Helpers of Allied Airmen

This part of the website concerns the ordinary (and often extraordinary) citizens of the countries occupied by the Nazis who came to the aid of Allied airmen shot down and on the run.  The links below will take you to list of the respective country.

One response to “Helpers of Allied Airmen

  1. John Carleton

    Hello. I am seeking information about Monsieur JH Maeger, Police Commissioner at Beyne-Heusay Belgium in 1943. I believe that my father (RAF Sgt John DH Carleton) stayed with Meager for 1 month in August 1943. Due to the bravery of Belgian & French Resistance helpers, Dad successfully evaded capture for 6 months, safely returning to the UK in January 1944. Is there any information available about what became of this man and his role in Belgian Resistance? Thank you.
    John Carleton

    Dear Mr. Carleton,

    If you look at https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/helpers-of-allied-airmen/belgian-helper-list/index-to-belgian-helpers-of-allied-personnel/m-nanes/belgian-helper-names-maas-to-marnette/ on the website, you will see Mr. Meager listed as a helper of Allied airmen. His address is listed as 75 Grand’Route, Beyne-Heusay, Liege. After the war, the Allies used a system of rating the contribution of helpers, with Grade 5, that of Mr. Meager, as the most common (a Grade 1 would have been assigned to the head of a major escape line). It is very likely that National Archives II, in College Park, Maryland, has a file on him among the Belgian helper files. See https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/research/national-archives-research/ on the website for further information on the National Archives. You can order a copy of his file from them or use a professional researcher (see https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/research/national-archives-research/hiring-a-professional-researcher/). The Belgian WWII archive, CEGES-SOMA, may also have information on him (see http://www.cegesoma.be/cms/index_en.php) among other Belgian sources (see https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/links-to-other-escape-and-evasion-websites/world-war-ii-belgian-army/). I also suggest you contact Beyne-Heusay (http://www.beyne-heusay.be/fr) to see they can provide you with information on him, e.g., who the other members of his family were, and whether there is any local historical society that might have information on members of the Resistance in WWII. Once you have explored these sources and if you have any further questions, I can post them to to an Internet email group I belong to which specializes in WWII escape and evasion research.

    Bruce Bolinger

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