大象传媒

On 8th April 1945 an American aircraft heading north over German occupied Italy was seen to be coming down in flames. The crew members baled out and three of them parachuted into a flat valley in the foothills of the Appenines. The location was about 15 miles east of Monte Cusna in the direction of hte Po valley to the north east.

Lieutenant David Eyton-Jones was part of a detachment of the British special Air Service (SAS), operating with the Italian partisans in the Appenines and the foothills leading down to the Po valley. He had parachuted into the operation on the 8th March and was probably the first person to observe the American aircraft in difficulties. He proceeded in a jeep, with a partisan, to an area of flat ground where the airman had been seen to land. To the north was a river and they saw that a German Volkswagen was attempting to cross the river, presumably to reach and capture the airman. Fortunately Eyton-Jones' rescue party got there first. The airman were uninjured, not greatly dispersed and very surprised to be rescued by a Brit in German held territory! Meanwhile, the German vehicle had been uable to cross the flooded, boulder strewn river and was thus foiled, by half a mile in its mission. The Volkswagen was last seen heading north towards where it was thought the plane had crashed.

The resuced airman were taken back to the SAS base in a farmhouse, fed, and were able to rest overnight. The following day an Italian partisan guide was found to escord them through the thinly held German lines and direct them towards Florence, about 50 miles distant. The radio operator, on his next scheduled transmission to Florence, reported that the airman had been despatched.

ps. After some 53 years,through some American friends of Mr Eyton-Jones' daughter, we managed to obtain a copy of the 'Missing Air Crew Report'showing the names of the air crew and where it was thought they had crashed. ALL of the crew were safetly returned home to America. Using the internet, I found a photograph of the crew, and a 'reunion' club which had a couple of the crew members on their books. At the moment I am waiting to hear back with their e mail addresses.

David Eyton-Jones celebrated his 80th birthday in March 2003 and lives in Sussex.

Submitted by Nichola Eyton-Jones (daughter in law)

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