Ray Reeves had trained as radio operator and flew in that capacity on many missions with the James E. Hill Jr crew, including Ploesti and Wiener Neustadt.



In December 1943, due to ear and nose problems, he was taken temporarily off duty. As he had used a camera on some operations to film bomb strikes, he became familiar with the men in the 44th BG photographic section while recuperating. As his position in the Hill crew had in the meantime been filled by Sgt Chase (P V Chase?), he was asked to fly as a photographer on the 21 January 1944 mission with the Howington crew on B-24H "Ram It-Dam' It" 42-7635. After bombs away, the plane was attacked over France by German fighters and was shot down. It turned out to be Reeves' first and last mission as a photographer. Reeves was one of the 5 evaders. He landed near Sommereux (Oise), France and was in Auneuil the same evening.



For the following 5 1/2 months, he was fed, clothed, transported, sheltered in many places, among them Beauvais, Paris, Beauvais again, then back in Paris. Left Paris by train towards the South of France and, guided by Belgian members of the Comet evasion network, he crossed the Pyrénées mountains in the night of 7-8 May 1944. He was led across Spain to Gibraltar, arriving there on 6 June 1944. He left Gibraltar by air the following day and landed in Bristol, England on 8 June 1944. Escape & Evasion Report E&E 729.

See the full story of his evasion at http://www.evasioncomete.be/freevesrp.html