STORY:

On the afternoon of 27 May 1944 I was briefed for a mission to Marshling Yards at Amiens, France. We took off and everything went according to schedule. As we were on the bomb run my plan was struck by a direct hit from a 88 mm and set fire to the cockpit and destroyed the nose of the plane. My left leg was broken when hit by flak. I dropped my bombs, pulled out of formation, then gave instructions to my crew to bail out at an al- titude of 12,000 feet, which they did. I then bailed out myself. When I was approximately 2000 feet from the ground some German soldiers on the ground started shooting at me but did not hit me. I landed in the middle of Amiens at 2030. The Germans picked me up and took me to the Hospital Amiens. After I got there I noticed that the raid was still going on. I waited about 1 1/2 hours before I got on the operating table. The wound in my leg was suture shut, without any anesthetic or narcotics being given. Three days later they amputated my left leg using spinal anesthesia. Con- ditions at the hospital in general were very filthy. Medical care was fair. They changed my dressings about once a week. The nursing care was very poor. The last I saw of the members of the crew was when I was on the ground. I saw one of them go by in another car and I recognized him as Staff Sergeant Boyer but did not see the other fellow. I feel quite positive that Boyer was not injured and taken directly to a prison camp. I was at Amiens from 27th of May to the 14th of July 1944 and then was moved to Paris to the Hospital Beaujhon, Clishy, Paris. The meals at this hospital were soup and bread. In Paris I received American Red Cross Packages. The conditions in the Paris hospital were much cleaner. I was in this hospital from the 14th of July until the 18th of August 1944. At that date the Germans left Paris. The first German plan was to leave all the allied patients there plus one German doctor, one German nurse and two ward boys. The following day it was changed and they planned to take everybody that they possibly could take. The FFI came in and threatened to destroy vehicles so the Germans move on without taking the allied patients. The French took over the next day. That after- noon the Germans came back and we got word that they were coming. Everyone the FFI could move were put in civilian clothes and moved to civilian homes and other French hospitals. I was moved to a French Hospital at Rouget. The treatment was excellent and the food was good. We remained there until the 28th of August 1944 then we went back to the Beaujhon Hospital. From the Beaujhon Hospital we went to the United Kingdom on the following day.

Names of the FFI who helped me in Paris were:

     Nelle Clotilde Tassemurd,
     85 Boulevard Victor Hugo,
     Clichy, Seine.

     D. Dreiss
     63 Bd de Lorraine,
     Cliche (Seine)
     (This person kept me informed of movements and brought books).

     Mme Simone Bedu,
     115 Rue Klock,
     Seine, Clichy
     (This person took care of me day and night)

     Docteur Andre Metais,
     15 Rue Martissot,
     Clichy, Pereire 05-17,
     Sur - Rendez-vous.
     (Doctor who gave me medical care)

The following are a list of the members of the crew:
     S/Sgt Harold Boyer
     S/Sgt Joseph Kasper