Lee SIMONS

Source : Andy

B-24 Liberator - type H-I-FO - s/n 42-7605 EC*T

"Bull'Bat"

Macr : 1676
Mission : #171 (8th) #21 - Bombardement sur St-Jean-d'Angely (17)

Takeoff Station 118 Wendling, Norfolk

Only the rear gunner could have jumped.

The rest of the crew fell with the aircraft -

The position given on the MACR report is 45°12N 00°21O, or 3 km NO de Bedenac (17) - On the other hand, B17-france.org gives a crash between Orignolles and Montlieu-la-Garde (17), or 6 km NE de Bedenac

A piece of the plane fell on a house, causing a victim to die from her burns on 20/01/1944 (Ms Yvonne Bourdejeau)

Shot down by enemy fighters (or struck by another aircraft) at 12:11 pm, at 18,000 feet - Explosion in flight

 CEMTERY TEMPORARY of  Luynes Cemetery, Aix-En-Provance N°3351

Story of Cemetery Temporary 

Map of Rhône American Cemetery

On the last mission flown in 1943, the 14th Combat Wing accomplished an excellent bombing task. The target was an airfield southeast of St. Jean D'Angely, France. The Intelligence Annex to Field Order No. 173 stated that the target was "a continuation of the attack on the Luftwaffe only attacking it in its training stages rather than production or finished products."
The 392nd led the 2nd Bomb Division with 27 ships taking off and 23 bombing the briefed target. Fifteen mostly single engine enemy fighters were encountered, including 6 Me-109s, 7 FW-190s, and 3 JU-88s. #42-7605 exploded going into the target area due to this fighter action.

MISSION LOSS CIRCUMSTANCES: Eye-witness account of a returning Group crew man was "ship #605 blew up going to target area; no chutes seen." Sgt. Malavasic's later 'Casualty Questionnaire' report after the war noted the following brief remarks: Their ship left the bomber formation over the target at about 1215 hours, altitude 18,000 feet; (though not available in this single page report, it is presumed that enemy fighter attacks caused this aircrew's downing); that all other crewmen were in their respective positions either seriously wounded or dead at the time of this plane's destruction; and that the aircraft struck the ground about (20) miles from the target.

INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS OF CREWMEN FATES: The only existing report on this aircrew's loss is the account of Sgt. Malavasic noted above. He was taken as a POW, however no German reports are appended in this MACR regarding his capture, nor any record on the crash of this plane.

According to French researcher Bernard Ballanger, 1st Lt McKee was flying near the end of the 445th Bomb Group formation when they were attacked by a band of German fighters coming from all directions. A French eyewitness saw his B-24 start to smoke and then leave the formation. It exploded into several pieces. A burning wing fell on the home of Mrs. Yvonne Bourdejeau, who died on Jan. 20, 1944 from burns. Another eyewitness saw one of the crew fall to earth in his turret, held in place by his safety harness and seemingly asleep at his guns. Two parachutes were seen and an observer watched in horror as one of them was strafed by the fighters and killed. The other parachutist was tail gunner Sgt Anthony Malavasic, the sole survivor. He was captured within an hour of landing.

BURIAL RECORDS: The crewman who was strafed was buried initially in the village cemetery in Bédenac, France; the rest of the crew was buried initially in the cemetery of St. Vivien. U.S. Cemetery lists record the following; At the RHONE Cemetery, (28) miles west of Cannes and (16) miles inland (France): McKee (Grave C-11-1); Walker (Grave D-6-6); Dinsmore (Grave A-6-19); and Sackal (Grave A-12-5);Simons (Grave D-1-24). No records exist on any of the other deceased crew members, German or U.S. On recorded citations, On recorded citations, McKee, Walker, and Simons are noted as having been awarded an Air Medal and the Purple Heart; Sackal was given awards of an Air Medal with (2) Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart; and Dinsmore, the Purple Heart.

A memorial to the McKee crew near their crash site was unveiled on December 31, 1947 by the organization French Memory. Each anniversary since then, flowers have been laid at the memorial and at Mrs. Boudejeau's grave. In another tribute to the McKee crew and other Allied airmen who participated in that mission, a street in Montlieu-la Garde was renamed "Rue du 31 Décembre 1943."

Source : THR

Crew of B-24 Liberator - type H-I-FO - s/n 42-7605 EC*T

"Bull'Bat"