7 June 1944

1^st Lt. Wendell A. McClure

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt # 42-26342

LM-S

56^th Fighter Group, 62^nd Fighter Squadron

8^th Air Force

Lafraye (Oise)

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                                                                           56^th Fighter Group                      62^nd Fighter Squadron

     On June 7, 1944, the day after Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, the 56^th Fighter Group, based in Boxted, Essex, sent several of its P-47 “Thunderbolt” fighter-bombers on a mission over northern France to seek out and attack targets of opportunity on the ground or in the air, in order to prevent the flow of German reinforcements to the front.  

     Among the pilots taking part in this mission was 1^st Lt. Wendell Allen McClure. Born in Oklahoma on November 16, 1922, he lived in Sweetwater, Texas. He joined the Army Air Corps on August 14, 1942. After several months' training, he was commissioned as a pilot on July 29, 1943 at Forster Air Force Base, Texas, before being sent to the European theater of operations as a member of the 56^th Fighter Group, 62^nd Fighter Squadron.

1^st Lt. Wendell A. McClure

     On June 7, with 59 missions to his credit, he was the holder of a confirmed victory on April 20, 1944, and another in collaboration on May 31.

     Leader of his formation, 1^st Lt. Wendell A. McClure, aboard P-47 # 42-26342, took off at around 12 p.m. (British time), with 1^st Lt. George E. Bostwick as wingman. Their Thunderbolts, each loaded with two 500-pound bombs, also carried an extra 200-gallon fuel tank. Their mission: to fly over the region from Beauvais to Amiens in search of ground targets to bomb.

     After crossing the English Channel, the aircraft appeared over Beauvais, dipping towards the railway station to drop their bombs. In the vicinity of Grandvilliers, at an altitude of about 6,000 ft, 1^st Lt. Wendell McClure spotted two German aircraft flying over the Luftwaffe-occupied airfield. After discarding their extra fuel tanks, the two pilots turned full throttle toward the enemy fighters which disappeared into the clouds. After they flew through some intense anti-aircraft fire from the Flak, a formation of three Focke-Wulf-190s (according to 1^st Lt. Bostwick) appeared diving towards them. After taking numerous bursts of 20 mm shells, the Thunderbolts entered the clouds. After emerging from the clouds, 1^st Lt. Bostwick engaged one of the enemy aircraft, expended all his ammunition and announced he was returning to base. By this time, 1^st Lt. McClure had disappeared.

     Was 1^st Lt. McClure the victim of an enemy fighter or of Flak? He was forced to evacuate his burning aircraft, which crashed in a field in the commune of Lafraye, at a place called “Le Champ Martin”, between Lafraye and Velennes.

     During the evacuation, he suffered minor injuries when his legs hit the tail of his aircraft, sprained an ankle on landing and then hid his flight equipment under foliage.

     After visiting the crash site, the Germans issued the following report:

     “Am 7.6.44 11.50 absturz einer Thunderbolt bei Lafraye 11 km no Beauvais. 100 prozent bruch (auf schlagbrand). Kennz. u. auftr. Nr unbekannt. Pilot fluechtig.”

     "On June 7, 1944 at 11:50 a.m., a Thunderbolt crashed near Lafraye, 11 km north of Beauvais. 100% destroyed (instantaneous fire). Registration unknown. Pilot on the run."

     Managing to escape the Germans, 1^st Lt. McClure found himself lodged with the Rendu family, in the village of Le Fay-Saint-Quentin. He was quickly provided with false papers in the name of “Guy Petit”. During his stay, he began to behave like a “hothead”. He didn't hesitate to go out in broad daylight to a café in the presence of Germans, and visited a hairdresser. Given his recklessness, the Rendu family demanded that he be moved to another family. The move was organized by the Bresles gendarmerie, some of whose members were actively involved in the Resistance.

     On the evening of July 13, gendarme Alphonse Rouillard took charge of moving 1^st Lt. McClure to Abel Pelletier and his family in Haudivillers. F/Sgt. John E. Wainwright*, with false papers bearing the name “Jacques Ledoux”, who had been lodged at the gendarmerie for several days, was part of the transfer.

* F/Sgt. John Edgar “Jack” Wainwright was Air bomber aboard Lancaster ME699, RAF Squadron 44, shot down near Laversines on the night of July 4-5, 1944, shortly after dropping his bombs on the V-1 storage quarries at Saint-Leu d'Esserent.

     Before the war, Abel Pelletier and his family lived in Bonlier, close to the Beauvais-Tillé airfield. The airfield was occupied by the Luftwaffe in September 1940, and the Germans requisitioned their house. Close to the runways and anti-aircraft batteries, the village of Bonlier was subjected to frequent bombardments, forcing Abel Pelletier, his wife and their 8 children to move to Haudivillers.

     McClure and Wainwright were not the first airmen to stay with the Pelletier family. Indeed, two American airmen, 2^nd Lts. Andrew G. Claytor* and Roy J. Rice, had stayed with the Pelletier family during the month of May before continuing their escape.

* 2^nd Lts. Andrew G. Claytor (pilot) and Roy J. Rice (co-pilot) were members of the crew of a Boeing B-17, 381^st Bomb Group that crashed at Précy-sur-Oise on April 25, 1944, returning from a bombing mission at Metz-Frescaty airfield ( Moselle).

     The house in Haudivillers was surrounded by high walls. “Jacques” and “Guy” were thus sheltered from prying eyes. Throughout their stay, they had to share space with the large family. Confined, they occupied their time making wooden models of their planes. At the first sign of trouble, they were told to hide and not to talk. The village's many farmers enabled the family to easily provide for their food needs.

Standing : Wendell A. McClure - Sitting : John E. Wainwright

     Unbeknownst to her siblings, the eldest daughter, 19-year-old Ginette, aka “Sidonie”, was a liaison officer and airmen's conveyor in the “Alsace” escape network set up by Gilbert Thibault. With the Liberation approaching, evacuating airmen was out of the question. Ginette was also involved in parachute recovery in the area. In particular, she was present for the SOE parachute drop on the night of June 24-25, 1944 near Haudivillers, one of the largest in the Oise department during the war. Three tons of armaments and transmitters were recuperated that night.

The airman is wearing the same bow tie as in the previous photo.

     The two airmen had different temperaments. Wainwright was quiet by nature, while McClure was “fiery”, sometimes reckless and more “under surveillance”. One evening, knocks were heard on McClure's bedroom shutters. He was about to open them when Ginette rushed in. They were German soldiers who had gotten lost. Another evening, returning from a mission for the Resistance, Ginette noticed that McClure had disappeared. After searching for him, she found him in a café, playing billiards. Brought back “manu-military” and without a word into the house, Ginette gave him a stern lecture. A few days later, three German soldiers questioned Ginette to find out who this silent civilian was. Ginette's explanations convinced them, but the alert had been hot.

German soldiers in Haudivillers

     Then the weeks passed. The village of Haudivillers was finally liberated on August 31 by the Allied armies after sporadic fighting, during which the young FFI Jacques Boulanger was killed by the Germans.

     1^st Lt. Wendell A. McClure and F/Sgt. John E. Wainwright returned to England a few days later.

     After returning to the United States, 1^st Lt. Wendell McClure was married on November 30, 1944 in Nolan, Texas. Not forgetting the Pelletier family, he sent a package containing a dress and a photo of himself and his wife on his ranch.

Wendell McClure and his wife Meckie 

          Wendell McClure died on October 8, 1990, in Potter, Texas. He is buried in the Amarillo cemetery.

     Note

     On June 7, 1944, five more P-47 Thunderbolts were shot down over the Oise departement:

       - P-47 # 42-76118 of the 56^th Fighter Group at Héricourt-sur-Thérain – 2^nd Lt. Alfred D. Evans (KIA)

       - P-47 # 42-26274 of the 56^th Fighter Group at Saint-Quentin des Prés – 1^st Lt. Donald J. Furlong (KIA)

       - P-47 # 43-25286 of 56^th Fighter Group at Liancourt-Saint-Pierre – 1^st Lt. Harry F. Warner Jr (KIA)

       - P-47 # 42-46184 of 78^th Fighter Group at Broyes – 1^st Lt. Harold H. Rice (POW)

       - P-47 # 42-25712 of 78^th Fighter Group at La Hérelle – 1^st Lt. Harry H. Just Jr (KIA)

     Also seven Messerschmitt-109:

       - Me-109 # 163.830 of 3./JG5 at Chiry-Ourscamp - Jürgen Fricke (KIA)

       - Me-109 # 440926 of the 9./JG1 at Beauvais - Werner Penke (KIA)

       - Me 109 # ? of the 9./JG1 at Nivillers - Franz Koplik (wounded)

       - Me 109 # ? of the 9./JG1 in the Nivillers, Oroër, Verderel sector - Hubert Heckmann (safe)

       - Me109 # 441306 of the 4./JG11 at Tillé - Otto Schmidt (wounded)

       - Me-109 # 440929 of the 6./JG11 at Laversines - Helmut Grill (KIA)

       - Me-109 # 440938 of the 6./JG11 at Tillé - Rudolf Prokay (wounded) 

     Sources:

      - MACR 5494

     - E&E Report # 1362

     - Testimony of Ginette Pelletier collected by Marcel Mavré

    - Activity report by gendarme Rouillard on his activities in the Resistance

    - Documents from the Ruffin-Thourillon family

    - “La guerre 39-45 dans le ciel de l'Oise” - Marcel Mavré - 2012