The Crash (Part four): 08:00 – 28 April 1944, it was the next day

May 31, 2019May 31, 2019Tim B

It was now morning daylight. Sometime in the morning hours, members of the French resistance army removed the remains of Chuckie and his four fellow comrades from the wreckage of the plane in a field near Saint-Cyr-de-Valorges, France and buried them in an unmarked temporary grave. They also worked very hard to quickly retrieve all the container canisters and packages of supplies strewn about and to hide them.

The Nazi’s would soon arrive at the crash site to retrieve any intelligence they could find.

Quickly burying the dead while under threat of the imminent danger of the arrival of the Nazi’s was a humane act of enormous compassion and respect by the French people. They protected Chuckie and the other fallen from any potential further desecration by the Nazi’s. It also allowed for Chuckie’s body to be identified and, at a later point, safely moved to a temporary cemetery and his subsequent permanent interment in December 1948 at his final resting place at Rhone American Cemetery in Draguignon, France.

Chuckie’s parents were never given many facts about how he died because on his “S E C R E T” Carpetbagger mission. They did have the comfort of knowing that their their son’s body was always treated with the dignity and respect he deserved for paying the ultimate sacrifice for Freedom.

Chuckie’s family never saw these photos of his crashed plane.
Today, they are easily findable by anyone on the internet.

**April 1944 B-24 Liberator “The Worry Bird” wrecked upside down in a field west of Lyon, France, after striking a hill near the town of Saint-Cyr-de-Valorges during a night mission.** **Note the square ‘Joe Hole’ which canisters and packages exited during an airdrop.**

**A second photo of** **B-24 Liberator “The Worry Bird” April 1944**
**This is the underside of the bombay compartment in the center of the aircraft and the tail section section.**

Killed In Action – 28 April 1944
Lieut. George W Ambrose, Pilot; of Springdale, PA
Lieut. Robert H Redhair , Co-Pilot; of Bartlesville, OK
S Sgt. Charles M Wilson, Engineer; of Beaver, PA
Lieut. Arthur B Pope, Navigator; of Fulton, GA
Lieut. Peter Roccia, Bombardier; of Washington, D.C.

“It was the next day that they (the French) realized that two more Americans survived (in addition to Mooney). They found the chutes, 1st one and then another, which they immediately buried.“

Survivors of the crash included:
Sgt. James J Heddleson, Radio Operator; of Louisville, OH
Sgt. George W Henderson, Tail Gunner; of Santa Monica, CA
Sgt. James C Mooney, Dispatcher; of Englewood, NJ – He volunteered for this mission (his first) – the rest of the crew only met him shortly before take-off, as regular crew member Sgt. W. Bollinger had reported off sick that day.

“We assumed everyone was killed except Sgt. Mooney.
His condition was such, I found out later, that the man whose house he was taken to, had to turn him over to the Germans. He told me personally how sorry he was for having to do this. But I tried to assure him that in Sgt Mooney’s case (broken back) he probably saved his life as I heard the Germans took him to a hospital.“

Heddelson and Henderson were now on the move to evade the enemy, as trained

“We moved only at night as we traveled quite a way for the shape we were in. The French started to look for us they said in every direction possible. We skirted villages and main roads, avoiding everyone we saw, especially the Germans. Having no idea where we were, we headed South.”
Edited from transcribed copy of letter by crash survivor James Heddelson in the archives at the Air Force Academy June – 1998

A French secret agent on the ground that day also took the piece of the plane with the serial number.

It would soon be returned back to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) headquarters at Baker Street in London as part of his field report to the Allied Forces command that the plane had crashed and USAAF men had died.

The Crash (Part three): 02:20 – 28 April 1944, seen like a beacon

May 30, 2019May 31, 2019Tim B

Chuckie and his fellow crew onboard B-24D serial no. 42-40997 The Worry Bird (formerly Screamin’ Mimi of the 565th Bomb Squadron, 389th Bomb Group) clipped a hill near its drop zone in Saint-Cyr-de-Valorges, Loire, and crashed killing him and four other crew; three airmen survived.

When it struck the ground on the third downward circle, the B-24 divided into four distinct compartments as it crash landed.

Chuckie and the four other airmen in the first to sections were killed; the three airmen in the back two sections survived after being able to parachute out and away from the plane to safety just before the crash landing.

bombardier-navigator’s compartment in the nose of the aircraft which contained the navigational equipment, bomb-sight, bomb controls, and nose guns or nose turret; where navigator Lieut. Arthur B Pope, Navigator; and bombardier Lieut. Peter Roccia, Bombardier were located
flight deck which included the pilot’s compartment, radio operator’s station, and top gun turret; where flight engineer Chuckie along with pilot Lieut. George W Ambrose and co-pilot Lieut. Robert H Redhair were located
bomb bay compartment in the center of the aircraft under the center wing section (half deck is located above the rear bomb bay); where survivor Sgt. James C. Mooney was located
rear fuselage compartment which contains the lower gun turret, waist guns, bottom camera hatch, photographic equipment, and the tail gun turret; where survivors Staff Sgt. James Heddleson and Sgt. George Henderson were located

Radio operator James Heddleson and gunners George Henderson and James C. Mooney survived. Heddelsman wrote a first person account of the crash in a letter to author Ben Parnell for his 1987 book Carpetbaggers: America’s Secret War in Europe. A transcription is in the archives at the Air Force Academy. A portion is reprinted here.

1st I hit my forehead, partly falling out and then I was thrown backwards toward the “Joe Hole” area, with the back of my head slamming into something in the plane. Sgt. Mooney is gone, he apparently fell out of the “Joe Hole.” I found out later he held onto the chutes (packages). Luckily he wasn’t killed, although the poor man must have suffered terribly. His back was broken, this I was told later. Sgt. Henderson was immediately out of the tail section.
We found each other.
Henderson and I were apparently fairly close to each other … as each of us made our way back to the plane.
The plane seemed to be everywhere
Our plane could be seen like a beacon for miles like a beacon.. . . the ammunition exploding and whatever was in the canisters also going off. . . and the noise it made in the still of the night with everything exploding certainly would attract a lot of attention.
The canisters were scattered everywhere.
The French worked very hard throughout the night, very hard, trying to retrieve them. Sgt. Henderson and I were apparently fairly close to each other and as each of us made our way back to the plane, we found each other.
We assumed everyone was killed except Sgt. Mooney.
Mooney, we tried to find him, hoping he was alright, but it was night and in the mountain area and after a while we gave up. We were not only hurting physically, but also emotionally, myself being only 20 years old at the time.
We could hear noises like cars or truck engines or so we thought.
My left leg was hurt and was getting worse as it was swelling around the knee. We had no idea where we were, but the 1st thing we thought of was it could be the Germans.

We started down the hills toward the valley,
Not knowing anything about the territory, we just decided to slip away in the night, the best way we could.
Edited from transcribed copy of letter by crash survivor James Heddelson in the archives at the Air Force Academy June – 1998

His back broken, Mooney was helped from the crash area by a French women from the village but was soon handed over to the Germans for urgent care when the seriousness of his injuries became clear. He survived as a POW in a Lyon hospital recovering from his injuries. Heddleson and Henderson successfully evaded the enemy by first hiding under cover, then being taken in by the French Resistance Army the Maquis, living with them for three months and even going along one night to help blow up a railway trestle. In early August an RAF Lockheed Hudson picked them up safely and on 27 August 1944 they returned to Harrington.

Coming up The Crash (Part four): What happened the next day when then sun came up and photos of the crashed plane.

The Crash (Part two): 02:10 hrs – 28 April 1944, the plane strikes high ground and crashes

May 28, 2019May 29, 2019Tim B

Not only was the B-24 demanding to fly, even for a fully-qualified pilot, it operated at such high weights that takeoffs became dicey even with full power on all engines. Flight stability was marginal, and escape from a stricken machine was extremely difficult once the pilot and copilot had let go of the controls. I imagine these were some of contributing factors on the night Chuckie’s plane crashed.

To better ensure accurate drops, pilots tried to get down to within 400 to 600 feet off the ground and to reduce their flying speed to 130 miles per hour or less. The low speed reduced the chances of damage to parachutes, as the shock of opening is much less at the slower speed. Personnel were normally dropped from a height of 600 ft with containers and packages being dropped from 300 – 500 ft.

Chuckie’s plane made two passes over the target and on the third pass, “we hit or clipped something”

Once again the flaps start down and the bomb-doors open and we are starting our approach. I can look out and see the hills, or mountains on our left side. Suddenly the plane shakes violently, apparently we hit or clipped something.”
The engines were racing and the plane was climbing, seemingly straight up. He yells for us to get out. . . .We no sooner cleared the plane when it starts down again, only this time it is too late, because it is burning when it crashes.”
Transcribed from copy of letter by crash survivor James Heddelson in the archives at the Air Force Academy June – 1998

At 02:10 hrs local Chuckie’s aircraft landed in a fiery crash in Saint-Cyr-de-Valorges, Loire, near Lyon France.

“He was killed. This is a definite.”

Chuckie was killed on impact. Individual Casualty Questionnaire‘s were completed by two of the three crash survivors when they eventually returned back to Harrington three months later after successfully evading the enemy with the help of the French resistance. Both confirm Staff Sgt Charles. M. Wilson was killed in action when his plane crashed. Copies of the actual questionnaires likely completely sometime in August 1944 were found in the MACR and posted below.

By survivor Sgt. George Henderson
By survivor Sgt. James Heddelson

Next up: The Crash (part three) – seen like a beacon

The Crash (Part one): 01:00 hrs – 28 April 1944, target reached

May 28, 2019May 28, 2019Tim B

Part one of four posts capturing the story of what actually happened that night of the fiery crash that killed Chuckie compiled from two first person survivor accounts, historical documents filed in the Missing Aircraft Report and WWII archival material.

Chuckie’s Carpetbagger mission the night he was killed was Operation Lackey 3A over the Timdale drop zone detailed in an earlier post. When his aircraft reached a position a few miles from the drop zone near Lyon, France the ‘S’ Phone was used. The system permitted direct two-way voice communication with an aircraft up to a range of 30 miles and the agents on the ground working behind enemy lines to communicate and coordinate landings and the dropping of agents and supplies. It was composed of a “Ground” transceiver and an “Air” transceiver and required the ground operator to face the path of the aircraft. It had the useful trait of transmitting signals that could not be picked up by enemy ground monitoring stations more than one mile away.

“He called over the interphone that he spotted the target.”

It was around 1:00AM in the morning when Chuckie and crew reached the target area. According to the first person account from survivor Sgt James Heddelson, they made the 1st pass over the pinpoint and members of the Resistance on the farmland below for identification. While the S-Phone provided directional information to the pilot it gave no range information for the drop. This could only be done by visual sightings of lights on the ground.

A few miles from the target area all available eyes began searching for the drop area, which would usually be identified by three high powered flashlights placed in a row, with a fourth at a 90 degree angle to indicate the direction of the drop. The recognition torches were placed in the pre-arranged pattern and the light codes were exchanged between the ground and the plane. The aircraft was most vulnerable to enemy fire over the drop zone. The pilot 1st Liet. George Ambrose wasted no time lining up the twinkling markers.

“We circled around for position to make the drop.”

Pilot Ambrose selected half flaps and made the run in at 135 mph – not much above stalling speed. He was guided by the bombardier, who would be releasing the containers over the drop zone. Speed was all important on the ground – the man sized containers were to be quickly taken away into the cover of trees.

(2nd pass) . . . the wing flaps start to come down and the bomb bay doors are starting to open. Suddenly they start back up, we don’t drop and it is like we were practicing and we climb back up.”

“As we start to circle around again, I can still see the lights on the ground in the distance on our drop area. We start in for the 3rd pass.“

“Sgt James Mooney is over the “Joe Hole.” He volunteered for this mission (his first) we only met him shortly before take-off, as a regular crew member Sgt. W. Bollinger reported off sick. I am over the smaller hole behind Sgt. Geo. Henderson, who is in the tailgunners position, getting ready to throw some packages out. Once again the flaps start down and the bomb-doors open and we are starting our approach. I can look out and see the hills, or mountains on our left side.“

“Suddenly the plane shakes violently. Apparently we hit or clipped something.”

Coming Next: The Crash (Part Two) – The plane hits high ground

Credits: Edited quotes compiled from crash survivor Sgt. Geo. Henderson and Sgt. James Heddelson Interrogation Reports detailing when they last had contact with Chuckie; and a first-person account transcribed from copy of letter from crash survivor Sgt. James Heddelson in the archives at the Air Force Academy.

29 April 1944 – Official Report: Missing in Action

May 24, 2019May 29, 2019Tim B

Every Army Air Forces organization was required to file a Missing Aircraft Report (MACR) within 48 hours of when an aircraft was officially reported as missing.

Missing Aircraft Report 4307 officially reported Chuckie and his fellow crew as Missing in Action from their mission that took place on 27 April 1944. The report was made 29 April and date stamped at the War Department in Washington on 10 May 1944. This was the report referenced in the letter to Chuckie’s parents.

The Report listed the official crew:

1^st Lieut George William Ambrose , Pilot
2^nd Lieut Robert Harry Redhair , Co-pilot
2^nd Lieut Peter Roccia , Bombadier
2^nd Lieut Arthur Bozeman Pope , Navigator
Staff Sargeant Charles M. Wilson, Top Turret Gunner
Sergeant James Cyrll Mooney , Tail Gunner
Sergeant James Heddelson, Radio operator & gunner
Staff Sergeant George W Henderson, Right Waist gunner

Over the following months and years since the crash, the classified “Secret” MACR Report would eventually grow to include additional information uncovered about the crash over time, first hand accounts from the survivors, some photographs, and information about a monument to these brave aviators erected at the crash site by the grateful people of France, and details of the final resting place for each of those killed in action.

The MACR 4307 is now “public information” and available in the National Archives.

Coming up in the next posts, the secret story Chuckie’s parents, brother and sister were never able to know – what actually happened to Chuckie on that night and the gratitude of the people of France for his bravery and heroism and his ultimate sacrifice for freedom that still stands today.

Welcome. If you’re new to the site,

May 23, 2019May 26, 2023Tim B

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First Letter: 16 May 1944 – Dear Mrs. Wilson, regrettably

May 22, 2019May 31, 2019Tim B

Chuckie’s mother (the author’s great-grandmother) in the 1940s.

Chuckie’s parents first received a telegram sometime shortly before receiving an official letter from the Brigadier General at the War Department notifying her that “regrettably” her son has been reported missing in action. I cannot begin to imagine the heartache my great-grandparents and family members felt in the days, weeks and months following receiving this news. How painful for any family to have to live every day with such uncertainty, no answers and not knowing if Chuckie was dead, alive or a POW.

Dear Mrs. Wilson:
This letter is to confirm my recent telegram in which you were regrettably informed that your son, Staff Sergeant Charles M. Wilson 13,108,714, Air Corps, has been reported as missing in action over France since 27 April 2944.
I know that added distress is cause by failure to recieve more information or details. Therefore, I wish to assure you that at any time additional information is received it will be transmitted to you without delay, and, if in the meantime no additional information is received, I will again communicate with you at the expiration of three months. Also it is the policy of the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces upon receipt of the “Missing Air Crew Report” to convey to you any details that might be contained in that report.
The term “missing in action” is used only to indicate that the whereabouts or status if an individual is not immediately known. It is not intended to convey the impression that the case is closed. I wish to emphasise that every effort is exerted continuously to clear up the status of our personnel. Under war conditions this is a difficult task as you must realize. Experience has shown that many persons reported missing in action are subsequently reported as prisoners of way, but as this information is furnished by countries with which we are at war, the War Department is helpless to expedite such reports. However, in order to relieve financial worry, Congress has enacted legislation which continues in force the pay, allowances and allotments to dependents of personnel being carried in a missing status.
Permit me to extend to you my heartfelt sympathy during this period of uncertainty.
Letter to Chuckie’s mother from Brifadier General Robert H. Dunlap, 16 May 1944

A copy of the letter Chuckie’s mother received.

Sadly, it would be two more years before Chuckie’s parents would recieve confirmation of his death and official change in status to Killed in Action. And many more years after that before any further details emerged. This remarkable story and details will be shared on upcoming posts.

16 May 1944 – Dear Mrs. Wilson, regrettably

May 22, 2019Tim B

Dear Mrs. Wilson:
This letter is to confirm my recent telegram in which you were regrettably informed that your son, Staff Sergeant Charles M. Wilson 13,108,714, Air Corps, has been reported as missing in action over France since 27 April 2944.
I know that added distress is cause by failure to recieve more information or details. Therefore, I wish to assure you that at any time additional information is received it will be transmitted to you without delay, and, if in the meantime no additional information is received, I will again communicate with you at the expiration of three months. Also it is the policy of the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces upon receipt of the “Missing Air Crew Report” to convey to you any details that might be contained in that report.
The term “missing in action” is used only to indicate that the whereabouts or status if an individual is not immediately known. It is not intended to convey the impression that the case is closed. I wish to emphasise that every effort is exerted continuously to clear up the status of our personnel. Under war conditions this is a difficult task as you must realize. Experience has shown that many persons reported missing in action are subsequently reported as prisoners of way, but as this information is furnished by countries with which we are at war, the War Department is helpless to expedite such reports. However, in order to relieve financial worry, Congress has enacted legislation which continues in force the pay, allowances and allotments to dependents of personnel being carried in a missing status.
Permit me to extend to you my heartfelt sympathy during this period of uncertainty.
Letter to Chuckie’s mother from Brifadier General Robert H. Dunlap, 16 May 1944

27 April 1944: “1 B-24 is lost”

May 21, 2019May 29, 2019Tim B

A simple line of text, one sentence, is all that was noted in the official record of Mission 324 for 27 April 1944:

“21 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations; 1 B-24 is lost”

Chuckie and his fellow crewman took off from Harrington at 22:26 hours on their 5th mission assigned to the 801st. They flew on a secret course to the South West France on an Operational Mission code named Operation Lackey 3A for drop site Timdale. They were one of the 1st crews to fly at night without benefit of the full moon.

The plane never returned to home base.

Specially modified B-24Ds were used in classified missions. In a joint venture between the Army Air Forces and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) code named Operation Carpetbagger. Pilots and crews flew specially modified B-24Ds painted with a glossy black anti-searchlight paint to supply friendly underground forces throughout German occupied Europe. Being some 500 ft above sea level and located not too far away from the supply bases of Cheddington and Holme as well as the British SOE based at Tempsford, Harrington was chosen for the Carpetbagger Operations by the Eighth Air Force’s Special Operation Group in which Chuckie served.

Like all Allied forces who operated behind Nazi lines, Chuckie and the Carpetbaggers were subject to torture and execution in the event of capture, under Hitler‘s notorious Commando Order. Because the teams normally operated in uniform, to apply this order to them was a war crime.

Report 262 noted the result of the Operation as MIA. The Air Forces Organization was required to file a Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) within 48 hours.

Operation Report: Chuckie is Missing in Action

22:29 hrs – 27 April 1944, take off into the dark night sky

May 20, 2019May 28, 2019Tim B

Chuckie’s B-24 Liberator made its slow progress to the runway. On receiving a green “Go” signal light from the tower, Pilot Ambrose and The Worry Bird crew roared down the runway and took off into the dark night sky at 10:29 PM beginning their two and a half hour flight to the drop zone in German occupied France.

The majority of Carpetbagger flights were made during the moon period, or on those nights when the moon was out, making the ground visible to the navigator and bombardier who visually identified the target and made the drops.

On this night, The Worry Bird crew were one of the first Carpetbaggers to fly out at night without benefit of the full moon, according to the first person account of crash survivor James Heddelson.

The aviators of the 801st Bomb Group of the 36th Bomb Squadron on the B-24 Liberator, The Worry Bird, on Operation Lackey 3A that fateful night:

Lieut. George W Ambrose, Pilot; of Springdale, PA
Lieut. Robert H Redhair , Co-Pilot; of Bartlesville, OKC
S Sgt. Charles M Wilson, Engineer; of Beaver, PA
Lieut. Arthur B Pope, Navigator; of Fulton, GA
Lieut. Peter Roccia, Bombardier; of Washington, D.C.
Sgt. James J Heddleson, Radio Operator; of Louisville, OH
Sgt. George W Henderson, Tail Gunner; of Santa Monica, CA
Sgt. James C Mooney, Dispatcher; of Englewood, NJ – He volunteered for this mission (his first) – the rest of the crew only met him shortly before take-off, as regular crew member Sgt. W. Bollinger had reported off sick that day.

Operations Log – Station 179 Harrington U.K.

I was able to locate an image of the actual handwritten Harrington flight log from that night. Chuckie’s take off time of “22:29” is noted beside an empty white box where the return home time was to have been written, then a chilling “MIA” written.

Handwritten Flight Log, for Station 170, Harrington, U.K.
Entrie Dated Chuckie’s plane – the Ambrose Crew

Low altitude flying

To avoid action with the enemy, flights were also at low level, usually 2,000 feet. A low altitude made it more difficult for the enemy to detect the aircraft either by sound or by radar detection devices. Obstacles on the ground distort the sound of a low flying aircraft far more than they do the noise of a high flying one, because of the sharper angles of sound reflection. Radar and sound detection devices had less time in which to focus on a low flying aeroplane, and the range of effective detection was shorter at low altitudes.

After take off, radio operator James Heddelson was soon busy with his signals. The Intelligence Office at Harrington contacted Special Operations in London notifying them of the target and the route The Worry Bird was taking.

A “crack code” was then broadcast over the BBC radio that notified the resistance on the ground in France that the delivery was on its way.

Once the enemy coast was reached, the bombardier Peter Roccia and navigator Arthur Pope began preparations for the drop. The pilot usually flew at a height of 1,500 – 2,000 feet, giving known airfields and flak areas a wide berth; night fighters were always a hazard, but by flying at low altitudes, this threat was minimized. Chuckie and George Henderseon would have kept a constant lookout for German enemy predators, their guns were fitted with large anti flash discs to lessen the loss of night vision if they were fired.

As they neared the drop zone near Lyon in central France, the reception party on the farmland below heard the throb of engines and established contact by ‘S’ Phone.

Chuckie and crew reach the drop site at 1:00 AM, as planned, seeing the target lights on the ground on the first confirming fly over pass.

Unforgotten Glory

In memoriam: Charles M. Wilson, Killed in Action April 28, 1944

Month May 2019