hard feelings against the Germans. They were not all Nazis (who were?). Father Norbert sent us bottles of wine calling them "Peace Bombs". Word was spreading about us and we were visited by Richard Braun and Erwin Folz from Ludwigshafen to find all about the crash from me. They gave me a copy of a letter that Erwin had sent to the Burgermeister in Muhlberg on Elbe where I was in Stalag IV B, and the reply. It was a Transit camp I was supposed to be in Luft 3, Sagan but it was full up. That was the one where the fifty officers were shot. We were liberated at 6am on St George's day 1945 by 3 Cossacks (the Germans having fled). The Americans and Russians met at Torgau nearby. I believe Napoleon camped there. I, amongst other Kriegies crossed the river Elbe there.
Richard speaks perfect English and his English teacher dressed exactly as I described. Richard was 14 in 1943 and had been moved from Ludwigshafen to Neustadt An Der Weinstrasse where the police station was. The odds are that his headmaster was used because of his knowledge of English. Father Norbert meanwhile, had got in touch with friends who went in the private part of the forest where they had a platform in the trees which was used for Boar hunting and found parts of the Stirling. We were taken up to the spot and my wife found some fuel pipes. Father Norbert sent us a shoebox with various parts, some I still have. I have various photographs, letters from Father Norbert, my flying log book, POW letters etc.
In 1990 we went to Reinberg Cemetery on the German border with the help of German friends and I was able to pay my last respects to the rest of the crew.
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