On June 8, 1944, two days after D-Day my father, Lt. David A. Donovan, was shot down in his P-51B mustang while strafing a German military supply train that was heading towards Normandy. This took place above the small village of Chalais in the department of Charente 55 miles northeast of Bordeaux. The mission that day for the 355th Fighter Group was to disrupt communication's and to cut off the main line railroad to Normandy. When Lt. Donovan’s plane was hit, he knew he was in trouble. He had to get his mustang, named “Mary-Joyce” after his 13-month-old daughter back home in Bayonne, New Jersey, to a higher altitude to safety bail out.
This is where the story begins of his three-month evade and escape from German occupied France. If it wasn’t for very brave ordinary citizen’s putting their own lives at risk and for the help of the French Resistance, my father might not have made it home. In October of 2019 (75 years later) three of my sisters, (including Mary Joyce), myself and our spouses, spent three weeks following in his footsteps. We visited the small towns and villages he passed through during his evasion. We were able to meet some of the people who were only children in 1944 that witnessed the attack in Chalais. We met people that were children when their parents, at great risk, took my father into their homes to harbor him from the Nazis that occupied their country.
We went to France to say thank you. Thank you to those that are still with us, and say thank you to the decedents of those who have passed. These are the very people that assisted this American pilot and kept him out of the hands of the enemy. We wanted to present them with a small gift, a Challenge coin depicting our father and commemorating the 75th anniversary of the event forever linking the Donovan family with our new French families. What we found was we were to ones being honored and thanked. The French people we met never forget the roll the Americans played in the liberation of their country. The communities of Chalais and Montboyer never forgot Lt. David Donovan who fought in his P-51 mustang doing his part to liberate them, but in turn, it was them who ended up liberating him.
This P-51-B Mustang, serial number 43-6879, rolled out of the factory on November 30, 1943, and was sent to Curries-Wright Aircraft Manufacturing in Buffalo, New York for modifications. From Buffalo it was sent to Port Newark in New Jersey on December 30 and then sent by ship to England January 27, 1944. It arrived about a month and a half before Donovan arrived.
When the Mustang first arrived at Steeple Morden it was assigned to Captain James Upchurch of the 358th Fighter Squadron (YF) who named it “Uppie’s Hazel. Donovan would fly Uppie's Hazel on occasion as well as other Mustangs on various missions. On May 13, 1944 (twelve days after Mary Joyce’s first birthday) "Uppie's Hazel" became “Mary-Joyce”.
I used two sources for the information pertaining to my father's missions. Bill Marshall’s book Angels, Bulldogs & Dragons and Tombé Du Ciel by Pierre-Baptiste Castandet. For parts of Donovan’s escape comes from information provided by Patrice Rolli (historian and author from Dordogne, France).
Arrived in England
After days of sailing across the North Atlantic on the HMS Queen Mary, Lt. David A. Donovan along with over 10,000 battle-ready GI’s, arrived at the Port of Glasgow, Scotland in early March 1944. From there, Donovan was sent to Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England and placed into a pilot replacement pool. He was here for a very short time and then was sent to the Combat Crew Replacement Center No. 8 at Goxhill, England. This is where the new fighter pilots went to get the latest training and tactics before getting assigned to one of the many fighter groups scattered throughout England.
Mission No. 1
Lt. Donovan arrived at Goxhill, March 13, 1944. His first mission wasn’t until March 20, 1944, when he went up in a P-51-B Mustang from Goxhill Air Base for some local surveillance over England. This was to familiarize the new pilots with the region and to get them ready for the many missions to come.
Arrive at Steeple Morden
After about a month of training at Goxhill, Donovan and a few of his friends were assigned to the 355th Fighter Group based at Steeple Morden, Chambridgeshire, England located 45 miles north of London.
The bus passed through the small village of Litington. Like Steeple Morden it had an inhabitance of a few hundred people. The famous St. Catherine’s Church, built in 1100 AD, located in close proximity to the air field, acted as a landmark for the pilots coming back from their missions.
Steeple Morden was an alluring town with brick houses with thatched roofs. The village seemed to have been untouched by the war and unchanged for two hundred years. The locals would invite the American’s from the base into their homes for a meal and conversation. The children loved going to the base to talk to the airmen who were very nice to kids. The kids would lay down in the grass at the end of the runway and watch the planes take off and land only a hundred feet above them. (Translated from the book Tombé Du Ciel by Pierre-Baptiste Castandet)
Mission No. 2
April 12, 1944 Lt. Donovan was called on to make is first real combat mission over enemy territory in continental Europe. For the 358th Fighter Squadron, this was their 81st mission of operation and the 300th for 8th Air Force.
Donovan and his mates were assigned to escort B-24 Liberators to Berlin, Germany. The squadron leader for the “Ramrod” (bomber escort) on this day was Maj. Raymond B. Myers. Lt. Donovan was flying as wingman for Lt. James Upchurch in the No. 2 position in Yellow Flight. The Mustangs took off from Steeple Morden and were scheduled to meet the bombers over Walcheren Island, Netherlands at 1:15 pm at 23,000 feet, but the bombers did not show. The fighters then took to ground targets in the Langensalza area of Osnabruck, Hanover and Bremen.
Steeple Morden, England
This was home base for the 355th Fighter Group made up of 3 squadrons. The 354th (Bulldogs), 357th (Dragons) and 358th (Angels). The primary job of the fighter group was to protect the heavy bombers. The bombers were coming from bases scattered throughout England and would rendezvous with the fighters for an escort to and from their targets in continental Europe.
Mission No.03
Donovan got his number called again on April 13. It was a mission to escort two hundred and eleven B-24 Liberator’s belonging to the 44th and 446th Bomber Group heading for the city of Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich. They were sent out to bomb the Lechfeld Airfield and the industrial sites in the area.
Mission No.04
On April 15, 1944, the 8th Air Force took part in a large operation over Germany. 616 fighters including the 355th FG took part. The 358th FS went out on “Rodeo2” (fighter attack sometimes with bomber decoy) at 11:50 a.m. The objective was to reach the towns of Glienick and Wittstock to attack ground targets as well as airfields. Lt. Donovan was a spare again but his mustang had engine problems and had to turn around over the Channel and return to Steeple Morden.
Mission No. 05
After two days off Lt. Donovan went up on his fifth mission. It was April 18, 1944, and Maj. Raymond Myers led the squadron as part of a bomber escort of industrial sites near Oranienburg, Germany. More than 500 B-17's (Flying Fortress) from the 303rd, 384th, 401st and 91st Bomb Groups. Donovan was flying Capt. Reed’s wing in Blue Flight.
Mission No. 06
April 20, 1944, Lt. Donovan took part in a Ramrod (bomber escort) to the coast of France. Maj. Kinnard led the 355th to provide support to the bombers attacking targets in the Cherbourg area on the west coast of France. Capt. Reed led the 358th FS over this strategic port city and the bombers were knocking out the launch sites for the fearsome V-1 rocket in Pas-de-Calais. Donovan was flying wing to Lt. Blair in Yellow Flight. No enemy aircraft was spotted, and the flak was light. The bombing mission was over at 8:00 p.m. over the town of Fécamp and all pilots returned safely to their base.
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Mission No. 07
April 22, 1944, Maj. Raymond Myers lead the 355th FG on a Fighter Sweep and patrol from Hannover to Brunswick in north central Germany. Donovan was flying in Red Flight with Maj. Myers, Lt. Al Santos and Lt. Meteyer. The 358th let down from 8,000 feet to shoot up some barges in Lake Steinhuder. After that they worked over some trains. Lt. Donovan accompanied Myers and shot up two locomotives as seen in the video (see link below). The flak was intense, and many P-51 Mustangs were damaged, but all pilots returned safely home to Steeple Morden. Lt. Donovan was in 43-6879 YF-K for the first time.
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Mission No.08
April 24, 1944, Lt. Donovan was flying wing to Lt. DeGeorge in Red Flight. The group provided target support to a bomber-task force that attacked targets at Landsberg, Germany near Munich. The 358th FS spotted approximately 30 enemy aircraft at the rendezvous point and gave chase. The enemy aircraft ran for cover and disappeared in the fog. No combat took place and all pilots returned home safe.
Mission No.09
April 25, 1944, Donovan was in Red Flight again this time assigned to Lt. Burlingame's wing. The group was heading to Dijon, France to provide target and withdrawal support to the bombers. While over the English Channel, Donovan started experiencing engine trouble, so he radioed to his squadron leader Capt. Reed that he needed to head back to base. On his way back to Steeple Morden the engine of his P-51 quit, and he lost all power. Luckily, he was close enough to the base he was able to make a "dead stick" landing.
Mission No.10
April 26, 1944, Lt. Donovan was called to Lt. Col. Dix wing in Red Flight. This was a bomber escort mission to Brunwick, Germany. When the group met up with the bombers over Steinhuder Lake some of the B-17's gunners mistook the mustangs for enemy fighters and opened fire on the friendly mustangs with their machine guns. One of the mustang's belonging to Lt. William P. Boulet of the 354th FS was hit and he needed to bail out. He was captured and became a P.O.W.
Mission No.11
On April 27th, 1944, Captain Emil Sluga was leading the 358th FS on a bomber escort mission to Lunéville and Chalons-sur-Marne in northern France. Lt. Santos was flying wing to Sluga in Red Flight with Lt. Dudley and Lt. Donovan completing the fighter element. No enemy aircraft were spotted, and all planes returned safely to their base at 9:20 p.m.
Mission No.12
On the 29th of April, Lt. Col. Dix commanded a bomber escort of more than 600 bombers over Berlin. Captain Reed was in charge of the 358th squadron with Lt. Donovan flying his wing in the #2 position with his buddy Lt. Al Santos in #4 position of Red Flight. They were supposed to meet the bombers over Steinhuder Lake, but the pilots of the 355th had to wait for nearly one hour before spotting them. On the way to the target, Captain Thomas F. Neal Jr. from the 354th FS and his wingman Lt. Herbert E. Fritts warded off the attacks of four Focke-Wulf (Fw 190s). It was cloudy and visibility was poor. Capt. Neal was last seen pursing a Fw-190 in a dive towards the town of Rathenow, near Berlin. His P-51B (#43-6577) did not return to base. Captain Neal was well liked in the 354th FS and the guys mourned his passing. He was a very good and aggressive fighter pilot.
The city of Berlin was bombed heavily but not without a price. No less than twenty B-24 bombers were shot down by Flak near the major city of Hanover in route to Berlin and a total of sixty-four bombers would never return to their bases in England. This was the second worst day in the history of the 8th Air Force in terms of loses.
Mission 13:
On April 30, 1944, Lt. Donovan and Lt. Burlingame were assigned to be radio relays for this mission. Their job was to fly over the English Channel and remain there to relay radio conversations between the group and their base. The group attacked the area around Clermont-Ferrand and Lyon and then headed for Orleans to accompany more than three hundred B-17 bombers from the 303rd and 91st Bomb Group to the north of Bourges.
Mission 14:
May 1, 1944, Donovan was flying No. 2 position in Yellow Flight on Lt. Upchurch’s wing. The group provided an escort to more than 300 bombers of the 388th Bomb Group to reach their goal which was the French city of Metz. The meeting with the bombers took place at 5:14 p.m. On the way, approximately seventy-five Bf-109s, flying northeast near the town of Reims, crossed the path of the American bombers and began attacking them until the 355th Fighter Group repelled them. At the same time, David was separated from his squadron and returned alone to Steeple Morden Air Force Base, landing there at 6:45 p.m.
Mission 15:
May 4, 1944, Captain Emil L. Sluga lead the 358th FS and was No. 1 position in Red Flight with Lt. Santos flying his wing. Lt. McElroy was No.3 with Donovan on his wing. This was another bomber escort to the German cities of Brunswick and Halberstadt. Due to bad weather the mission was canceled. On the way home, the 358th encounter thirty-five enemy Bf-109’s. The Squadron downed two enemy aircraft and damaged two more. The other two Squadrons in the group, 354th and 357th, had some success too. They downed four enemy aircraft and damaged others.
Mission 16 & 17
May 5th & 6th 1944 Lt. Donovan went up locally flying around England probably for a simple reconnaissance mission and to test technical equipment on his mustang.
Mission 18:
May 8, 1944, Capt. Emil L. Sluga was leading the 358th FS and was in the #1 position in Red Flight while Lt. Donovan was #4 in Red Flight. The mission for this day was to escort more than 800 B-17 bombers that would take them directly over Berlin.
They met up with the bombers near Berlin. Near the city of Brunswick the pilots of the 358th observed about thirty Bf-109s in the sky, but Capt. Sluga, instead of attacking, he held his squadron close to the bombers to protect them. The 352nd Fighter Group based in Bodney, England, also on this mission, went after the enemy aircraft and managed to shoot down twenty-nine aircraft. Flak was very heavy over the cities of Hanover, Brunswick and Berlin and a few B-17s were shot down.
Mission 19:
May 9, 1944, Lt. Col. Gerald J. Dix lead the 355th FG on a bomber escort to Saint-Trond, Belgium home to the “Nachjtagdgeschwader 1” the Luftwaffs’s night fighter squadron. Lt. Donovan was flying wing to Lt. Beckman in Red Flight. The mission started out as a fighter sweep of the airfield but Second Division B-24s called for help on C-channel near Dinant, Belgium and the Group vectored to provide support for them. After the B-24s dropped their bombs the pilots of the 358th FS dropped down to strafe the airfield but the smoke was so thick it was difficult to spot ground targets, so the Squadron made one pass on Saint-Trond with no verifiably results. No enemy fighters were seen and all pilots returned to Steeple Morden safely.
Mission 20:
The missions are coming at a frantic pace. On May 10th Lt. Donovan and his comrades set out for another bomber escort to Rotenberg, Germany. The weather was so bad the bombers were recalled and the mission was called off. The 355th FG was directed south to catch up with several groups of bombers that had strayed then escorted them from enemy territory.
Mission 21:
Lt. Donovan went out again on May 10, 1944. This mission was to Bradwell Bay, England for dive bombing practice.
Mission No.22:
May 19, 1944, after nine days without flying, Lt. Donovan was sent out to do some local flying to get reacquainted with the controls before getting back into combat. It is unknown why Lt. Donovan was not scheduled to fly for nine days. It could possibly be he was sick or just needed rest.
Mission No.23:
May 20, 1944, Colonel William J. Cummings to lead a mission to the Bierset and Liège area in Belgium. Lt. Donovan was in Green Flight and had a problem with his airplane. His defrost was no longer working twenty minutes after takeoff and he had to return to base.
Mission 24:
May 21, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched the first large scale force made up solely of American Fighters for a low-level machine-gun mission. Col. Cummings was leading the 355th Fighter Group on the mission called “Chattanooga" because it was primarily to destroy railroad. But that wasn’t all they would destroy. Lt. Donovan was in Green Flight for the 358th FS lead by Capt. Dissette. The mission took them to Rechlin, Germany.
Mission No.25:
On May 22, 1944, David was again called upon to participate in a mission under Lieutenant Colonel Gerald J. Dix to escort more than 300 bombers to the city of Kiel. The 355th Fighter Group provided assistance along the way from Bremen to Hamburg-Kiel until 1:50pm. Gerald J. Dix commanded a counterattack on about 20 Fw-190s who tried, unsuccessfully, to destabilize the formation. The group managed to chase them below 10,000 feet before returning bombers. The pilots of the 354th Fighter Squadron repelled between forty and fifty enemy fighters southwest of the city of Redsburg but could not catch them to shoot them down. After joining the bombers, the group again saw between fifteen and twenty Bf-109s flying between 32,000 and 38,000 feet. They decided to gain altitude and attack them. Seeing the American fighters coming in front of them, the enemy aircraft moved away. Lieutenant Colonel Gerald J. Dix still managed to shoot down an aircraft among the enemy group. Throughout the mission, the 358th Fighter Squadron sent on the run, other waves of German fighters that crossed the formation but flew much higher than them. No allied or enemy aircraft were shot down during these various assaults.
Mission 26:
On May 23, 1944, Lieutenant Colonel Gerald J. Dix once again led the escort mission, this time targeting France, and more specifically the city of Chaumont.
Mission No.27:
The next day, May 24, 1944, the missions continued at a brisk pace. The crucial goal of the day was none other than the city of Berlin. Lieutenant Colonel Raymond B. Myers was designated as the leader of the escort mission. Just after reaching their goal, more than seventy-five mixed Bf-109 and Fw-190s belonging to the Jagdgeschwader 3 will be seen at “12 o’clock ", in front of the bombers who were being escorted. The 355th Fighter Group then split into three sections with the 358th Fighter Squadron (including David A. Donovan) to intervene against the coming enemy. The 354th Fighter Squadron, as well as the 357th Fighter Squadron, remained with the bombers. Enemy fighters were repelled before they could reach the bombers, and at the same time Lieutenant Colonel Raymond B. Myers managed to shoot down an aircraft, becoming the sixth ace of the group.
Mission No.28:
Lieutenant Donovan went out for a second mission on May 24, 1944, this time in France near Beaumont-sur-Oise to bomb strategic bridges. Lieutenant Colonel Gerald J. Dix was the leader of the mission, which began at 5:20 p.m. and ended at 7:40 p.m. The 358th Fighter Squadron provided full coverage in the sky while the 354th and 357th Fighter Squadron attacked land targets and mainly a railway bridge.
Mission No.29:
On May 25, 1944, after taking part in two missions the day before, Lieutenant David A. Donovan was back on board his aircraft that day. Lieutenant Colonel Gerald J. Dix led the mission from 7:10 a.m. to 11:28 a.m. The group escorted more than 300 bombers from the 401st Bomb Group to bomb the area around the town of Metz, France. The meeting with the B-24s took place at 8:23a.m., not far from the town of Meaux. Near the town of Charleroi, two Bf-109s were spotted and chased by pilots of the group, but also by pilots belonging to the 352nd Fighter Group, recognizable by the nose of their blue-painted P-51 aircraft. No Flak or other enemy aircraft were encountered.
Mission 30:
On May 26, 1944, Lieutenant David A. Donovan departed Steeple Morden Base for a reconnaissance or exercise mission around F-122 Air Force Base, England. Nothing in particular was reported during this flight.
Mission 31:
On May 27, 1944, Lieutenant Colonel Clairborne H. Kinnard Jr was the leader of the escort mission of more than 260 bombers of the 91st Bomb Group, whose targets were the rail yards of the city of Strasbourg. The meeting with the Third Division bombers took place near the town of Neufchâteau, Belgium, at 12:19 p.m. The first bomber box mistook the P-51 Mustangs of the 358th Fighter Squadron for enemy aircraft and shot at them, fortunately without casualties. Lt. Donovan was in Yellow Flight along with Lt. Blaylock and Lt. Beckman. Above the target, the Flak was moderate to intense.
Mission 32:
May 28th, 1944, Lt. Col. Kinnard led the 355th Fighter Group on a Ramrod deep in Germany to Ruhland but had to hand over the lead over the Channel to Capt. Carlson who was leading the 357th FS.
Mission 33:
On May 29, 1944, Colonel William J. Cummings led the 355th FG on an escort mission of more than 900 B-17 bombers from the 303rd and 384th Bomb Group to the city of Poznan, Poland. Lt. Donovan was in Red Flight along with Lt. Al Santos flying his wing, Lt Ralph Colemen and Squadron leader Lt. Beckmen in the No. 1 position. The meeting with the First Division bombers took place near Poznan at 1:10 p.m. The bombers were escorted over the target until they returned. They were aimed at bombing oil installations and Focke-Wulf aircraft manufacturing plants in Poznan-Krzesiny. The group stopped the escort at 2:15 p.m. No enemy aircraft were encountered during the mission, they had just made one of the longest round trips to enemy territory, the equivalent of 1,400 miles
Mission 34: (this is the mission Donovan shoots down two enemy aircraft)
On May 30, 1944, Lieutenant Donovan was on a "Ramrod" mission over the city of Halberstadt, Germany, between 8:54 a.m. and 1:35 p.m. South-west of Brunswick, the group encountered about 40 enemy fighters. During the battle, Lieutenant Albert R. Santos managed to shoot down two Fw-190s, Donovan shot down a Bf-109 and an Fw-190 in collaboration with a pilot of the 353rd Fighter Group. Lieutenant Allan T. Robinson shot down a final Fw-190. When the escort was over, the group turned to land targets and destroyed two barges and two trains. During this mission, Donovan received an Oak Leaf Cluster to the Distinguished Flying Cross.
On May 30, 1944, no less than eighteen Fw-190s and twenty-four Bf-109s were shot down over Germany by American forces. We think that Lieutenant David A. Donovan shot down the Messerschmitt Bf-109 G-6 No.440932 piloted by Horst Steinberg, who belonged to the 1st Fighter Wing (Jagdgeschwader 1). The aircraft crashed near the town of Fallersleben, just a few miles from Brunswick, Germany. Steinberg was able to bailout of his doomed aircraft and he survived.
The report written by Major General Kerner (see document below): "David A. Donovan, O-796106, First Lieutenant, Army Air Forces, United States Army. For having completed extraordinarily, then flying as a fighter pilot in an escort mission for heavy bombers in Germany, on May 30, 1944. Providing cover for bombers, a higher number of enemy fighters were noticed, preparing to attack. Lieutenant Donovan and another pilot were dispatched by their Flight Leader to attack the enemy aircraft. Although outnumbered, twenty to one, Lieutenant Donovan and his Leader rushed to the enemy, meeting them head on forcing them to break their formation and disperse. During this engagement, Lieutenant Donovan and his Element Leader will destroy three enemy aircraft. The superiority of their skills, dedication to combat and aggressiveness against the enemy demonstrated by Lieutenant Donovan through this action reflects the highest credit to himself and the armed forces of the United States."
Mission 35:
On May 31, 1944, Lieutenant Colonel Gerald J. Dix commanded the escort mission of more than 280 bombers of the 447th Bomb Group, which were to reach the outskirts of the town of Hamm to bomb several targets, including train yards. Crossing the Dutch coast, the group of bombers reached their bombarding altitude of 25,000 feet. The results of the bombings were considered excellent. Lt. Donovan was wing man for Lt. Col. Myers in Red Flight.
Mission 36: (D-Day June 6, 1944)
After enjoying a few days of rest, Lieutenant David A. Donovan was again mobilized and this time for a mission that was to go down in history, since it was June 6, 1944, the famous D-Day, which brought the landing of several thousand Allied soldiers on the Normandy coast to liberate France and then the rest of Europe. To counter any possible Luftwaffe attack, several Fighter Groups were tasked with patrolling areas assigned to them. These missions, led from England, connected operators regularly informing pilots on missions about the movements of the German fighter in the territory where they were. After closing the door, Colonel Cummings, Major Lewis, Captain Mason, Captain Schmucker, Captain Nicholson, Lieutenant Colonel Dix, Major Rosenblatt, Lieutenant Colonel Kinnard, Lieutenant Colonel Myers and Captain Ramsdell worked on flight plans, squadron objectives, timing and armaments for the next day's invasion. At the same time, ground crews were already working to paint the black and white invasion strips on all aircraft. All P-51 Mustangs of the 354th and 357th Fighter Squadron were fuel-filled, the long-range tanks were loaded, and all weapons were ready for use. Donovan's 358th Fighter Squadron was scheduled to take off several hours later and their tanks were not filled until 04:00 on 6 June. At midnight, Colonel William J. Cummings called all the pilots at the base and briefed them on the situation and the importance of the next day's mission. All the flight routes were unveiled, scrupulously avoiding the maritime lines of the invasion force in order to avoid possible errors of friendly fire. He also asked them to be very careful when shooting machine-guns in order to avoid civilian casualties as much as possible. Finally, he recommended that pilots travel earlier than usual to
their cockpits in order to get their eyes used to the dark and become familiar with the search for all the on-board instruments and cockpit switches in the dark. A few puffs of oxygen were also recommended to sharpen their vision. On June 6, 1944, all 8th Air Force fighters flew three separate missions over certain areas and escorted fighter-bombers, in support of Allied troops landing on the beaches of Normandy, for the operation Overlord.
VIII FC FO 371-"FULLHOUSE"-Part B: Lieutenant William J. McGinty led the 358th Fighter Squadron on a "Type 16 Control" mission around the towns of Alençon and Dreux after Lieutenant Colonel Raymond B. Myers had to abandon the mission because of the a problem on his engine. David was on The Green Flight. They took off at 06:01 and reached the top of the target at 07:30. This mission was synonymous with several victories for the group. The patrol consisting of David A. Donovan, Vern W. Covault, Russell J. McNally and William L. Humphrey shared the destruction of two locomotives, four barges, two tugs and a truck near the town of Dreux (57 miles west of Paris). Russell J. McNally and Harry W. Pardee Jr shared two locomotives and two machine-gun trains at Bleury Station. The mission in the area ended at 10:30 a.m. Everyone returned safely from this mission on this special day even though many pilots had received many impacts due to the Flak in their fuselage. The pilots returned to Steeple Morden at 11:30 a.m.
Mission 37:
On June 7, 1944, activity remained just as intense as the previous day for all the American fighter pilots who were once again departing for two consecutive missions in one day. Lieutenant Colonel Raymond B. Myers led the 358th Fighter Squadron, Lieutenant Colonel Clairborne H. Kinnard Jr. was assigned to the 354th Fighter Squadron, and Captain Carl C. Colson was in charge of the 357th Squadron. David A. Donovan was on the Yellow Patrol. The three squadrons flew in separate areas from morning until early afternoon. The 358th Fighter Squadron's objective was to bomb targets in the vicinity of the town of Évreux, near Rouen, a mission that lasted from 05:05 to 08:00. Nearly thirty-five bombs were dropped. The American pilots, including David, mainly machine-gunned the roads of this sector, obviously keeping a lookout for any trucks, but also for all the positions that could contain German soldiers. Intense firepower from Flak guns was encountered over the yard in the town of Evreux, but all the aircraft managed to return safely to Steeple Morden Air Force Base. Nevertheless, June 7, 1944 was a dark day for the 355th Fighter Group, which recorded the loss of six pilots in the various squadrons.
On June 8, 1944, at 14:24 (2:24 PM), Lt. Donovan, piloting aircraft YF-K “Mary-Joyce” #43-6879, took off from his air base Station F-122.
Lt. Donovan's call sign was "Bentley 34" and he was flying in the number three position of Yellow Flight for the 358th Fighter Squadron.
Lt. Ralph Coleman was flying his wing.
Lt. Robert Peters and Lt. Thomas Meteyer completed the flight element of four P-51 Mustangs.
Lt. Peters had his first combat mission on D-Day June 6, 1944, and on June 8th he was on his third mission, and was flying Lt. Meteyer’s wing in yellow flight with Donovan and Coleman. After the mission, he wrote a letter home to his wife telling her about how close he came to getting shot down. “A 2-inch piece of armor glass is all that saved me for another day. We were in for a little strafing when it shattered in front of me. Someone knew how to use a gun, I guess. To say the least, I was a bit shaken. When I got back, I saw the whole plane did pretty well for all the holes in it. The poor guy behind me wasn’t so lucky.” The poor guy behind him was my father Lt. David Donovan.
In another letter Lt. Peters wrote to his wife after Donovan returned to Steeple Morden in early September 1944.
“Remember the day I got my windshield shot out? Well, the fellow behind me got hit and had to bail. Since then, he fought with the Free French until he found the Americans in the south of France. I wish I were able to tell you some of his stories, but censorship will not permit. Honestly, they are the most amazing things I’ve ever heard. Much better than any Robin Hood tale. Some of it is far from amusing as he saw and witnessed the Nazi brutality in full swing in many places. I don’t see how anyone can be so cruel.” The letter continues, "One of the lighter things was the way they took care of the women collaborationists after the towns were liberated. After they shaved their heads, they stripped them and branded a nice big swastika on their fanny and paraded them through town. He said it was a scream to watch no matter how mean it sounded". Lt. Peters was killed in action September 18, 1944.
I give a heartfelt thank you to Lynne Alexander for allowing me to use excerpts from her fathers letters for this story. Lynne never met her dad. He shipped off to England before she was born and was killed in action (9/18/44) in Poland on a famous mission to supply the Polish Resistance with needed arms and ammunition.
The mission on the 8th of June for the 355th Fighter Group was a "Fighter Sweep" on the mainline railroad and communication lines from Bordeaux to Tours in German-Occupied France. This was to slow the advancement of enemy troops and supplies to the Normandy coast.
The three squadrons made landfall north of the heavily fortified city of Bordeaux to avoid their heavy anti-aircraft guns. After the split, the 358th FS started shooting up a radio station as they turned north over the city of Libourne. Lt. Col Dix came in low to destroy the stations radio antenna, and as he did his Mustang clipped a support cable. His plane was damaged, and he knew he couldn't make it home, so he ditched his plane in a field and was captured. He remained a POW for the remainder of the war.
I wonder what he was thinking in this photo. Did he know his day was coming? The invasions stripes painted in his plane show that this photo was taken between June 6th and 8th, 1944. He is 53 days shy of his 26th birthday and climbed into that Mustang just about every day. Pushing fear aside, he did his job... fighting the Nazis.
Chalais, France
In the department of Charente, in the southwest region north of Bordeaux, is a small town called Chalais. (The photo is the Château de Chalais photo P. Castandet)
In 1987, my father shared his story at his 45th wedding anniversary party and luckily the camera was rolling. I transcribed his words for parts of this story.
(photo P. Castandet)
“I served mass. We had an English priest come into our base. I was the alter boy. We went out on a Sunday afternoon.”
(Dad remembered going to mass but it wasn't Sunday. June 8th, 1944, was a Thursday, the Feast of the Corpus Christi).
“The locomotive stopped underneath a highway overpass. I came down the tracks and hit 'em. Then they hit me.”
These are the words of Lt. Coleman, dad's wing man on this mission:
"After arriving in the area, we shot up a radio station. After that we started working over a main railway line on the way home. After about ten minutes we caught what appeared to be a freight train sitting on the tracks and proceeded to straf it. On the second pass, Lt. Donovan called out that he had been hit and needed to bailout. I called back to him to hold it and try opening his coolant and oil shutter doors. I then pulled up on his wing. I noticed that the coolant doors were open and coolant was streaming out. Lt. Donovan then called it was no use and was bailing out. He waved goodbye to me, got rid of his canopy and rolled his ship on his back. He cleared his ship at approximately 2500 feet and opened his chute at 1500 feet. I last saw him as he landed in a small field near a patch of woods." (Lt. Coleman was killed in action eleven days later.)
The story I remember my father telling was the fighter pilots were trained to strafe the trains at a 90° angle, and on his first pass he did that. On his seconded pass, which is not recommended because you don't want to give the enemy a second shot at you, he came down the tracks with the train in front of him and in his sites. He scored some good hits on the train.
The flack hit his plane and caused a coolant leak, and it didn't take long for his Mustang to catch fire.
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The train was carrying tanks and aircraft parts to Normandy. Below is the death certificate of Paul Preller killed in action in Chalais on June 8, 1944, probably in the train attack. Preller was a German soldier in the tank 2nd Abeilung Panzer-Regiment 15.
Several German tank-men belonging to Panzer-Regiment 15 of the 11th Panzer-Division pose in front of a very well camouflaged Panzerkampfwagen IV tank. The photo was taken in the Chalais sector in March 1944 (Collection P. Castandet)
Donovan thought the flak came from the train but we think it actually came from the roof of the Château de Chalais. When the Germans came to Chalais, they moved into this Château and modified the roof to install anti-aircraft guns. This was a perfect location to protect the rail-line. My family and I were fortunate to be given a tour of this beautiful 11th Century castle.
I met Camil Bey, a lifelong resident of Chalais and born three years after this battle took place. He remembers the story his mother told him how she and his older sister narrowly escaped injury and maybe even death. Only moments before the 358th squadron began strafing their targets, Camil’s mother, 20-year-old Albertine Bey had her one-year-old daughter Henriette in a stroller were in a farm field very near the railroad tracks and across the road to Le But (the farming community where my father came down). A German soldier came out of the adjacent forest where they were hiding their DCA (anti-aircraft artillery). The soldier was shouting for Albertine to run for cover as he grabbed the stroller, and they ran for the farmhouse. Seconds later the shooting began.
Dad was able to get his aircraft to a safe altitude (about 2500 ft to bailout. As he floated to the ground, he spotted the woods where he ultimately would hide, however, the Germans on the ground spotted him and were heading his way.
“I saw a guy working in his garden and I asked him to hide me. He shouted,“aller-aller” (go-go) so I headed for the woods. The Germans were close”.
He landed in a field in this small farming community of Le But. It had very few inhabitants in 1944. Mr. Andre Tassot, the fiancé of Mme. Yvonne Dubreuil, was the first person Dad came across. With too many Germans around it was risky to help the American. Donovan was on his own. Despite this he was somehow able to get civilian clothes. When the Germans arrived, they sent Mr. Tassot into the field to retrieve the parachute because they thought the pilot set a booby trap.
Mr. Poineau was 11-years-old and lived only 500 meters from the spot Dad landed in his parachute. He told us he saw Donovan coming down in his parachute and he saw the Mustang crash in a place called Moulin Poisnaud.
Monsieur Poineau remembers the Germans took other local residents into custody for interrogation including René Giraudon from a nearby farm called “Chez Foucault” and Marcel Lucas who stopped to see the wreckage at “Le Moulin Poisnaud”.
The Thèvenin family, a young couple with a small child, were taken into custody. The Germans held them hostage and threatened their lives unless the American pilot is given up. This lasted a few hours and the Thèvenin family was released unharmed.
MONTBOYER
(photo P. Castandet)
This is where Dad met Jacques Rougier. Then only 14 years old, Jacques was able to direct him to a hiding spot in the woods. He stayed in hiding until it got dark and the Germans appeared to give up their search. At times, Dad said, the German's got so close he could actually hear them talking.
Via email Jacques explained to me how he helped my Dad. He wrote, “to communicate we used gestures and drawings on the ground”. Dad wanted to head west toward the Atlantic coast thinking he could meet up with the invading allied troops at Normandy. Instead, Jacques steered him east where there were less Germans and more French Resistance.
Jacques passed away in 2014. Though I was unable to meet Jacques and thank him in person, I am grateful we were able to connect and correspond via letters and email.
Photo in the background shows German soldiers in Montboyer.
This picture below shows the location of Dad's plane crash in comparison to where he landed with his parachute, as well as, Jacques' location at the time.
“I stayed with your father for 5 or 6 hours. At about 10 o'clock he left.”(Jacques recalled)
For many years, Jacques tried to find out who this American pilot was that he met in the field on that fateful day of June 8th, 1944. Thanks to the internet his search paid off. A veterans organization in France told him there was a young man from Libourne was also searching for information on a pilot that crashed in Montboyer. That young man was Pierrie-Baptiste Castandet.
I asked Pierre to wright his bio
Here is the « biography ». It is not so easy to do this 😁
Pierre-Baptiste Castandet, your guide for the week 😉
18 May 1991 : I was born in the city of the wine, Bordeaux and live here till today.
I have 1 sister, Jade, who is close to be notary. My mother had a clothing store in Libourne and my father was winegrower in Saint-Emilion, they are now retired. About myself, I’m working in the marketing department for a wine company near Bordeaux.
I can’t exactly remember since how many years I’m passionate about the History and more precisely about the WWII but I’m pretty sure it’s thanks to my grandfather who spoke me a lot about the war when I was young. Every Saturday, when I visited my grandparents we exchanged a lot together about these events : the invasion of the German soldiers in France, the life during this period, the combat, the liberation, ...
One day, we were walking in the vineyard, my grandfather also named Jacques stopped, show me a place in the horizon and said to me : « You know, here in the summer of 1944, I saw many planes straffing the radio station. It were American planes. I remember seeing them fall down from the sky, straffing a lot and few minutes after they disappeared really fast ».
It was at this moment I started looking informations about these pilots ... and David. Thanks to him and his story I met a lot of interesting people in 10 years of research : Patrice Rolli, Jacques Rougier, Claude and Annick Lamy, etc. We are all now linked with the story of David.
It is an honor for me and for all the French people to receive you, 75th years after the D-Day, to never forget what they did for us and to share a great moment.
I am so grateful that Pierre took an interest in Dad's story. He is the one responsible for all of this research and he contributed many of these photos. Pierre talked to witnesses that personally showed him the spot where Dad's plane crashed. He gave me small pieces of the plane, relics that he collected from the crash site.
(photos p. Castandet)
The plane ended up in this field. (Moulin Poisnaud)
The P-51 came down careening off the embankment in the foreground. The embankment caught on fire and the plane slid across the road coming to rest in the field against the tree in the far corner.
Just another 100 yards and the plane would have crashed into this house.
Rene Sallier was a young man working as a carpenter during that time when he heard the gunfire. He saw the plane with a trail of smoke falling from the sky. He hopped on his bike and rode to the scene. Rene had heard that the people in the area gave Dad a change of clothes. That would explain why Jacques said Dad had on a blue shirt when he met him.
By the time Rene got to the crash site he found the Germans there standing around the burning plane.
Local newspapers the Charente Libre and Sud Quest ran story’s before we arrived and after we left (October 2019).
“That night I went into a barn and I climbed up in a loft. It was dark and I couldn’t see much. I crawled around until I found a good spot and I laid down. It was a good thing I did because that was the end of the loft. I would have fell over the edge. I didn't find that out until the next morning.”
“The next morning(6/9/44) there was an old guy and his handicapped son in his 20's came in to milk the cows. I figured I could handle them if they gave me any trouble. I came down from the loft and told them who I was and they brought me in the house.”
We believe this was Mr. Blin and his son. They moved away from Montboyer and no family remain in area.
“They let me dry off my clothes. They showed me where I was on a map and where to go to meet the Resistance.”
“They fed me breakfast, and I headed towards Perigueux (Dordogne).”
THANK YOU MONTBOYER
Aubeterre-sur-Dronne
Above is showing the route Dad might have taken when he left the farmhouse on foot and traveled towards Périgueux as instructed by the farmer. He found a friend along the way. The only information we have from Aubeterre are from Dad's handwritten notes and his testimony. He told us that he stayed off the road and moved from farm field to farm field keeping out of site from the Germans.
Dad came across a boy, 17-years-old, in a tree picking cherries. He told the boy who he was and the boy got all excited. He told Dad to "wait here; I'll get my mother". When the boy came back with his mother, she had bread and wine and that was the signal the Resistance used for trust. Dad went with them to their home, and they hid him in a shed overnight. Unfortunately, the identities of the boy and his mother are unknown. Some of the old timers still living in Aubeterre up to the date of our trip do not recall anyone from the town working for the Resistance. This woman and her son played a very instrumental role in my father's successful escape. They knew exactly where to take Lt. Donovan to put him in the hands of the Resistance. That place was in Mussidan in the Dordogne.
“They put me in a shed in the back yard and locked it. The kid had a trap door in the roof. He asked if I was hungry, I said yes. He brought me a bowl of soup. Cabbage soup. I hate cabbage so when he wasn’t looking, I dumped it. The kid saw the empty bowl, so he brought me another bowl”.
MUSSIDAN, Dordogne
Donovan and the 17-year-old boy from Aubeterre arrived in Mussidan on June 10th, 1944, where they met Yves Bouche in a café. Yves took Donovan to the Hotel Dupuy where he worked. This is where Donovan met with the Regional Chief of the Resistance, Bernard. (Bernard's real name we think is Andre Serre.)
The background photo shows The Donovan’s in front of the former Hotel Dupuy. (10/10/19)
My father and the 17-year-old boy probably crossed the Isle River over this bridge.
“I spoke French, which I flunked in high school, but I passed over there. But they brought a guy in that spoke English.”
“This was the exam, I had to tell 'em, 1) my squadron leader's name, 2) my group commander's name, 3) my airplane number, 4) who won the last World Series, 5) what the "jitter bug" was.”
This was all verified, and Donovan was taken in with the maquis. (French Resistance fighters are called maquisards. The word can translate to "the bush" scrubland). The Nazis would send English speaking spies to infiltrate the Resistance. This group wanted to make sure that Donovan was really an American pilot.
- On or before June 11, 1944, Dad was moved to this house just outside the city of Mussidan in the community of Saint-Front-de-Pradoux owned by Yves Bouche. This move perhaps saved dads life. In the morning of June 11, many men from the maquis took positions in and around the Mussidan train station waiting for the expected Nazi security train to roll in. When it did the ambush began, and at the end 18 German soldiers were killed. This security train was to protect this strategic main line railroad from saboteurs.
The 11th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht immediately came to Mussidan at the end of the train attack. The fighting continued in and around Mussidan and in front of the Hotel Dupuy. The maquisards were starting to become out gunned so they started to retreat to their hideouts in the forest of the Double and other camps. When the smoke settled, the 11th Panzer Division working with the North African Brigade started to round up the citizens of Mussidan and surrounding area. They executed 52 citizens that evening. Lt. Donovan witnessed this from Yves house which was only 3 miles from the train station.
The man that deserves the credit for the information around the town of Mussidan is Patrice Rolli. Patrice is an author and historian who has written books about World War II and the French Resistance. In two of his books he includes the story about my father and the Resistance Fighters in Mussidan.
There is a memorial for the Resistance of Saint Etienne de Puycorbier (a village near Mussidan) that Mr. Rolli was commissioned to write some of the plaques. This is the maquis [ma' ki] ) that welcomed Dad. Patrice knew these men.
Monsieur Pichardie and his lovely wife came to the ceremony at the Memorial de la Resistance. It was Mme Pichardie that read in the newspaper that the family of David Donovan was coming to Mussidan and persuaded Michel to come and tell his story. He never told anyone until this day that Lt. Donovan stayed in their house for a short time. Michel’s father, Auguste was working for the Resistance and was friends with Yves Bouche. Their houses were very close in Saint-Front-de-Pradoux. Michel told me through an interpreter while his father, Auguste, was away doing work for the Resistance my father stayed with him and his younger sister. It was perhaps only a day or two. He said my dad even prepared meals for them. When my father left, he gave Michels’ sister a patch. It was pilots' wings.
After a few days, Yves Bouche brought Lt. Donovan to a maquis 3 miles NW of Mussidan where he met the leader of the 4th FTP Battalion, Francois Hugon. This place is called the Domaine-de-Colombat in Saint-Etienne-Puycorbier.
Sitting on the steps of Saint André Church in Saint-André-de-Double (10/11/19).
A member of the maquis, Guy Leger recalls "David the Pilot". "It was Yves Bouche who brought me David. This American pilot came from Charentes. He stayed with us two weeks. He showed us how to use the guns we received from the Americans. He was very pious. On all the Sundays he wanting to go to mass. So Lucien Laforet escorted him to the church in Saint-Michel-de-Double and stood guard at the door at while David was inside".
David stayed with this maquis at Domaine de Colombat (Saint Etienne-de-Puycordier) for about two weeks. Here they made him phony papers with a photo that David provided. Pilots carried such photos for this reason.
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Below is the Domaine de Colombat, in Saint-Étienne-de-Puycorbier. This is where Dad stayed for two weeks in June, 1944 with the Resistance. The allies would make air drops in the clearings around this area of weapons and other supplies. Dad would teach the Maquis how to use the US made weapons. The new owners of the Domaine de Colombat since 1990, Stephen and Carelle Sherwood, a lovely British couple, remodeled this once hunting lodge that was built for the French King Henry IV built in 1594.
Ancienne Gare de Beaupouyet
(Old Station of Beaupouyet)
A girl came to the Domaine de Colombat and took Donovan to Beaupouyet where he met Yvette at the train station.
Yvette was born on March 29, 1907 in Sens (Yonne) France. She was living in Itteville (south of Paris) as a hairdresser when she was working for the Françoise Network. She was recruited by Philippe (Jean-Henri Bregi).
She was responsible for guiding 30 British and American airmen from the west regions to Toulouse starting in December of 1943 until her end of service August 8,1944. After D-Day of course her job became much more difficult and dangerous.
While on the train Dad met Philippe (Jean-Henri Bregi). He was an important member of the famous Pat O'Leary network and then the Françoise network. He was very active transporting downed airmen to hideouts belonging to Françoise (Marie-Louise Dissard).
They traveled to Bordeaux then Toulouse, close to the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains. This made David think he was going out over the mountains into Spain. This was the way the majority of the airmen got out of France...but, not in this case.
Toulouse
Place du Capitole
Toulouse (Haute-Garonne)
David traveled by train to Toulouse via Bordeaux with Philippe (Jean-Henri Bregi) and Yvette Breard. This was difficult as well as dangerous especially after D-Day. The Gestapo stepped up their efforts to seek out and arrest the Resistance transporting allied airmen. David's phony papers described him as a deaf mute. If the Gestapo stop and question them, he will not have to talk. That was Yvette's job. She would turn on the charm and draw the attention to her and away from David.
Jean-Henri BREGI delivered David to 95 Chemin de Nicol, on June 26, 1944. A woman named Henrietta Garric lived there with her daughter Marcelle. He was told 6 Americans had left Toulouse that morning to make the hike over the Pyrénées into Spain.
Villa Pamplemousse
David waited in this house for two weeks then he was taken to another house owned by Marie-Louise Dissard (Françoise). It was called the Villa Pamplemousse. Francoise was not living there at the time she was hiding from the Gestapo in another location. In the house lived a widow Mme Lamy (Andreé Lamy) and her 3 children. She was being cared for by Françoise. Her husband René Lamy was another notorious helper for the Françoise network. He was killed May 10, 1944, at a train station in Creil (north of Paris). He was there to pick up a pilot, and the Allies bombed the station.
After 5 days Bregi took Dad to Laguepie (Tarn et Garonne) and put him with a maquis.
We spent a wonderful afternoon with Claude and his daughter Yveline at his apartment in Toulouse. He showed us the collection he has saved from WWII.
Laguepie (Tarn et Garonne)
Because Toulouse was getting too dangers, on August 2, 1944 Jean-Henri Bregi delivered David to two other Resistance workers associated with the Jean-Marie Network, Lucien Meric and his wife Alice in Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val (Tarn-et-Garonne) 60 miles northeast of Toulouse.
David was moved to Saint Dalmaze, near Laguepie and he stayed with this family (August 13, 1944).
In early May of 2020 my good friend Pierre found Daniel Pascal. This is Pierre’s words of the conversation.
Hello Jack, good news ! I phoned today to Daniel PASCAL, the son of Edouard PASCAL 😁 This man is like Claude, he was 8 years old in 1944 and have a lot of memories. He confirmed me that it was his family who hidden David in 1944. So he is the young one in the photo taken in Saint-Dalmaze (with the curly hair), the little girl was his cousin named Solange and she was 12 years old. His father was the man and maybe his mother for the woman, he will confirm me 😊👍🏻
They had hidden 3 pilots during the war. The pilots sleeped in others houses that Edouard Pascal owned in Saint-Dalmaze but every night they eat all together.
He don’t remember who brought David to them and who take him after but he well remember that he sing with him the famous French song « Alouette, gentille alouette ». He also said me that David write a lot of letters after the war, during maybe 1-2 years. He had the letters but unfortunately, the ex-wife of Daniel threw away everything during the divorce few years ago ...
Pierre continues; I received today an email from Daniel Pascal, he confirmed me that in the photo there is his father, his mother, his cousin Solange and himself. He is so happy because he never saw these photos before ! 😳
He also remember that they laught a lot in 1944 with David because it was complicated for him to say the word « canevas » (tapestry-embroidery) 😊
Saint-Eutrope Chapel (Verfeil-sur-Seye)
This is how it looks today (at right). The photo below with David and the group is taken at this very spot early August 1944.
David stayed with Charles between August 13th - 19th 1944. When David heard that the Americans were invaliding from the south in Provence, (Operation Dragoon), he wanted to leave and try and meet up with them. This is when he meets Stephen Post.
After Jean-Henri Bregi brought David to Laguepie he said he was going to Bordeaux to pick up another pilot and he would come back to get him. David stayed in the Laguepie area for approximately one month and Bregi did not return because he was arrested on a bogus charge by the local police. So, David decided to go off on his own. He headed north and ran into a naturalized French citizen from Australia. His name was Steven Post, and he took Pop to Villefranche (Aveyron). But before he left, Lt. Donovan was instructed to write down his intention. The document below was just discovered on 8/19/20 seventy-six years later to the day. Note the date on the document.
This map shows the route David took after Toulouse. He made it to Toulouse on June 26th, 1944. He arrived in Laguepie (the star NW of Albi) around July 15th, 1944, and stayed there one month. After Steven Post turned him over to another maquis they brought him to Villefranche and that maquis took him to Millau. There he met up with a SOE team (Special Operations Executive) commanded by Captain Harold Hall (British). With him were Lieutenant P. Morgan (French) and Sergeant T. Baumgold (America). They were part of "Operation Jedburgh". It was a clandestine operation during WWII in which personnel of the British Special Operations Executive, the U.S. Office of Strategic Services and the French Central Bureau of Intelligence and Operations. This team was code named Collodion-Loch. The Jedburgh teams were to parachute in behind enemy lines and link up with French Resistance (Maquis) and provide a link between the guerrillas and the Allied command. He stayed with this group for four days and then they took him to Lodeve (Herault). From there they took him to LeVigan (Gard). This team worked with the FFI ( French Forces of the Interior).
Dad worked with this group and they took him to Nimes. He slept with the officers of the French First Division who liberated Nimes the day before. (The accommodations must have been good for him to mention this). The next day they told him that the Americans had an airfield in Salone (Bouches-du-Rhone).
So then David meets up with a private who took him to Avignon to cross the Rhone River. There he flagged down a jeep with two American officers in it. Col. Robert Story and Major Semmes who took him back to Nimes and then to Salon.
David got orders from the 12th Tactical AF which gave him orders to Naples, Italy and then to Caserta, Italy. There he was interviewed by MAAF intelligence and they arranged for him to fly to the U. K. by way of Gibralrar on September 6, 1944.
The following is the testimony of my father Lt. David A. Donovan. They are his words describing what took place in the three months he was behind enemy lines. This testimony was part of his debriefing when he got back with allied troops.
8 June Strafing R.R. from Bordeaux to Tours. Hit by flack. Bailed out 1500ft. 5:00pm. Landed in the vicinity of Chalais,( Charente) 53 km WNW of Perigueux. Landed in a field. I saw Germans coming in a truck so I ran in the forest and covered myself with leaves. They talked a few yards from me. Left forest at 11:00 headed east with map and compass. That night slept in a barn. The next day asked the farmer for breakfast and to contact resistance. He told me to go to Perigueux.
At Aubeterre, (Dordogne) there I ran into a boy. Spent the night in a garage in town. (He was a radio mécanique age 17, blond). He got 2 bicycles and the following morning went to Mussidan, (Dordogne). There I met Yves Roche at a café and he took me to a hotel were he worked Hotel Dupoy. Next day they brought the regional maquis chief called Bernard (tall, black curly hair 6/3 age 25). The next day I went to the maquis 3 miles outside of Mussidan (NW of it). Maquis chief called François. I stayed with them 2 weeks. They had gotten in touch with French Intelligence made me French papers with my photograph A girl came to get me and put me on a train at Beaupouyet (8kmWSW of Mussidan) where Yvette met me (short dress, black hair, had a net in her hair). On the train was Phillipe (tall, 6’, husky, fat aged 50). Went with them to Toulouse via Bordeaux. At Toulouse I arrived on the 26 of June was brought to 95 Chemin de Nicol, Toulouse. Phillipe brought me to the house. One of the women living there was called Garric had a daughter. 6 Americans had left from Toulouse that morning I was told at the house. I waited there in that house for 2 weeks. Then I was taken to another house which was Françoise house. She was not living in that house she was hiding out. In the house lived a widow called Mme Lamy whom Françoise was taking care of. I waited there for 5 days. They took me to Laguepie (Tarn et Garonne). They put me with a marquis. Phillipe brought me there.
He told me he was going to Bordeaux to pick up another pilot and then would get me. While waiting I worked for the maquis. At the end of a month I decided to work myself north from maquis met at Laguepie an Australian French civilian living there had been in last war his name was Steven Post. He took me to Villefranche (Aveyron). He turned me over to a maquis that took me to Millau. There I met an OSS team commanded by Captain Harold Hall and Captain Hubert (both English). S/Sgt. Theodor Baumgold and a French lieutenant named Morgan. I stayed there 4 days and then they took me to Lodeve (Herault). From there they took me to Le Vigan (Gard). (This team worked in this place with FFI). There I found a maquis which took me to Nimes. Slept there with the officers of the French First Division who had a liberated Nimes the day before. The next day they told me that the Americans had an airfield at Salone (Bouches Du Rhone). Met in Nimes a US private who took me to Avignon to cross the river. There I was picked up by a Col. Robert Story and Major Semmes who took me back to Nimes and then went to Salon. Got orders from 12th Tactical AF. Gave me orders to Naples. From there went to Caserta. There I was interviewed by MAAF intelligence. They arranged forme to fly to U.K. by way of Gibraltar (9-6-44). In London I found out I was to come at 63 Brook Street.
N.B.
Françoise was hiding from the Gestapo. Also Phillipe said he was going to give up the work to difficult now.
1. Saw on the 11 June or 12th 50 civilians machined gunned in front of their houses in the streets. This was a reprisal of the killing of 18 Germans. I saw this from Bouche house.
2. Saw in Rodez remains of political prisoners buried in the outskirts of town. They were buried up to there necks and then hit with rifle buts and then killed them with machine guns the heads were not recognizable.
3. In the vicinity of Millan they had killed and machine gunned 22 boys of the maquis in an ambush and then decapitated the corpse. The French buried them in Lodeve. I saw the bodies.
David gets back to his troops just in time to wish his wife a Happy Anniversary.
Thank you for your interest in the story of Lt. David A. Donovan. This is a work in progress for me and my French counterpart Pierre, so keep checking back for new information that we uncover. Don’t forget click “Appreciate” at the end. If you'd like to contact me here is my email jjnavonod@msn.com (Jack Donovan)