Evans tells story of his toughest mission

(Frank Evans shared with us last week some of his experiences during basic training in the Army Air Corps during World War II. This week, in what Frank calls, “My toughest mission,” he graphically illustrates how his training, and combat experience, paid off for him and his crew. Frank flew two bombing missions to targets in northern France while in England, and 48 more in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. Here is his story, in his own words, with some editing due to space limitations.)

“My crew in a bombing raid over Bizerte (Located in the north of Tunisia) on Jan 31, 1943 consisted of Frank B. Evans, Pilot, co-pilot Leroy Ellis, Bombardier Frederick Wheeler, Navigator Charles Carter, Engineer Jerome Scheer, Gunners Charles Hudson, Charles Geyer, Sergeants Steagall, Spottsford, and Sandia.   

“While over our target, our plane took some flak hits. Shortly after leaving the target area, we were attacked by two FW-190s equipped with cannon. Their firing damaged our engines, wings, and the right horizontal stabilizer. We were able to “feather” number two engine. Pressure was too low to feather three and four, and they began to “windmill.”

We were losing altitude but I thought we could make it to a landing field on the coast at Bone, Algeria. However, number four engine began to run away, and we feared it might disintegrate in mid-air. I had Lt. Ellis alert the crew for a possible bailout. We were probably about 25 miles from Bone, but the RPMs (rotations per minute) of the number four engine had increased to over 3500. I rang the alarm bell and on the intercom, I ordered the crew to bail out. Lt. Ellis went back to check that all had jumped, and then he returned and jumped out the bomb bay. After seeing him leave, I too jumped out the bomb bay.

“Our altitude at this time was about 1,000 feet over the valley floor. While in the air, I saw two other chutes and shortly thereafter saw our plane crash and explode not too far away. I landed on a hillside, which was so brushy I was unable to get my chute untangled. I made my way to the top of a ridge in search of any other crewmembers, but after calling out and looking around for 15 or 20 minutes, I did not see or hear anyone. I decided to head down toward the valley and a little later heard Lt. Ellis calling.

“A couple of native Algerians, who had horses, had located Lt. Ellis and I believe they had been sent to look for any downed airmen. A short time later, we found Sgt. Geyer while the natives were leading us up the valley. Following a horseback ride of approximately thirty minutes, we arrived at the 30 of a farmhouse that belonged to an Algerian rancher of unknown authority. Some other members of the crew had arrived there ahead of us. We subsequently learned, from British Army personnel, that our “roundup” had been directed by a French Colonial Official stationed in the valley.

“A short time later, Lts. Wheeler and Carter arrived at the ranch house, so that now there were only two crewmembers unaccounted for, Sgts. Scheer and Steagall. In the meantime, from Bone, a British Army Ambulance and a couple of other vehicles arrived. Except for a sprain and some bruises, there were no injuries to any of the crew. It was agreed that Lts. Ellis and Wheeler would accompany the men present and go to Bone with the British, while Lt. Carter and I would wait for the last two crewmembers, who were brought in a short time later.

“The British transported the remaining four of us down to the landing strip near Bone. It was now nightfall, so we spent the night billeted with a service detachment, sleeping in a haystack. The next morning I caught a ride into Bone where the British Army had a communications center. They were able to patch me through to our base, and I reported that we were all OK. A British warrant officer then took us to Tingley Airstrip west of Bone, where a U.S. Army transport was expected. While waiting there, Lt. Wheeler turned up and reported that Ellis had caught a ride in a Jeep to Constantine. The transport did not show, so we went back to a coast artillery outfit, where Wheeler was staying, near the Bone Airfield. That evening the Luftwaffe dropped a few bombs on the field, but little damage was done. The next day I contacted the base again concerning transportation, but no answers were supplied.

“Sgts. Hudson, Geyer, Spottsford, and Sandia decided to try their luck at hitchhiking back to the base. Sgt. Scheer and Steagall had caught a ride the day before. On Feb. 3, we headed into Bone to check again on transportation. As we went by a French prison compound, our four hitchhikers yelled and waved from a second story cell window. French soldiers had picked them up the night before as they were sleeping in the farmhouse of a French couple who had taken them in for the night. I found a British M.P. who spoke French and he was willing to go with me to the prison, where I talked the French officials into releasing them.

“While this event was taking place, a man from the British R.A.F. arrived and told us a transport plane was at Tingley waiting to take us back to the base. By the time we arrived there the transport had gone, so we also decided to hitchhike. A Major Ford of the Coast Artillery, picked us up and gave us a ride as far as Phillipsville, Algeria, where we spent the night. The next day, the Coast Artillery gave us a ride in a weapons carrier back to our base.”

(Editor’s note: The Focke-Wulf FW 190 was regarded as Germany’s best fighter. “Feather” an engine is an emergency procedure to keep the propeller from turning or “windmill.”)