Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-24H 42-40990 'On the Ball' coming back from Ludwigshavin-Mannheim. German ME-109 fighters attacked us. Number 2 engine on our bomber was on fire. Three gunners were killed. Bailed out over Brou, France. Navigator and Bombardier were captured and became Prisoner of War (POW)'s. Pilot, co-pilot and I landed on friendly farm. French Underground took us to French Resistance people. They took us through France over Pyrenees Mountains to Spain. French people who helped us were Millerou family, Genevieve and Paulette LeFevre and Alice Wilhelm. Freed by British military people. Returned to England. Escape story is on DVD at Mighty 8th museum.



Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.



A radio operator with 93rd BG based at Hardwick Louis Delguidice flew seven missions on B-24 'Judith Lynn' named for the pilot's new-born daughter. On that last trip - a bomb run over Kiel- the plane took a direct hit. They managed to get home but 'Judith Lynn' was a write-off.



Just three days later, the date January 7th 1944, in the crew's newly assigned plane 'On the Ball' they were attacked by fighters over Mannheim, lost an engine and were forced to land in Occupied France.



Some of the crew did not survive, Delguidice unhurt was taken in by French farmers.

From that point on he was moved by the French Underground from safe house to safe house, eventually landing up in the South of France. On one occasion he was given false papers declaring him to be deaf and dumb, on another he did a spell working in a drug store pretending to be the owner's son and mingling with German soldiers. He was the taken in

by the Maquis and was machine gunner on attacks to disrupt German communications and transport.



The eventual aim was to get him over the Pyrenees and into Spain and he was accordingly put on a train, which turned out to be a troop train.He remembers the fifteen hour journey as being 'remarkably tense' with several narrow escapes. At Toulouse he was sheltered by the Maquis until twelve escapees were assembled. Two of them turned out to be members of

Delguidice's crew and the group included seven Jews, a French actress and a wounded British agent.



The trip across the Pyrenees was merciless, the escorting Maquis threatening to shoot anyone who fell behind, All twelve did make it only to be imprisoned by the Spanish. The US consulate got the American airmen released and Delguidice was returned to England initially but then re-assigned as an instructor in the USA.