| Capt. Edgar F. Woodward, Jr |
P |
INT |
6 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
| F/O John H. Thompson |
CP |
POW |
6 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
| 2nd Lt Emanuel A. Cassimatis |
NAV |
POW |
6 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
| 1st Lt Paul L. Englert |
BOM |
POW |
6 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
| T/Sgt Frank Danella |
TTE |
POW |
6 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
| T/Sgt Melvin E. Gaide |
ROG |
POW |
6 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
| S/Sgt George A. Janos |
BTG |
POW |
6 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
| S/Sgt Donald H. Fletcher |
RWG |
POW |
6 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
| S/Sgt Charles J. Griffin |
LWG |
POW |
6 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
| S/Sgt William D. Brooks |
TG |
POW |
6 SEP 43 |
STUTTGART |
418th Sqdn... Crew #33... MACR #688... Microfiche #227
Mission: Stuttgart A/C#42-30402 (POONTANG)
Date: 6 Sept. 1943 Time. 0930
Eyewitness accounts:
"Saw Woodward's ship going down at 4830N-0803E at 0929 #2 engine was
wind milling. Everything else seemed to be OK. " -- Walter U Moreno 1st
Lt.
"Saw Capt. Woodward's A/C turned out of formation under control and
headed for Switzerland. Nothing seemed wrong with A/C, " -- John D Brady,
1st Lt.
"A/C #402 at 0930 approximately 2 miles north of Strasbourg salvoed
bombs into a woods. Headed south and went under cloud deck. All engines
turning over. No E/A or AA at this time." -- Gale W. Clevin, Major
A letter from D. H. Fletcher of 25/1/84 states that on the way into the
target, an oil leak in #2 engine. Woodward could then have aborted, but
decided to press on. Somewhere near the IP oil pressure went to zero and
prop would not feather - cylinder head temp. went sky high. If engine
seized and prop came off it could have been disastrous to ship. It was
decided to head south for Switzerland. When they believed themselves over
Switzerland, the crew bailed.
It turned out that only Woodward, who remained with aircraft until the
crew had successfully bailed out, landed in Switzerland, the others in
Germany.
See S. O. C. p. 19
EDGAR WOODWARD WAS ON THE "ADDRESS UNKNOWN" V. A. LIST FOR MANY YEARS,
BUT AS OF 1993 HE RESIDES IN ALEXANDER, VA . HE WAS CONTACTED BY THE 100TH
SPLASHER SIX EDITOR HARRY H. CROSBY.
From Splasher Six, E. A. Cassimatis obituary:
Mr. Cassimatis told his family that German fighter planes had shot
down his B-17 bomber, which had no fighter escort of its own. He bailed
out and was making his way to Switzerland, where a farmer first took him
in, but then betrayed him to German Gestapo agents. They sent him to
Stalag Luft III, a German prisoner of war camp in Poland that housed
captured Air Force servicemen.
The Germans planned the camp to be impervious from escape. But the
prisoners organized two major escapes by tunneling, as depicted in the
1963 movie starring Steve McQueen.
Mr. Cassimatis was transferred along with other prisoners to another
camp that was liberated in 1945. He had weighed 210 pounds when he was
captured; two years later, he emerged a free man at 117 pounds.
Cindy Goodman, Splasher Six Editor
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