William Dean Grosvenor

Military
media-30711.jpeg UPL 30711 William Grosvenor photo from his false papers (COMET archives)

Added photo

Object Number - UPL 30711 - William Grosvenor photo from his false papers (COMET archives)

Note : The 1930 US Census for Colfax, Jasper County, Iowa has him as Billie D. Grosvenor, the 1940 one as Billy D...

On 30 November 1943, Bill Grosvenor went down at Lippeloo, Belgium in P-47 #42-75216. He was helped within 30 minutes by the Belgian Resistance and taken to Brussels where he was taken in charge by the Belgian evasion network COMET (Comète) until he was arrested by the Gestapo on 20 June 1944, in a trap set by Belgian traitor Van Muylem. Imprisoned for 2½ months at the Saint-Gilles Prison in Brussels, he was ultimately spared transportaion by train to Germany, thanks to the heroic actions of Belgian railwaymen who prevented the train from really leaving. Note : The NARA WWII POW Records have him erroneously as made prisoner on "21 November 1944"... and as Returned to Military Control (RMC) on "21 July 1945"...

For the whole story of his evasion, see http://www.evasioncomete.be/fgrosvewd.html

A film about Bill's evasion : http://www.pbs.org/lastbesthope/

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Wicked Wacker Weegie
  • Unit: 56th Fighter Group 61st Fighter Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
  • Nicknames: Charming Ellen
  • Unit: 56th Fighter Group 61st Fighter Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Colfax, Jasper County, Iowa, United States 25 January 1920 the son of William H. and Edna M. Grosvenor

Enlisted

Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, United States 11 September 1941 as a Private in the Air Corps

Other

Parachuted

2890 Lippelo, Belgium 30 November 1943 due to mechanical failure before hitting a telegraph pole while strafing a German train above Puurs, Belgium

Other

Evaded

30 November 1943 - 20 June 1944 after landing near Lippelo, Belgium, he was helped by Belgian citizens and members of the Résistance (the Comet evasion network). Hidden in Keten then led to Brussels where he was sheltered in many different places.

Other

Arrested

Brussels, Belgium 20 June 1944 arrested on 20 June, together with one of his Helpers and another US airman (John W. Brown, pilot of B-17 #42-39799), caught in a trap set by a Belgian traitor

Other

Imprisoned

Saint-Gilles, Brussels, Belgium 20 June 1944 - 3 September 1944 at the Saint-Gilles Prison in Brussels. In solitary confinement for one month. Tortured, he didn't give the names of his Helpers...

Other

Escaped

Brussels, Belgium 3 September 1944 from the “Ghost Train”, the last convoy that the Germans meant to send to Germany, with 1370 political prisoners and 41 Allied airmen. The train never left the vicinity of Brussels, thanks to the brave actions of Belgian railway personnel.

Other

Returned to the UK

London, United Kingdom 11 September 1944 by plane from Brussels

Died

Abilene, Texas, United States 2 March 2009
Colfax, Jasper County, Iowa, United States

Buried

Elmwood Memorial Park, Abilene, Texas, United States

Revisions

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

Updated link to the page at www.evasioncomete.be

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

US Censuses 1930 and 1940
NARA WWII Enlistment Records
NARA WWII POW Records (where some data are wrong)
Escape & Evasion Report E&E 1881 on-line at https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5556511
SSDI (Social Security Death Index)
Research for his page at http://www.evasioncomete.org/fgrosvewd.html

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1542 / MACR 3441 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list

William Dean Grosvenor: Gallery (1 items)