2nd Lt. Ivan Woodrow Scott (POW)
| Discription: | Information: |
|---|---|
| Full Name: | Ivan Woodrow Scott |
| Service number: | O-2000366 |
| Rank: | 2nd Lieutenant. |
| Function: | Bombardier |
| Birth date & Place: | 19 January 1918, Milford Ohio |
| Woonplaats: | Clermont County Ohio Cincinnati |
| Age: | 89 |
| Education: | Milford HighSchool |
| Proffesion: | After the war: employed by American Airlines as Ramp Agent in Cincinnati, Ohio. Willow Run Airport as Manager of Air Freight in Detroit, Detroit Metropolitan Airport as Manager of Marketing Where he was employed for Thirty-one years. |
| Family: | Frank R. Scott (vader),Frances Scott (moeder),Paul Raymond Scott (broer), Mary Lee Scott (hill) (Vrouw), Gerald Scott (Peggy) (Son), Jeffrey Scott (marti) of Ypsilanti (Son), Verwante familie: Kenneth & Elizabeth Scott, Gerry & Peggy Scott,Rachel Scott-Barsch,Joel Scots |
| Award: | Purple Heart, Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal,Prisoner of War Medal, American Campaign Medal,European-African-Middel Eastern Campaign Medal,World War II Victory Medal. BOMBARDIER badge Awarded to graduates of the 20 week Bombardiers school. |
| Cemetery: | passed away 23 Mai 2007 and cremated. |
| Date of death: | passed away 23 Mai 2007 |
| Place of Death: | Michigan, Henry Ford Village, Dearborn. |
| Mission data: | Date: 10 January 1945 Mission: 241 Serialnumber: 43-38668 Callsign: BI-T Type: B17-G Date: 10 January 1945 Destination/Mission: Bombing Bridges Cologne afterwards inflight mission changed to bombing bridges Neuss Mission: Bombing bridges. MACR: 11580 |
| Status: | POW |
Ivan Woodrow Scott (Woody)
Ivan Woodrow Scott was an ordinary American boy from Ohio. On 19 januar 1918 in the town of Clermont County, Ohio, on this day Frank R. Scott b.1893 - † .1980 and his wife Frances Scott b.1887 - † .1918 get their first son Ivan ( Nickname Woody).
Ivan grew up together with his brother Paul Raymond Scott who was born on May 27, 1921. Ivan Attended the Milford high school in the village of Terrace Park High, a town just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio.
In 194.. Ivan graduated from the Terrace Park High School.
On May 3, 1941, his Ivan married his school love Mary Lee Scott (Hill). Ivan had met Mary at the Milford high school where they had all been on. His Borther Paul was the wedding witness of Ivan that day and Mary Lee's wedding witness was her sister Shirley.
Preparing for the war.
Ivan Joined the AAF on February 44 and Started his AAF Bombardier training at Victorville, California.
George Air Force Base (1941–1992) is a former United States Air Force base located 8 miles Northwest of Victorville, California, about 75 miles Northeast of Los Angeles, California.
Major Units assigned:
- AAF Bombardier School, June 1941 – December 1944
- 87th Base Headquarters and Air Base Sq, October 1, 1941 (Redesignated: 87th Air Base Sq, July 18, 1942 – April 30, 1944)
- Air Corps (later Army Air Forces) Advanced Flying School, June 26 1941 – December 23, 1944
- 63d Troop Carrier Group, November 18, 1942 – May 7, 1943
- 3035th AAF Base Unit, March 1, 1944 (Redesignated: 4196th AAF Base Unit, November 1, 1945, 2756th Air Force (AF) Base Unit, August 28, 1948, 2579th Air Base Squadron, May 1 – July 18, 1950)
- 36th Fighter-Interceptor Training Wing, January 8 – December 30, 1943
- Army Air Force Radar Observer School, September 1944 – October 1945
On June 44 Ivan W. Scott Graduated as Bombardier en was promoted to second Lieutenant.
England Framligham
Ivan Woodrow Scott was atached to the Skinner crew and they were shipped later in the year to the 568 th Bomber squadron 390th Bomber group of the 8th Army Airforce who were stationed at station 153 Framlingham in Suffolk.
On 15-10-1944 they flew there first mission above enemy territory Cologne Germany.
After all the crew flew 23 missions in different airplanes.
Crew members often changed from planes and replaced crew members in other planes if they had a day.
Mission 204: 15-10-1944 Cologne Germany with "Cloud Hopper " 43-38337, crew 16.
Mission 205:17-10-1944 Cologne Germany with "Cloud Hopper" 43-38337, crew 16.
Mission 207: 19-10-1944 Mannheim Germany with " Doc’s Flying Circus aka Girl of my Dreams aka I’ll Get By "42-97093, crew 16.
Mission 208: 22-10-1944 Munster Germany with "Little Butch III " 42-97807, crew 16.
Mission 209: 25-10-1944 Hamburg Germany "The Univited Missionaires" 42-107176, crew 16.
Mission 214: 04-11-1944 Neunkirchen Germany with "Cloud Hopper" 43-38337, crew 16.
Mission 215: 06-11-1944 Neumunster Germany with "Silver Meteor aka The Walrus" 42-107184.
Mission 216: 09-11-1944 Saarbrucken Germany with "Silver Meteor aka The Walrus" 42-107184, crew 16.
Mission 217: 10-11-1944 Wiesbaden Germany"Doc’s Flying Circus aka Girl Of My Dreams" 42-97093, crew 14.
Mission 219:: 21-11-1944 Giessen Germany Saarbrucken Germany with "Silver Meteor aka The Walrus" 42-107184, crew 16.
Mission 220: 26-11-1944 Hamm Germany with "Silver Meteor aka The Walrus" 42-107184, crew 16.
Mission 223: 02-12-1944 Koblenz Germany with "No Name Jive" 43-38600, crew 16.
Mission 224: 04-12-1944 Friedburg Germany with "Silver Meteor aka The Walrus" 42-107184, crew 16.
Mission 225: 10-12-1944 Koblenz Germany with "Doc’s Flying Circus aka Girl of my Dreams aka I’ll Get By" 42-97093, crew 16.
Mission 229: 24-12-1944 Zellhausen Germany with" No Name Jive" 43-38600, crew 16.
Mission 231: 27-12-1944 Fulda Germany with Disorganized Confusion/Powerful Katrinka II" 44-6484, crew 16.
Mission 232: 28-12-1944 Koblenz Germany with "Star Duster' 43-38526, crew 16.
Mission 233: 29-12-1944 Frankfurt Germany with "Doc’s Flying Circus aka Girl of my Dreams aka I’ll Get By' 42-97093, crew 16.
Mission 234: 30-12-1944 Kassel Germany with " Little Butch III' 42-97807, crew 16.
Mission 237: 03-01-1945 Fulda Germany with" I’ll Be Seein’ You aka Dotsy' 44-6134, crew 16.
Mission 239: 06-01-1945 Kusel Germany with "Take it easy' 43-37895, crew 7.
Mission 240: 07-01-1945 Rodenkirchen Germany with "The Univited Missionaires" 42-107176, crew 11.
Mission 241: 10-01-2915 Cologne Germany with 43-38668, crew 16.
Mission 241 10-01-2915 Cologne Germany with 43-38668
On 10 Januar 1945,119 bombers and 362 fighters are dispatched to attack airfields, rail targets and bridges in Germany; most attacks are made using PFF methods; they claim 3-0-0 Luftwaffe aircraft; 10 bombers and 2 fighters are lost.
The mission target for the skinner crew was to bomb the bridges at Cologne Germany. This was the 241 mission of the 390th.
The "skinner Crew" (Crew number 16) consisted of 9 man.
The 390th Bombardment Group (H). 568th Sqaudron, mission 241 was to Cologne Gemany. This was the 24th and last mission for this crew. Flying on the right wing of the leader of “C” Sqaudron, This was the 23th mission of Ivan Woodrow Scott who was Bombardier on the B17G wit S/N 4338668 en AC letter "T" on his tail.
The crew 16 consisted of the following crew members om 10 Januari 1945:1st Lt. Horace Mathew Skinner (Pilot)
1st Lt. James D. Hannaman (Co-pilot)
2nd Lt. Stanford A. Kay (Navigator)
2nd Lt. Ivan Woodrow Scott (Bombardier)
S/Sgt. Charles F. Pasch (Radio-Operator)
S/Sgt. William H. Wylie (Top Turret gunner)
Sgt. Mark W. Hertz ( Ball Turret gunner)
S/Sgt. James L. Craig (Tail gunner)
Sgt. Ward C. Gillespie (Waist Gunner)
On Target
afterwards inflight mission changed to bombing bridges Neuss
Flak got the plane just as went into the target., the left engine was hit by flak and both left engines soon were in flames.
The B-17 plane was on fire and the crew continued to drop their bombs rather than break out of formation..
The left wing was wrapped in flame. They hung onto their bombs and stayed in formation
Every man in the formation was hoping for a miracle to put those flames out.
Then they pulled away and started down.
According to reports, they held the plane together long enough to complete the mission before going down.
When they reached the target the wing looked like a giant bonfire, but they got their bombs on the objective.
Captain Skinner gave the order to bail out and put the plane on autopilot as he left his seat. The left wing of the plane tore off as the pilot prepared to jump, and as he jumped, the fuselage broke apart just above the bomb door. Captain Skinner's face and neck were torn by metal as he fell from the plane, and when his chute opened, he saw only three other chutes, not eight as he had hoped.Meanwhile, in the plane, according to the crew member who last them, the Houston boys were together. Ward had not been injured but was trying to free his friend Mark Hertz from his ball turrett. He could not do so before the plane crashed into a field near Neuss. Ward and Mark died with their parachutes unopened.
Eye wittnis report:
"A/C 668 received a direct hit by flak at Düsseldorf between #1 and #2 engines. The A/C peeled out of
formation and went into a 30 sec dive in an attempt to extinguish the fire. A/C leveled off about 25,000 feet for a
short time then the left wing came off and A/C went into an uncontrolled dive with A/C 151 reporting observing it
hitting the ground in a mass of flames. Of the nine men crew, four were able to bail out before the plane went
into spin. Surviving crew member reports indicate that 1st Lt Hannaman was on his way to the escape hatch,
when the plane went into the spin.
He, and three other crew members, did not get the chance to bail out before the plane hit the ground and were killed in the crash."
1 Lt Skinner wrote in the MACR Report:
We were on our 23 mission flying up the Rhine from the I P to the target when at a split second after we dropped the bombs we received a direct hit in #2 engine that almost blew it off the ship.
I tried to feather the prop, but vould not and when i looked out again the whole left wing was on fire including #1 engine.
I gave the order to bail out. I flew the ship until the Engineer and the Co-pilot was out then I put on the auto pilot and started out of my seat. I had hardley got out when the ship went into the tail spin, and the centrifugal force threw me behind my seat and holding me there until at about 5000 feet. I could move a little and noticed the fuselage had broken off at the back of the cockpit leaving it all open. The next thing I knew I was floating in the air.
After I landed and was put in a room that night with the three fellows who also got out, I then found out that a second burst of flak hit direct and blew the tail off, witch let the plane go into the spin. The tail gunner (S/Sgt. James L. Craig) escaped through the hole that the flak made.
1 Lt Ivan Woodrow Scott wrote in the MACR Report:
After the bail out signal was given i removed my equipment and turned from the bombardiers position to go out the nose hatch (B-17). I had to pass Lt Kay to get out. As is pased him i asked him if i could help him. He said no and was removing his equipment in preparation to jump. Why Lt Kay did not jump i do not know. He had plenty of time to clear the plane. The above statements are true an actually happened, no supposition.
Lt Scott bailed out of the front escape hatch right after the engineer jumped.
According to a German report:
Report on Downing of an American Aircraft, Downing No: KU 3608 dated 10 January 1945, 1 km Northwest of Holzheim and 4 km southwest of Neuss. Airplane for 99% destroyed.
Shot Down by FLAK . 1st Lt. Horace Mathew Skinner, 2nd Lt. Ivan Woodrow Scott and S/Sgt. James L. Craig survived the downing of B-17G s/n 43-38668
MACR report 11580:
discription you can see that de following crew members survived en where captured:
Killed in this action were:
1st Lt. James D. Hannaman, Co-Pilot . Salex OR
2nd Lt. Stanford A. Kay. Navigator. Harrisburg. PA
Sgt. Mark W. Hertz. Ball Turret Gunner, Houston. TX
Sgt Ward C. Gillespie, Right waist Gunner. Kilwaukee, WI
S/Sgt. Charles F. Pasch, Radio Operator Gunner, Milwaukee, WI
T/Sgt. William H. Wylie. Aerial Engineer, Pittsburgh. PA
S/Sgt. Charles F. Pasch, Radio Operator Gunner, Milwaukee, WI
POW:
1st Lt. Horace M. Skinner, Pilot
2nd Lt. Ivan w. Scott, Bombardier
S/Sgt. James L. Craig, Tail Gunner, Fort Royal. VA
After they bailed out 3 crew members captured. They captured 3 days together before they separated and send to the POW camps.
Statement Marschall B. Shore, Lt. Colonel, USAF, Retired:
The account of the mission of “The story of the 390th Bombardment Group (H)”Published in 1947 gives this report.
The 390th went bridge-busting the next dayas “C” Squadron bombed a suspension bridge at Cologne by instrument, while “A” and “B” Sqaudrons found a break in the clouds to enable a visual attack on the road bridge over the Rhine between Dusseldorf and Neuss.
This bridge, including …ways was 2.800 feet long and 85 feet wide, having a total of five spans.
A Photo taken four days later showed that one burst had cratered the eastern end of the bridge, plus two on the east approach. The approach was about one-third blocked. There was evidence of reconstruction.
Moderate but accurate from Cologne and Dusseldorf damaged several planes, and shot down 1, wich was seen to land in flames.
We will never forget their courage.
Prisoner of War
Ivan was captured by the Nazis while serving in Germany, and was sent to Stalag Luft 1 near Barth, Prussia where 4,707 other American POWs were held. Ivan's capture was first reported to the International Committee of the Red Cross on January 10, 1945, and the last report was made on March 11, 1946. Based on these two reports, Ivan was imprisoned for at least 425 days (1 year and ~3 months). The average duration of imprisonment was 363 days. Ultimately, Ivan was returned to military control, liberated or repatriated.
Transit Camp of the Luftwaffe Dulag Luft
Oberursel Allied aircrew shot down during World War II were incarcerated after interrogation in Air Force Prisoner of War camps run by the Luftwaffe. These camps were called Stalag Luft, short for Stammlager Luft which translates to Permanent Camps for Airmen. The German Luftwaffe, who were responsible for Air Force prisoners of war, maintained a degree of professional respect for fellow flyers, and the general attitude of the camp security officers and guards should not be confused with the SS or Gestapo.
The German guards were called "Goons" by the POWs. It was a nickname which puzzled them. When asked, the POWs told them that it stood for "German Officer Or Non-com"), which they believed for a long time and accepted, even at times referring to themselves as Goons. ( In fact the term "goon" was from a Disney character which is described as ridiculous looking with a prolific growth of hair on the legs. Their language was unintelligible and they were not credited with having much intelligence.) The tall sentry watch platforms with mounted searchlights and machine-guns were therefore called "Goon Towers". Annoying the guards was known as "Goon Baiting". When a guard was seen approaching an area the POWs would say "Goon Up" as a warning to their fellow POWs. The guards were known to shoot first and asked questions afterwards if any prisoner was rash enough to stray over the knee-high warning wire and then fail to surrender if challenged.
The German guards specializing in escape detection were known as 'Ferrets' and would enter the compound at any time and search any hut without warning. Often in the middle of the night they would enter, order the POWs out, and they would literally throw everything into a pile on the floor after searching it, leaving the room a huge mess. English-speaking ferrets would lie under the barracks in the crawl space and listen for careless talk. As a rule the POWs were aware of this tactic and were careful not to discuss important information.
There is evidence to suggest that when a tunnel was detected by the guards or ferrets, it was allowed to continue without intervention until it appeared to be near completion at which time they would stop it and collapse it. It is felt they allowed the tunneling to continue to keep the POWs occupied and busy and therefore not working on another escape that they did not know about.
The German personnel changed frequently during the existence of the camp.
Durchgangslager der Luftwaffe" or "Transit Camp of the Luftwaffe" was called Dulag Luft by the POWs. It was located at Oberursel (13 km north-west of Frankfurt-am-Main with a population of about 20,000) and was recognized as the greatest interrogation center in all of Europe. Nearly all captured Allied airmen were sent there to be interrogated before being assigned to a permanent prison camp. While at Dulag Luft - Oberursel the prisoners were kept in solitary confinement. The average stay in solitary was one or two weeks.
According to the Geneva convention a prisoner could not be kept in solitary confinement for interrogation purposes for more than 28 days.
At Dulag Luft each prisoner was studied by several psychologists in order to learn his likes, dislikes, habits and powers of resistance. The method of procedure was then determined, and the machinery was set into operation to destroy his mental resistance in the shortest possible time. If the prisoner showed signs of fright or appeared nervous, he was threatened with all kinds of torture, some of which were carried out, and he was handled in a rough manner. Others were bribed by luxuries. They were traded clean clothes, good living quarters, food and cigarettes for answers to certain questions. Those who could neither be swayed nor bribed were treated with respect and handled with care in the interrogator's office, but were made to suffer long miserable hours of solitary confinement in the prison cells.
he camp was built on level ground. There were large white rocks that covered the length of the front lawn forming the words "Prisoner of War Camp". The same identification was painted in white letters across the roof of nearly every building. Dulag Luft was of great importance to the Germans and they knew the Allies would never bomb it as long as it could be identified from the air. The camp was estimated to cover about 500 acres, the boundaries of the camp were formed by two parallel fences ten feet apart and they stood 12 feet tall, with trenches and barbed wire entangled between them. Watch towers were spaced around the camp at one hundred yard intervals. Trained dogs prowled the outer boundaries and heavily armed pill boxes were scattered beyond the barbed wire."
Stalag Luft 1
Stalag Luft I consisted of a strip of barren land jutting into the Baltic Sea about 105 miles northwest of Berlin.
Two miles south of the main gate a massive Lutheran church marked the northern outskirts of the village of Barth. A large pine forest bordered the west side of
the camp and, to the east and north, the waters of Barth Harbor slashed against the shore less than amile from the barbed wire fence.
Enclosing the camp there stretched miles of barbed wire, in two rows four feet apart,
attached to 10-foot posts. Every hundred yards, a Guard Tower mounting a machine gun and a pair of spotlights provided constant vigilance and permitted an unobstructed view of all within the confines of the enclosure
Statement: Clair Cline:
The camp was a dismal place. We lived in rough wooden barracks, sleeping on bunks with straw-filled burlap sacks on wooden slats. Rations were meager; if it hadn't been for the Red Cross care packages, we would have starved. But the worst affliction was our uncertainty. Not knowing when the war would end or what would happen (we had heard rumors of prisoners being killed) left us with a constant gnawing worry. And since the Geneva Convention ruled that officers were not allowed to be used for labor, we had little to keep us occupied. What resulted was a wearying combination of apprehension and boredom. Men coped in various ways: Some played bridge all day, others dug escape tunnels (to no avail), some read tattered paperbacks.
The long dreary months dragged on. One day early in the fall of 1944, I found myself unable to stand airplane carving any longer. I tossed aside a half-finished model, looked out a barracks window at a leaden sky and prayed in desperation, "Oh, Lord, please help me find something constructive to do."
Liberation, Coming Home,
End April, 1945 as the war in Europe was nearing its end, the Russians were approaching from the east and the British and Americans from the West in a race to get to Hitler's headquarters in Berlin. Stalag Luft I was north of Berlin, so it was unsure at first which of the Allied fronts would reach them first. As the reports came in and the fighting got closer and closer to Barth, they soon realized that the Russians would be the ones liberating them. They soon began to hear the heavy cannon fire sounds of the Russian artillery getting closer and closer to them.
At night the POWs would lay in their darkened barracks and there would be shouts of "Come On Joe" (for Joseph Stalin - the Russian leader) coming from all over the camp. At this time it became apparent to the German Commandant and the guards at Stalag Luft I that the Russians were at their doorstep and they must make a move. So they approached the Senior Allied POW Officer of the camp, Col. Hub Zemke, and told him to prepare his fellow prisoners to march in an effort to escape the approaching Russians. Col. Zemke refused to do so.
He informed the Commandant that even though there were over 200 of them with guns, that there were 9,000 POWs and they were prepared to fight rather than march. He told the commandant that he realized this may cause high losses among the POWs but ultimately they would overcome the Germans and with the Russian allies so close he knew this was an acceptable risk.
The German command evidently realized that the end of Germany was near and so he accepted this decision by Col. Zemke. The German command then informed Col. Zemke that he and the guards would be leaving the camp at midnight that night (April 30, 1945). Col. Zemke had made plans in case such a scenario arose to take over the camp, as it was evident to him that as Senior Allied Officer he would be responsible for of the safe return of the POWs to Allied control. He had already organized a group of hand selected men which he called the "Field Force" to help him keep the camp in order until they were all safely back in Allied hands.
So when the POWs at Stalag Luft I awoke on May 1, 1945 they looked around and noticed that all the Germans were gone and now there were POWs with armbands that said "FF" manning the guard towers. Col. Zemke explained that the POWs could not just start leaving the camp on their own, as there was a war going on all around them and they could be shot. He felt it best to keep the camp secure in an effort to protect the POWs. (You can imagine not many of the POWs liked this idea, they were tired of being imprisoned behind barbed wire!)
Col. Zemke sent a scouting party out to meet the approaching Russians to inform them that there was a POW camp of Allies located in the area, so the Russians would not be shelling them! Later in the day the Russian commander entered Stalag Luft I and meet with Col. Zemke and the British Senior Officer. The Russian commander did not like the idea of the Allied POWs still being behind barbed wire, so he ordered that Col. Zemke have the fences torn down. Zemke refused at first, but was later co nvinced (some say by force, with a gun) to tear down the fences. The POWs enthusiastically tore them down. Many POWs then left camp and went into Barth and the surrounding areas. Some of them (approximately 700) took off on their own to make their way to the approaching British lines (my Dad being one of those!). In the ensuing confusion of a war still in progress all around them some of the POWs were accidentally killed.
It was the 2nd White Russian Front of the Red Army that entered Barth on May 1, 1945 and liberated the prisoners of war at Stalag Luft I. After the fences were down the Russians then learning of the meager food supply the POWs had been existing on soon rounded up several hundred cows and herded them into the camp for the hungry POWs to slaughter and eat. This they did immediately. At night they entertained the POWs with their "USO" type variety show that traveled with them. There was much joy and celebration among the newly freed POWs and the Russian soldiers.
he Russian Army stayed in Barth for only a couple of weeks. After the POWs were evacuated from Barth, The Russian Army stayed in Barth for only a couple of weeks. After the POWs were evacuated from Barth, the Soviet Military Administration (SMAD) took over the empty barracks at Stalag Luft I and used them for a repatriation camp for their countrymen that had been used as slave labor by the Germans.
Evacuation Stalag Luft 1
he Soviet troops treated German civilians in the area badly, but American and Commonwealth personnel were treated with respect (the liberated POWs were careful to wear armbands on which their nationality was written in Russian)."The Russians wanted the prisoners transported by land to Odessa, a port on the Black Sea, then by ship to the United Kingdom and then on to the United States, but the idea was rejected and further negotiations followed. Much to the disappointment of almost 9,000 liberated POWs, it took almost two weeks to repatriate the prisoners by air. On May 11th, the Allies secured permission to use an airport adjacent to the camp for the evacuation on the 12th and 13th, within a specific time block of hours
A corridor for travel over Russian occupied territory was set up and by then all the POWs had their meager belongings together. The evacuation plan was to first take the hospital cases and the sick, next the British Troops who for the most part had been in captivity longer than any other prisoners, dating back to 1940. The prisoners were marched in barracks groups to the airport to avoid clogging the highway and loading area.
The first plane to arrive on the 12th was a B-17 with Gen. William Gross on board, who was the Commander of the 1st. Air Division of the Eight Force. A C-46 followed with Officers of Gen. Eisenhower’s Staff. Two more B-17s arrived with communication equipment and personnel to establish links with the Eighth Force. Later in the afternoon 30 - 40 more B-17s arrived. The floors of B-17s were equipped with wood decking material to provide a level floor, thereby able to accommodate 25 -30 POWs with a few packed into the radio compartment.
Early on the morning of the 13th the sick and wounded were evacuated in six C-46s. Dozens of additional C-46s and C-47s joined the B-17s in the evacuation process. The aircraft crept slowly as the men jumped in and piled up in most cases. They were anxious to be on their way home. They had no idea how many groups participated in the evacuation. On the morning of the third day, the 14th, the remaining men were all flown out aboard
B-17s. The last prisoner aboard was Col. Zemke and according to Col. Zemke’s records 8487 prisoners had been evacuated."
Between 13–15 May, the camp was evacuated by American aircraft in "Operation Revival". The British POWs were returned directly to Great Britain, while the Americans were sent to Camp Lucky Strike north-east of Le Havre, France, before being shipped back to the United States.
Camp Lucky Strike Le Havre (77th Field Hospital)
"When American prisoners of war (POWs) started to stream out of Germany, the several camps situated on the Normandy coast near Le Havre, and which had originally been used as staging areas, were now used to take care of the American prisoners of war until they could be sent home. The camps were named after popular cigarettes of the day. A field hospital was called in to set up at Camp Lucky Strike to handle the massive number of liberated POWs coming out of Germany. Our exact location was at San Riquie en Caux."
"Large trucks would arrive at the camp regularly, full of jubilant GIs dressed in all sorts of motley clothes, half-'Jerry' (German) and half-American. They took those soldiers who were ill to the hospital. There were many emaciated soldiers who had been caught in the Battle of the Bulge the previous December. The Germans did not know what to do with them as they were in full retreat after January 1945, so they marched them back and forth from place to place, and fed them very little as there was little food to be had. Prisoners captured earlier were better off, but all of ours were sad to see. However, their spirits improved once they arrived at Lucky Strike, since they knew they would soon be going home."
" Field Hospital workers, visited them and talked to those who had problems. The field hospital workers would help the men who had concerns about home, assisted in writing letters for those who needed it, and tried to contact the States to find out about newborn children, ill relatives, and such. There was also a recreation tent. The field hospital had to scrounge for furniture, but when they heard about any warehouses where we could pick up items for their tents, the Army would provide transportation and off they would go to pick up whatever was needed. They also had the services of several German prisoners of war who were efficient carpenters. They built yard furniture for the field hospital. All in all, they were reasonably well equipped after a while. The weather was good and it did not get dark until 11 p.m. The women in charge of recreation did a good job of organizing entertainment. The hospital was also given an ice cream machine for the patients' nutrition.
"The hospital itself was located on an old German airfield. The tents were aligned on each side of the runways. In addition to caring for the emaciated prisoners of war, they cared for the victims of land-mine accidents and accidental gun-shot patients. Many of the soldiers brought German guns back as souvenirs, which, in their tight quarters, was just asking for trouble."
"there were also charming French volunteers from nearby St. Valery who helped dispense cigarettes, razors, toothbrushes, and other toiletries that were available from the Red Cross.
After the War
Ivan was POW for 4 months at Stalag Luft 1. He released at 24 June 1945 Ivan returned to the States. After coming back to the states he became employed by American Airlines as Ramp Agent in Cincinnati, Ohio.
He was later transferred to Willow Run Airport as Manager of Air Freight in Detroit, and again to Detroit Metropolitan Airport as Manager of Marketing Where he was employed for Thirty-one years
While living in Michigan, Ivan and family were active members of Forest Avenue Baptist Church where he served as Sunday school teacher, usher and lay Chairman of Deacon Board.
Ivan was an avid golfer, spending many Saturdays on the course with fellow American Airlines friends. He loved to travel and boasted of flying around the world several times.
Upon retirement, he and his wife moved to Ft. Myers Florida, where they spent twenty-five years. Ivan changed sport to tennis and became an avid player. He also loved to fish on Sanibel Island. While in Ft. Myers, both he and his wife enjoyed serving at McGregor Baptist Church. In 2003, they returned to Michigan, living at Henry Ford Village, Dearborn.
On 23 May 2007 Ivan Woodrow Scott (woody), 89, of Dearborn, Michigan passed away after losing his battle with cancer.
