Photo: Courtesy John Cox

An 

airman's 

tale

THE EXPLOITS 

OF FLIGHT LIEUTENANT 

JOHN COX

When we were shot down by a Junkers 88 there was intense night fighter activity over Nuremberg which was our target. We knew the Germans were at that time employing the tactic of shooting at our Lancasters from below with upward firing guns. As the Lancaster had a "blind spot" immediately below the aircraft, it was impossible to know if a night fighter was underneath. They could therefore come very close with complete safety without us being aware of their presence. My own crew suffered badly. Three of the seven were killed by the cannon fire and the parachute of the navigator failed to open. I was taken on a cart to a neighbouring village of Triesdorf and admitted to a military hospital where all the patients were German soldiers except myself. The hospital was overcrowded and my presence was hardly welcome but at least one felt safer in the hands of the military rather than the civilian population at that time.

The shell splinter was removed from my leg but it had shattered the bone and the leg was encased in plaster. Medical equipment was in extremely short supply and food was barely adequate, mostly soup and black bread. This was understandable because whilst Allied troops had not at that time crossed the Rhine, American aircraft strafed everything which moved on the roads or railway during the hours of daylight. All supplies had to be delivered at night time.

As the weeks progressed it became apparent that General Patton's Fifth Army was experiencing little resistance in Southern Germany with its vastly superior armoured units and the retreating Germans presented a pathetic sight. Most of them were in fact on bicycles commandeered from the civilians. Petrol and oil supplies were almost exhausted and that which was available was reserved mostly for the night fighters. Patton's army advanced rapidly and when they were within about 15 miles of Triesdorf we could hear the artillery fire. This was a welcome sound for me but amongst the German soldier patients and hospital staff varying emotions were displayed. Some were apprehensive, some resigned and some fearful as Goebbels was telling the population over the radio that the American troops were committing atrocities and exhorting all Germans to fight to the last man, woman and child. The American troops were rugged and no angels but of course the propaganda was quite untrue.

It was at this stage that the hospital commandant announced that all the patients and a number of staff were to be evacuated that night under cover of darkness from the local railway station to a destination south of Munich in the Bavarian Alps. This news did not please me but there was little I could do. We were each supplied with a loaf of bread and strangely enough most of us were given a bottle of wine to sustain us on the long train journey. I still have memories of a German soldier in bed opposite mine consuming the wine immediately he received it. One of his legs had been amputated but he managed to stand on his bed on his good leg with his back against the wall and swaying perilously he led his colleagues in the singing of a popular German marching song. Such was the air of resignation amongst the patients who had at last realised the war was lost. 

When darkness came we were conveyed in various types of vehicles to the local railway station but before leaving the hospital I was supplied with a pair of crutches. With the complete black out which was imposed because of the fear of air attack, the situation at the railway station was very confused. The train comprised a mixture of carriages and cattle trucks. It was intended that the immobile and seriously injured should travel in the carriages and the remainder in the trucks. Because of the hurried evacuation no spaces had been specifically reserved and the staff were heavily engaged in allocating the more comfortable positions to the more deserving cases. With the enemy just a few miles away and the need to get the train on the move as soon as possible, the hospital staff were very fully occupied. Even if I had been readily recognisable as one, I quickly realised that no one was too concerned about a British POW on crutches who was unlikely to cause any further inconvenience to the Third Reich. As far as they were concerned there were more pressing matters to deal with. The utter confusion at the railway station caused partly by the almost complete black out provided me with an ideal opportunity to make myself scarce. The sound of the gunfire grew louder and the prospect of the Americans overtaking the position within a few hours made me even less inclined to board the train which would take me south into the Bavarian Alps. 

It was not difficult in the melee to make my way surreptitiously out of the railway station. Then I wondered if I was being wise as the remnants of my RAF uniform had been taken from me and I had been issued with a blue-grey uniform of a German soldier. I did not know the local geography as I had previously been confined to the hospital but my objective was to get as far away from the railway station as possible although with crutches my mobility was very limited. Furthermore it occurred to me that when daylight dawned I would be very conspicuous. Just outside the railway station there was a compound used for storing bicycles which was a very common form of transportation at that period of the war in the rural parts of Germany. There were a number of bicycles which had been used by volunteers from the village helping with the evacuation. 

Without having any preconceived plan as to what I was going to do, I took one of the bicycles using my good leg and holding my crutches across the handlebars I found not too much difficulty in cycling along the road. Fortunately the terrain is quite flat in that area but I had no idea in which direction I was going. It was only then I began to doubt the wisdom of my action as I could envisage myself being caught in the crossfire between the retreating Germans and the advancing Americans. My first inclination was to hide in a barn or some other out-building but as I could barely see the side of the road it was unlikely that I should come across a suitable hiding place. Furthermore I was concerned that I may have chosen a place with homes close by which would only become apparent with daylight. If I had been challenged I was certainly in no condition to resist or take evasive action. I passed through a village but the street was devoid of people. They were remaining in their homes as the gunfire was now getting ominously close.

There was an interesting moment when a small company of German soldiers overtook me but much to my relief they went on. No doubt in the darkness they thought I was another German soldier but they were more concerned in effecting their retreat than to question me. Whilst the riding of the bicycle was no real trouble, it became very tiring and I began to get the awful feeling that unconsciously I might be doubling back on my track. After what appeared an interminable time I came into an area which was more heavily wooded and as I was virtually exhausted I decided to seek refuge in the wood leaving the bicycle in a ditch. I could discern that it was a pine forest and I lay down to rest. Shortly afterwards, my rest was shattered when shells were fired over the wood. Whether they were German or American I did not know but I was apprehensive that should troops come through the forest during the night there was a distinct possibility that I might be shot on sight by either side. 

As dawn broke the next morning 1 heard the rumble of heavy vehicles along the road by the side of the wood. It was the leading contingent of tanks and gun carriers of General Patton's army. They were a great sight but quite frankly I was still apprehensive about showing myself. I wondered if they would give me a chance to explain that I was a POW before taking some unpleasant action against me. In any case how does one approach a tank with an alert gun crew? My quandary was soon resolved as after the initial heavy mobile equipment had passed by the edge of the wood, I noticed two ambulances with their red crosses conspicuously displayed. This was my opportunity and much to my surprise without any fuss they took me aboard. General Patton's armoured units had raced through that very poorly defended part of Germany so much so that they were some 30 miles ahead of their main infantry units. The result was that they had by-passed many German soldiers who were causing considerable trouble behind them. You may imagine my disappointment when I was told it would be too dangerous to send an ambulance back with me because of the remnants of German soldiers who were very active. The result was that for the next five days I had to go forward with Patton rather than going in the opposite direction towards home. That was an exciting period but of course is another story.

This is the official letter sent to John's parents in Bourne on 17th March 1945 notifying him that their son was missing in action.