William Dean Grosvenor
MilitaryAdded photo
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
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 30 November 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Holton
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
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
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