George Collar, World War II, part II
On July 24th, l944, George Collar participated in the famous St. Lo raid, the largest raid in history up to that time. Almost 3,000 planes from the 8th and 9th Air Force combined with RAF bombers and fighter bombers took part. One group of planes, not the one George was in, missed the drifted marker signals, and dropped their bombs and killed 400 American troops, including General McNair. Several planes were downed by accurate German flak at 15,000 feet.
George had ten missions in France and nineteen in Germany. Oil dumps, chemical plants, bridges, airfields, jet engine plants, tank plants, buzz bomb sites, harbors and factories were bombed.
On September 24, l944 after his 28th mission, George was granted a three day pass to London but had to fill in for a bombardier who failed to show up. The target that day was the Kassel rail yards. Thirty five planes of the 445th Bomb Group served as the lead for the 283 bombers of the 8th Air Force and were accompanied by l98 fighter planes.
About 10 AM, the navigator in the lead aircraft misread the scope and instructed the pilot to make an erroneous left turn. All 35 of the 445th followed. They were soon a hundred miles away from the main group and had lost their fighter escort. They dropped their bombs near the town of Gottingen.
The German Luftwaffe soon discovered this unescorted group and 150 of their fighter planes attacked the slower bombers. According to Collar, “They were like a swarm of angry bees.” Twenty five of the bombers spiraled down in flames and five more later crashed landed. It was the greatest loss of bombers of any individual group of the 8th Air Force.
In George’s plane, the pilot and three gunners were killed. The bailout bell sounded and the navigator and bombardier, 2nd Lt. George Collar donned their parachutes and went out through the opened nose wheel doors. The engineer and the radioman also parachuted out of the exploding plane. George quickly pulled the ripcord, and the sudden jerk caused his boots to fly off his feet. He witnessed the destruction of more bombers and figures he saw about thirty parachutes floating down. In eerie stillness he broke through the clouds at about 3,000 feet and saw a beautiful valley with wooded hills and a ruined castle. He also saw a small river and a nearby village. A pilot in a friendly P-51 waved to him as he descended.
George saw a man on a bicycle pedaling down a lane and looking up at him. Since he had no boots and only a lighter chest pack chute, he was concerned about landing, but luckily he landed in a plowed field with just a sprained ankle.
The man on the bike had a Lugar and two farmers with pitch forks joined in his capture. As they marched him to the village, a teenager gave him a swift kick with his big rubber boot. He found himself in the courtyard of the man on the bike who turned out to be the Burgomeister.
He soon had to defend himself from a big farmer who broke George’s nose and blackened his eyes. When the farmer started swinging at him with a spade, the Burgomeister and the town cop came to his rescue
He was then marched off to the village jail. About 15 prisoners were placed in the small jail. George was given a pair of felt boots about two sizes too big . All the prisoners were forced to go out and bring in the dead. They recovered a dozen dog tags and gave them to the Germans who reported this information to the American authorities. After a few more days of burying fallen American airmen, they went by truck and railroad to Frankfort. Along the way they were beset by angry crowds. George and many airmen from the Kassel raid ended up in Stalag Luft I located on the Baltic Sea.
George has many stories to tell about his life as a POW. The Germans treated them fairly well, allowed them to receive some supplies and food from the Red Cross and were given some freedom to move around the compound. They were strictly guarded and escape was almost impossible. George did get new shoes. There was a clandestine radio in camp and from BBC news they knew the war would soon be over.
Early in January, l945, Stalag Luft I no longer received Red Cross parcels and the POWs were given only 800 calories a day to live on. Their food consisted of black bread, rutabagas and occasional potatoes.
At Easter, l945, with the Soviets only 60 miles to the east, the Germans were preparing to move the POWs, but Colonel Zemke, the top allied officer, talked the head German officer out of this move. The Germans agreed to leave and turn the camp over to Colonel Zemke. George remembers some awful sights of skeletal like humans being marched by their Stalag as concentration camps were emptied.
On May 1 all the Germans left the area and the Russians moved in. On May 5 the war was officially over, but most of the POWs remained in Stalag Luft I until May 13 when the Eighth Air Force arrived with B-17s and they were airlifted to Laon, France. At Laon, Ike showed up to give a pep talk. From there they were first flown to England and then home by the middle of June.
While on a 60 day leave, George and Florence Kaminski were married July 28 in Jackson, Michigan . He was discharged as a 1st Lt., November, l945. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross , four Air Medals, and three European Theatre Campaign Stars.
George worked at a tool company in Jackson, until l949 when he came to Tiffin to work at National Machinery as a forging engineer and die designer. He retired after 30 years but continued part time until l983.
George now serves as an historian and gatherer of information about the deadly Kassel mission. He has dozens of files about the men involved. He went to West Germany to help dedicate a memorial to his ll8 fallen comrades and 18 Germans airmen.
One of his comrades in Stalag Luft I, Red Dowling, is profiled in Tom Brokow’s Greatest Generation. He plans to attend another reunion this October.
George and Florence have a beautiful home and flower gardens at 399 Melmore Street. Their two sons, Doug and Fred, are teachers. They have five grandchildren. It’s been a pleasure to meet them.
- Percy