How Do I Learn About an Allied Airman Who Was Shot Down?

How Do I Learn About an Allied Airman Who Was Shot Down During WWII But Escaped?

Periodically I get requests from visitors to this website for advice on how to research the story of an airman who was shot down during WWII and what happened to him afterwards.  The Germans tried to capture those airmen who survived but many managed to evade capture, at least for a time.  Below are suggestions of potential sources of information.  I would welcome any suggestions of additional sources.

Helper Files.  The National Archives has been scanning the files of helpers of Allied airmen. To view their files, click on the following links: Dutch: (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5709392), Belgian (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5701226), Czech (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5708536), Danish (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5708552), and Hungarian ( https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5701228).

Air Force Databases.  The National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force maintains a veterans database.  Click here to access it.  The American Air Museum in England has a database of American airmen.  Click here to access it.  For the RAF Fighter Command Battle of Britain Database, click here.  For the RAF Bomber Command Database, click here. For the Australian War Memorial and the  Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), click here.  For more databases, visit the following page on this website.

National Archives World War II Records.  For a link to a wide array of the U.S. National Archives’ holdings relating to WWII, click here.  Another way to access information at the National Archives is through History Hub.  Click here to access it.

Enlistment Records.   Go to the Enlistment Records page of this website for information on how to access the online index to WWII enlistment records at the National Archives.  Their nearly nine million U.S. Army Enlistment Records include the following information: Army serial number, residence, date and place of enlistment, year and state of birth, race and citizenship, education, civilian occupation, and marital status.  Another possible source of information is a website on military service records.

National WWII Museum Guide to “Researching American Military and Civilian Records from World War II.“  A 36-page guide to researching American military and civilian records from WWII can be ordered from the National WWII Museum .  Click here to go to the order page and request the guide.  Within minutes you will receive an email with a link to the page on their website from which you can download the guide.  To download Standard Form 180, “Request Pertaining to Military Records”, click here.

Requesting Official Military Personnel Files & Other Sources.  The website of the Air Forces Escape & Evasion Society has a list of sources of military personnel files compiled by the Research Center Director of the National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force.  Click here to access it.

Decorations.  The National Archives and Records Administration has placed Air Force Award Cards on-line.  To view those for the Distinguished Flying Cross, click here and those for the Air Medal, click here.

Learning About the Bombing Mission.  Be sure to contact the Air Forces Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), at Maxwell A.F.B., Montgomery, Alabama.  Their website is at http://www.afhra.af.mil/ (with their contact form at http://www.afhra.af.mil/main/contactus.asp).    In response to my request for information on 2nd Lt Tom Applewhite, they provided the Mission Report for his last mission.  It included the Loading List, Group Formation Flown diagram, Take-Off and Landing Times, a map of the route from his airbase to their target and return, the Navigation Report, and a table listing the time and elevation of his plane when it was shot down.  Much the same records are available at National Achives II in College Park, Maryland.  Examples of these documents in the case of 2nd Lt. Tom Applewhite are shown on the page of this website entitled, Mission Report, 385th Bombardment Group, 11 Nov. 1945.  A searchable website, ArmyAirForces.com, has a Missing Air Crew Report Database.  For the main page at the National Archives website on Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs), click here.  For information on its Name Index to the Series Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs), 1942-1947, click here.

Learning About His Base in England.  You may find valuable information about the airfield where he was stationed in England by checking the websites devoted to that subject.

Aircraft Crash Records and Crash Sites.  See the page on this website on the subject of Aircraft Crash Records and Crash Sites.  You will find several suggested sources of information, including published sources and website data bases.  See also the page, Allied Aircraft Crashes in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Portugal, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany on this website that provides links to Internet websites providing data on WWII crashes.  See also the page on Luftwaffe Fighter Claims of Downed Aircraft.

Luftwaffe Fighter Claims.  See the page on this website entitled Luftwaffe Fighter Claims of Downed Aircraft.  The database cited here will provide records of downed aircraft as submitted by the Luftwaffe pilots.  These records give the date, the Allied mission objective, the names of the Luftwaffe pilot, his unit, they type of Allied plane shot down, the location on the German maps, time, and microfilm reference.

WWII Maps of Belgium, France, Netherlands.  Posted on this website are WWII-era maps of Belgium, France, and The Netherlands.  Although they do not have indexes, they may nevertheless prove useful in seeing the locations of crash sites, hiding places, etc. if used in conjunction with modern-day indexed maps.

Civil Defense Records.  Local archives may hold the reports compiled by civil defense authorities on airplane crashes and the arrest of airmen who survived.  Local police, however sympathetic to the Allied cause, were likely to have German overseers and were forced to arrest the airmen.  Their reports may provide valuable testimony as to the circumstances of airmen, when and where they came down, and their arrests.

Historical Societies.  Try contacting the local historical society of the town.  In searching the Internet, in the case of The Netherlands or the Flemish part of Belgium, use “heemkundekring” (historical society) and the name of the town.

City Archives, Regional Archives.  Also contact the usual sources: city archives, regional archives, etc.  For example, I had an address of a contact of the Smit-van der Heijden Line in Amsterdam.  The Amsterdam City Archives was able to provide me with information on everyone who was living at that address during the war and even background on their Resistance activities.  Because much of the escape line’s activities were in Tilburg, I went to the Tilburg Regional Archives where the archivist located a great deal of valuable information for me, even arrest records.

VVV Offices.  In The Netherlands, when I have had difficulty finding a local historical society, city archive, or city library, often I have written the local VVV office (the tourist office) for assistance.  Just enter “VVV” and the name of the town in your Internet search.

Grave Adoption, Overseas Cemeteries.  There are two other pages on this website that may be useful.  One is on WWII Memorials and Overseas Cemeteries.  The other is on War Graves and War Graves Adoption.  Many people in the countries occupied by the Germans and liberated by the Allies have adopted the graves of Allied soldiers and airmen who were buried far from home.  You may find that the grave of the person you are interested in or a member of his crew has been adopted.   The person adopting the grave is likely to be eager to share information with you, the result of his or her own research on the airman.  In addition the various databases will likely provide the date the airman died, rank, etc.  See in particular the website of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), American Battle Monuments Commission, and the National WWII Memorial.

Prisoners of War (POW) Records.  The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) of the U.S. has records on POWs that may be helpful to your research.  To access them on their Access to Archival Databases (AAD), click here.  You will find the Records of World War II Prisoners of War, created, 1942 – 1947, documenting the period 12/7/1941 – 11/19/1946 – Record Group 389.  For more information on POW records on this website, click here and here.

Escape Lines.  During WWII there was a proliferation of escape lines, including local ones that moved escaping airmen a short distance within a country, others that crossed national borders, and yet others that encompassed several countries.  To get oriented, take a look at the map Major Escape Routes Through France, 1940-1945, on this website showing three escape lines, Pat O’Leary, Comet, and Shelburne.  Multiple escape lines may be involved in a single airman’s story, an airman having been passed from one line to another.  For further information, see the Escape Lines Websites below and Keith Janes’ website, Conscript Heroes, which has a good survey of escape and evasion in his Frequently Asked Questions.  Also look at his WWII Escape & Evasion Information Exchange.

False Escape Lines.  The Germans used whatever means necessary to break up the escape lines, including creating false lines to scoop up unsuspecting airmen and their helpers.  A particularly well-known example was the KLM Line in Antwerp run by the Abwehr, German military intelligence.  Many airmen were guided across the Dutch-Belgian border by patriotic members of the Resistance who unwittingly delivered them to German agents.  A search on the Internet will provide information on Rene van Muylem, a collaborator who worked for the Germans in the KLM Line.

Escape Line Websites.  View a list of escape line websites at https://airforceescape.org/escape-and-evasion-research/other-escape-evasion-websites/.  These websites are exceptionally valuable in several respects: (1) They provide background on the escape lines’ operations.  (2) Some websites, such as those on the Comet Line, provide an account of each airman’s experiences, including the names of some of their helpers, with biographical information on the helpers.  (3) They may contain easily-searchable lists of Allied airmen who were helped by the respective escape lines.

See in particular Le Réseau Comète: https://www.evasioncomete.be/.  This website is maintained by Philippe Connart, Michel Dricot, Edouard Reniére, and Victor Schutters.  A master list of airmen helped by the Comet Line is at https://www.evasioncomete.be/aFichesChoix.html.   To view the website’s description of that person’s experiences, click on his name.   For a more detailed list of airmen, including dates and serial numbers, click on https://www.evasioncomete.be/aListe.html.  Another useful feature of this website is their chronological list of the airmen’s crossing of the Pyrenees at https://www.evasioncomete.be/aFichesChrono.html.  It can be quite useful to know the names and stories of other airmen who shared experiences with the one you are researching.

And Keith Janes’ Conscript Heroes website has three lists, (a) a master list, (b) a list of British and other Commonwealth soldiers and airmen, and (c) a list of American airmen.   (4) Some sponsor treks following escape routes (see below).

Join a Commemorative Trek Following an Escape Line Route.  Several groups sponsor treks following the WWII escape line routes.  Joining one of these treks is an excellent way to learn about the escape route used by your airman and meet other people who share similar interests.  The group Les Amis de Comete sponsors treks across the western Pyrenees.  The WW2 Escape Lines Memorial Society  is developing treks in northwestern Europe (Norway, The Netherlands, Belgium, France) as well as Poland, Crete, and Italy.  Le Chemin de la Liberté commemorates the escape route across the higher Pyrenees.

Escape and Evasion Reports Available Online.  Go to the page of this website entitled Escape and Evasion Reports Available On Line for instructions on how to access the online database of the National Archives of Escape and Evasion (E&E) reports compiled by Allied Military Intelligence on the airmen who were shot down but evaded capture or were captured and then escaped.  An E&E report typically will include an account of the shooting down of the plane, what happened to the airman in the minutes after parachuting to the ground and his passing into the hands of the Resistance, what the fate was of other members of the crew, a questionnaire about the airman’s opinion of his E&E equipment, what intelligence he picked up during his journey back to Allied-controlled territory (for this see the Appendix B), etc.  It may also include his Appendix C (see discussion below).  If the airman became a POW, there will be no E&E report for him but he may be referred to in the E&E reports of other airmen who did escape.   For information on what the British National Archives has on members of the RAF, RCAF, etc., see below.  I also came across a commercial service offering E&E reports on DVD at a service called “Paperless Archives.”  I have no experience with it.

List of American Airmen Who Evaded from The Netherlands.  Another page on this website contains what was known as the Atkinson List, found at the Nationaal Archief in The Netherlands.  It contains what purports to be the complete list of American airmen shot down over The Netherlands who survived the crash and succeeded in evading capture, at least while in that country. To assist in using the list, I have added an index plus links to the airmen’s escape and evasion reports.

Appendix C.  I list this document separately from the E&E report (see above) because of its importance.  It may or may not be included in the E&E report available online.  If not, then you will want to write the National Archives and request a copy.  (Alternately you can hire a professional researcher.  For further information, click here.) Typically the Appendix C will provide a more detailed account of what happened to the airman after being shot down, including dates and places where he was hidden and who helped him.  See UD 140 and UD 141 for references to the Appendices C in the index to E&E records at National Archives II in College Park, Maryland.  To see the page on this website with more information on the location of the Appendix Cs at the National Archives, click here. Once you have the names of his helpers, you will want to seek copies of the helper files of his Dutch, Belgian, Luxembourg, and French helpers.

List of Airmen who Escaped.  It is very useful at times to know who the other airmen were who were traveling with the airman you are researching.  In the case of American airmen, the Escape and Evasion Report numbers appear to have been assigned in the order in which the airmen were interviewed by Allied Military Intelligence upon arriving in Gibraltar or England.  By examining the Index of E&E Reports – American in Western Europe reproduced on this website, you may make some useful connections with the stories of other airmen.  [The index to report numbers 1-248 was typed onto this website; the rest of the index appears as images in subordinate pages, beginning with reports 249-319.]  It lists the airmen in the order of their E&E numbers and includes their bomb squadron and bomb group along with the country from which they escaped.  See also Keith Janes’ excellent website, Conscript Heroes, which contains a numerical list of E&E numbers, 1-2986 with information on the airman’s unit, plane, date failed to return, and escape line.  Note how 2nd Lt. Tom Applewhite is listed with E&E #324.  To obtain the number at the British National Archives for the report of a member of the RAF, RCAF, etc., see the information on the book RAF Evaders below under the heading Reference Work on British Escape and Evasion.

Fort Hood, VA, Escape and Evasion Reports.  The above escape and evasion reports reflected the experiences of American escapers and evaders funneled back to the U.S. through London.  There was another set of escapers and evaders whose escape and evasion reports were compiled at Ft. Hunt, VA.   Some had escaped or evaded from western Europe but most were from the following countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Burma, China, Greece, Italy, New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Rumania, Solomon Is.,  Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Yugoslavia, USSR, etc.  These reports use numbers 3-680, overlapping the numbering system above but are for entirely different people.  These reports are available on microfilm CD’s from the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) at Maxwell AFB in Alabama.  To see a list of the men whose reports are in this category, see the WWII escape and evasion Information Exchange. and its pg. 4 compiled by Warren B. Carah, and part of the Conscript Heroes website.  Note that report numbers 3-50 have no names of the men, the reports not yet having been made available to the public.

Helper Files.  After the Liberation of the countries that had been overrun by the Germans, Allied Military Intelligence compiled files on every person they could identify as having helped Allied airmen.  They sought to honor those who helped airmen, often at the risk of their own lives.  In addition, the Allies provided monetary and other forms of assistance to those who had lost so much.  These records also helped to account for missing airmen and bring to justice the collaborators who helped the Germans by betraying airmen and their helpers.  A sample of the questionnaire (vragenlijst in Dutch) appears on this website.   The website also contains indexes to the Dutch and Belgian helper files and other tools for locating the files (Dutch, Belgian, and French).  You can order a copy of a helper file directly from National Archives II or hire a professional researcher to locate and copy it for you.  If you are researching French helpers, be sure to look at the French Helper Database  and the French Helpers by Geographical Location.

British National Archives.  Other escape and evasion websites provide guidance on using the escape and evasion records of members of the RAF, RCAF, etc.  See, for example, the website www.belgiumww2.info.  After opening it, in the column of headings in the left margin, click on “Researching WW2 E&E.”  The first half of the page is on researching the British National Archives (formerly the Public Records Office) at Kew (London).  The British National Archives has scanned some escape and evasion records and offers them for a fee.  The following are some useful links to their services:

Note that in searching for a particular RAF, RCAF, etc. escape and evasion report, you will want both the archival reference number and the number assigned the report at the time it was created, referred to as the SPG number.  As John Clinch notes in his website under “Researching WW2 E&E,” the escape and evasion reports are in archival reference numbers WO 208 3298 to 3327, with each file containing about 70 reports.   At this time the reports available online from the British National Archives appear to begin with WO 208/ 3324.

In addition to the above, the British National Archives provides other useful sources of information, including:

Using FindMyPast.  FindMyPast is a commercial genealogical website which appears to have an arrangement with the British National Archives (TNA) to offer information about records, including escape and evasion reports, available at TNA.  Clicking here on FindMyPast will give you a page with search fields that you can use to determine if TNA has a record for a particular individual.  Below those search fields is a list of the different types of escape and evasion-related records available.  If the name you enter in the search fields produces a hit, the new screen that appears next will give you his last name, first name, rank, unit, soldier number, and an invitation to view the transcript while also letting you know how many credits will be required.  Clicking on that link will take you to a page where you can register as a user or sign in if you are already one.  To look at the different subscription options, go to the Subscribe page.  Unless you plan to make extensive use of FindMyPast, you may want to scroll down past the Subscription Options to the Pay As You Go Options.  The least expensive option as of July 2013 was to pay £6.95 for 60 credits valid for 90 days.

Once I registered (signed in) and selected a payment package, I then entered the usual credit card information, printed out a copy of the transaction, and clicked Finish.   That then took me to the Home page.  I positioned my cursor on the “Search Records” heading, producing a drop-down menu including, among other things the subheading, “Military, Armed Forces, and Conflict.”  I clicked on it to get the corresponding page.  On that page I scrolled down past the “First World War” listing to the “Second World War.”  Within that were four options:

  • Army Roll of Honor 1939-1945
  • Prisoners of War 1939-1945
  • Royal Artillery Honours and Awards 1939-1946
  • WWII Escapers and Evaders

Clicking on “WWII Escapers and Evaders,” I entered the identifying information I had on W.B. Bailey, RAF, the airman I was interested in.  What I got was only “Transcription Page Details,” i.e., identifying information as to where his E&E report is to be found in The National Archives of the UK, not the actual report:

  • TNA Series WO208
  • TNA Piece No. 3316
  • Report No. 1541 (This apparently is the same as the S/PG no.)

To get Bailey’s actual E&E report, I will need to order it from TNA (see above under British National Archives).

Reference Work on British Escape and Evasion.  I particularly recommend the book by Oliver Clutton-Brock, RAF Evaders, The Comprehensive Story of Thousands of Escapers and Evaders and Their Escape Lines, Western Europe, 1940-1945, London: Grubb Street, 2009.  For background information on MI9, the British intelligence agency in charge of facilitating the escape of downed Commonwealth airmen and prisoners of war, see the book’s Appendix V, MI9, IS9, and IS9)WEA).  For the file number of the report on a British, Canadian, etc. airman who was shot down, see Appendix I, List of RAF evaders: 1940-1945, beginning on p. 346 of the book.

London Gazette.  The official newspaper of record, the London Gazette, may have useful information on Commonwealth servicemen.  See their website at www.gazettes-online.co.uk.  For most purposes, you will want to choose the London Gazette, but if the name seems to be Scottish or Irish, also visit the Edinburgh and Belfast editions.  For an example of the type of information on awards for military personnel announced in the London Gazette, click here.  For a video on using the Gazette, go to https://www.thegazette.co.uk/videos/searching-the-gazette?dm_i=3PUB,38CP,1MIJP3,9JFB,1.

Escaping Society Records – Royal Air Forces Escaping Society (RAFES).  There was a point in my research where I reached a blank wall in trying to identify the helpers of 2nd Lt. Tom Applewhite in the south of France.  I learned that the membership records of the Royal Air Forces Escaping Society (RAFES) were at the Imperial War Museum in London.  Knowing that Sgt. Stan Munns, a member of the RAF, had been with Applewhite on that part of their evasion, I wrote to the IWM requesting copies of Munns’ RAFES membership.  They complied and provided a copy that listed all of Munns’ helpers, including the ones in the south of France which he shared with Tom Applewhite.  Once I had their names, I was able to get copies of their helper files from the National Archives II in College Park, Maryland.  Their files confirmed their help to Munns and Applewhite.  I now had the missing part of Tom’s story.

Escaping Society Records – Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society (AFEES).  The American equivalent of RAFES is the Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society. Unlike RAFES, however, AFEES is still active.  Two indexes to publications of AFEES may be helpful.  One is the index to the names of airmen and their helpers that appeared in articles in its newsletters .   The newsletters cover the period of 1969 to the present.  The index is still under construction.  A database of AFEES members’s stories can be accessed by clicking on AFEES Member Stories.  AFEES also published a book in 1992 about the organization consisting of articles about the escape and evasion experiences of its members.  To learn about the book and view its index, click here.   Another valuable source of information is a collection of 20 scrapbooks compiled over the course of 24 years by Scotty David, widow of Clayton C. David.  They contain correspondence, newspaper articles, personal accounts, etc., representing her contact with over 600 evaders and 2000 helpers.  They can be viewed on DVD at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia near Savannah.  In working with them, note that the computer index to the content counts the initial title pages.  This means a slight difference between the computer page number and the scrapbook page number.  Note also that AFEES is in touch with living evaders and helpers.  Contact the membership secretary for assistance.   Note also that AFEES welcomes “friend” members, people who share an interest in escape and evasion.  The AFEES annual meetings are an opportunity to meet people who have similar interests.  To see a page on this website about AFEES, click here.  To view its newsletters and their escape and evasion stories, click here.

Canadian Sources: I asked one of my Canadian contacts who has done escape and evasion research for recommendations as to Canadian sources of information.  He recommended the following: (1) Library and Archives Canada (in Ottawa), (2)  Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton, Alberta, (3) National Air Force Museum of Canada, Trenton, Canada,  and (4) Comox Air Force Museum, Comox, BC.  These would be in addition to the Directorate of History and Heritage, Department of National Defence in Ottawa.  One person my contact mentioned in particular is the Canadian historian Hugh Halliday.  Another Canadian source recommended Veterans Affairs Canada and their Books of Remembrance.  You may also want to consider the forum on Canada at War.

United States Army Air Forces Associations.  See the two pages on this website on the 8th Air Force and the 9th Air Force for links to bomb group and fighter group associations .  Once you have identified to which group your airman belonged, the corresponding association may be able to help you in your research.

World War II Forums.  See the page on this website, World War II Message Boards and Forums, for links to different forums where you can post requests for assistance in your research.

Other Useful Websites.  For persons researching airmen who crashed in The Netherlands, the Jack Edward Gibbs Memorial Tribute website has a vast amount of information on different airmen.  To search it, click on Control+F.

Telephone Databases, People Searches, and Social Security Database.  For people living outside the U.S. who are trying to locate an American airman or his family, take a look at the websites offering telephone databases, people search databases, and the Social Security Death Index.

Newspaper Sources.  Scanned copies of newspapers from around the world are available at http://news.google.com/newspapers.  See also Genealogy Bank at  http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/newspapers/, Chronicling America at http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/, and California Digital Newspaper Collection at http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc.  Links to other newspaper databases are to be found here.

Genealogical Societies.  It seems that virtually every county in the U.S. and many cities have genealogical societies, often with volunteers who will be willing to look up information in response to a request.  If you are trying to locate an airman or his family and have been able to identify the name of his county, try doing an Internet search with the name of the county and “genealogical society.”    And to obtain the name of the county, an Internet search on the name of his city or town probably will result in a website that gives the name of the county in which the city or town is located.

Frequently Asked Questions in the Conscript Heroes Website.  Valuable background information on WWII escapes are to be found in the Conscript Heroes website.  I recommend it to you.  The website provides information on different types of reports available at the British National Archives, including Liberation Reports, MIS-X Report Numbers, a list of names from the IS-9 Files series, and MI-9 Report Numbers.

Professional Researchers.  You may want to contact a professional researcher who is familiar with the WWII records of a national archive.  For a list of private researchers who will search for records at the National Archives II in College Park, MD where the American WWII records are kept, click here.  At the British National Archives, Lee Richards has been recommended to me.  See his website, Archive research and  document copying (http://www.arcre.com/).

Frequently Asked Question: What Did My Father Do in the Resistance?  See the other Frequently Asked Question, “What Did My Father Do in the Resistance?”  for additional suggestions that might be helpful in documenting the aid given to the airman you are researching.

Especially Helpful Sources About French Helpers.  French researcher Frank Signorile has created two databases that are particularly useful.  One is his French Helper Database  in Excel.  The other is his French Helpers by Geographical Location, which allows you to do a map search of helpers.  Click on the link to be connected.

Bomb Group Websites.  If you know the Bomb Group of an airman, there may be a website for it and the persons in charge of the website may be able to help you.  For example, in the case of Bomb Groups in the 8th Air Force, see the page on this website listing them and giving links to their website pages.

Requesting Official Military Personnel Records.  A large collection of links to websites, both official and otherwise, on ordering U.S. military personnel records can be found by clicking here.  To order an Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF), see the instructions here.  See also what Ancestry.com has to offer.

Finding Your Father’s War: A Practical Guide to Researching and Understanding Service in the World War II U.S. Army.  Jonathan Gawne, Casemate Publishing, Havertown, PA, 2020.   Although this book is focused on the U.S. Army, not the Air Force, it may prove useful.  It is available from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Casemate Publishers, and Bookshop.org.  For a helpful review of the book, see Researching Your Father’s War.

Spanish Prison – Sort Prison.  An index to prisoners at the Spanish prison of Sort, located in Catalonia, Spain from August 1940 to October 5, 1944, became available on-line in June, 2019, thanks to researcher Keith Janes.  The index contains 2,662 names, including Dutch, Belgian, French, Polish, Canadian, American, etc. prisoners.  If a researcher is seeking information on someone crossing the Pyrenees into Spain during that period, it may be well worth checking.  Note that it is in chronological order in five parts, which may require checking each part.  It was originally compiled by Josep Calvet.  For further information on the prison, click here.

Air Force Academy McDermott Library, Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The McDermott Library at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs contains two extensive escape and evasion research collections open to the public.  One is the Bolinger Collection, described in the following pdf file: Finding Aid_MS 71-Bolinger, Bruce. The other is the Ralph Patton Collection, as described in the following pdf fie: Finding Aid MS 54-Ralph Patton Manuscript Record.  The Special Collections address is McDermott Library, 2354 Fairchild Dr., Suite 6A52, USAF Academy, Colorado, 80840.

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