Captures and escapes of the crew of B-24 bomber Harmful Lil Armful
Several crew members of the B-24 bomber Harmful Lil Armful landed in the vicinity of the village of Queyrac. Some were quickly captured by German soldiers, while others were more fortunate despite their misfortune.
The airmen of the B-24 bomber Harmful Lil Armful who were taken prisoner:
2nd Lt. Philip J. Chase was slightly burned by the fire in the cockpit before he left the bomber by parachute. He was hidden by French civilians for several hours before being captured by enemy soldiers and subsequently sent to hospital. It was there that he reunited with several members of his crew: 2nd Lt. William H. Thomas, F/O. Edward E. George and S/Sgt Howard R. Peck. 2nd Lt. Philip J. Chase, 2nd Lt. William H. Thomas and F/O. Edward E. George were subsequently sent to Germany and then to Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang. S/Sgt Howard R. Peck, meanwhile, was transferred to Stalag 17B.
On his side, 2nd Lt. Harry K. Farrell Jr. managed to escape for ten days before being stopped. Unfortunately, neither the details of his journey nor the names of the people who came to his aid are known. His escape came to an end on January 10, 1944, in the town of Tonneins. He was held in the town of Agen from January 10 to 14, 1944. He was subsequently sent to Saint-Michel Prison, located in the city of Toulouse, from January 14 to February 23, 1944, in cells 13, 31, 32 and 33. From there, he was interned at Fresnes Prison, located not far from Paris, from February 24 to March 24, 1944, in cell 487. He was then sent to a German prison located in Wiesbaden, from March 25 to April 4, 1944, in cell 12. He was transferred to a prison located in the city of Mainz, from April 4 to 8, 1944, in cell 425, and then returned to Wiesbaden on April 8, 1944. From there, he was interned and interrogated at the Dulag Luft transit camp, located in Oberursel, from April 5 to 11, 1944, before finally arriving at the permanent camp, Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang, on April 14, 1944, where he reunited with part of his crew.
2nd Lt. Philip J. Chase and F/O. Edward E. George shared the same barracks within the prisoner-of-war camp: North Compound 1 - Barracks 11 - Room 14. 2nd Lt. Harry K. Farrell Jr. was also interned in the North Compound. 2nd Lt. William H. Thomas, meanwhile, was in the South Compound. The prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft 1 was liberated on May 2, 1945, by Red Army troops, before the prisoners were evacuated by air between May 13 and 15, 1945.