Adventures with Chuck
March 26, 1944: Pyrenees Foothills: AVOID border Spanish-might sell us to Gestapo
The moment I hop in the back, the truck takes off. There are four or five other guys seated on the benches, and nobody says a word. mainly because they are too busy hanging on while the driver barrels down twisting backstreets, doing fifty or better. I hear the guy seated next to me mutter,…
March 23, 1944: In the woods with Maquis
The Fiesler Storches (German spotter planes) haven’t found us….yet. We’re well-armed – British Sten guns, Spanish .38 Llama automatics – and I’d love to fire off a couple of bursts at one of those damned Storches, hit the radiator in its belly, and bring it down. But if the pilot radioed our location, we’d have…
March 20-21, 1944: Evading Germans & Recon planes
Most of the time I have no idea where we are. We are constantly on the move, making camp twice a day to eat and sleep never staying anywhere more than a few hours at a time. The Germans are always hunting for us, their Fiesler Storches skinning in low over the forest while we…
March 18-19, 1944. WWII.In the Woods with the Maquis
March 18-19, 2014 We bike ride back to Nerac in record time and sack out in the shed at Gabriel’s. At night, Raoul leaves. Gabriel takes me out in the forest. Uh oh. We hike for hours. I’m on guard. Where is he taking me? Why? I try not to think about how freezing cold…
March 17-19, 1944: WWII. Blowing up Bridges.
March 17, ’44: Gabriel sends me with Raoul by bicycle up to Gabriel’s family home. I don’t know anything except I’m to go with Raoul. Hope I can trust him. We get to Gabriel’s parents’ house in about 3 hours. My legs are a bit stiff but I don’t have an alternative or a car.…
March 16-17, 1944:WWII. Close call-Germans Walk Right in Front of Me
March 16, ’44: The girl leaves. No chance. But really too dangerous – don’t ever know who is on what side. March 17, 1944: Not much to do so I venture a little closer to the road – watch the passersby from under the shade of the tree, think about my next move. How am…
March 14-15. Bicycle 2 nights to Nerac. One Step Ahead of the Germans
March 14, 1944 late, early March 15, 1944: Dr. Henri comes to pick me up at the farm. He’s a welcome face. Dr. Henri was one of the first people I met right after I bailed out of my plane. He had doctored my wounds. He speaks English pretty well. He’s Jewish so everyone drops…