Andrew Douglas Franklin, Sr. Tech/Sergeant U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII Prisoner of War Part 2.

When the bomber group, which included Sgt. Douglas Franklin and his crew on the B-24, War Eagle was close to their destination in Linz, Austria, they were attacked by large numbers of enemy fighters. The sky was swarming with flak. The bombers’ flight was completely surrounded by the sky, from above, to below, and towards the sides, by smoke puffs that were black and concealed the shrapnel that could kill from the exploding German anti-aircraft missiles.

The goal that morning included that of the Herman Goering Tank Works. The mission consisting of B-24 Liberator bombers was led by Major William Burke of the 766th Squadron who piloted the leading plane. The plane was the first to crash.

When their leader was shot down with a gun, the pilots who were inexperienced of his squadron as well as the 764th squadron allowed the formation to disperse instead of forming a tight close enough to defend themselves. They were surrounded by 25 twin-engine [ME110and 125 single-engine ME-109single-engine [ME-109] German fighters. 11 of the U.S. bombers were lost during the attack. One nose-gunner on one of those planes returning claimed to have saw 32 parachutes floating in the air at the same time. Of the 113 officers and enlisted men killed that day the seven police officers, and 9 enlisted soldiers were in their 50th mission, including Sergeant. Douglas Franklin.

The moment the fighters attacked Franklin’s aircraft, it caught fire. The gunner on the top turret, Yancey Fulcher, who hails from Geneva, Alabama], as well as the right-waist gunner James Hagen, were killed immediately. The gunner in the tail, Jose Salas [on his first flight with this crewwas on his first flight with the crew was seriously injured. Pilot, Second Lieutenant. Richard Freeman, sounded the alarm and announced: “Abandon the ship.”

Communications were cut off The Navigator, Abraham Levine, went forward to inform the nose gunner, Kenneth Kendle, to quit the ship. Franklin remembered that he and Willie Gibson [

the gunner on the left

The wounded Salas out of the tail-turret. They and then slung a parachute around Salas and then pushed Salas out of the aircraft. Once Salas was cleared, Franklin and Gibson followed out of the door. The B-24 was nicknamed


“The Flying Coffin”


by its crews since the plane had just one exit door. It was close to in the back of the aircraft.

Franklin’s parachute broke just prior to it hit the ground. He fell into a huge open field that was plowed and could see an unlit tree line out in the distance. Soon, he was able to hear the sounds of dogs and soldiers. Franklin was aware that Germans often shot airmen with guns and he decided to throw his gun away and set off towards trees. Once he was there, he came across an engulfment, climbed into it, and threw branches and debris over his. He didn’t take long before the dog was heard to his feet, and then the dog’s face appeared just a few inches away off his head. Franklin admitted that he was scared to breathe but the dog then left without an ounce of bark.

Franklin was shot dead at around 11:30 a.m. Then, after lunch Franklin was exhausted and thirsty. He was forced to surrender. He went to the town nearby in Haag and surrendered before the German soldiers who had been searching for the man. A few of his fellow soldiers were also captured. After the suspects had been taken into custody, they were put on railroad cars and transported into Gross Tycho, Pomerania [ currently PolandPoland. Once they were there they were ordered to run and march towards Stalag Luft IV, some three miles away.

While Franklin’s plane was shot down on the 25th of July 1944 but his wife Jewel was not informed up until the end of September. In that month, she got an email to General. General. Nathan Twining, Commanding Officer of the 15th Air Force.

When they got into the jail prisoners were punished when they stopped or slipped out. A number of prisoners were injured in parachuting and were the victims of beatings.

Stalag Luft IV established on May 14, 1944. It was two months prior to Franklin’s arrival. The camp quickly gained an unpopular reputation. In the Red Cross report issued in October 1944, the conditions are described in terms of ” generally poor,”with ” inadequate shower facilities, inadequate and inadequate food supply, as well as unfit the distribution system in the distribution of Red Cross packages. “

Camp was separated into 5 areas A to E which are separated via barbed wire. Prisoners were kept in 40 wooden barracks comprising 200 prisoners. The prisoners in two compounds were provided with bunks that had three levels, while prisoners in the third compound were sleeping upon the floors. The barracks weren’t heated, and there were just five small stoves with coal burning within the camp. Guards were unruly and violent. Franklin recalls one particularly brutal guard who stood about six feet and a half tall and weighed 250 pounds. The guards named the man “Big Stoop.”

The prisoners ate twice a day each day, one in the morning and another time, later at night. Franklin remembers that his meals were mainly bread, soups with thin layers like cabbage or potato and there was no meat. At one time, Franklin traded his flight jacket and wedding rings for an SS guard in exchange for bread. He cut hair to buy cigarettes. When he was in into the camps, Franklin weighed about 144 pounds. After his release in the camp, he weighed just 90 pounds. The camp was occupied from July 1944 until February 1945, which was the most frigid winter that Europe experienced in over 25 years. The average temperature was close to zero degrees, and even minus 30, at some times.

In February 1945 In February 1945, the Germans removed a number of camp camps located in eastern Germany ahead of the approaching Russian army. The prisoners released were split into smaller groups and marched west to Germany. Prisoners who were unable to marched were placed on trains heading to Germany. Franklin remembers the long, difficult march. He claimed his troops were Germans marched through one way until they got close to the Allied lines. They then re-enforced in another direction until they got close to the lines. Then, they were enclosed and the Germans had to leave.

In the course of their marches, their food was from farms on the route. Franklin claimed that they often offered food for sale, but in other instances, simply did the food. Some farmers provided them with food, but it was not plentiful even for the farmers. Franklin exchanged the ring from his Straughn High School ring to one farmer in exchange for sugar and bread.

The prisoners would sometimes consume snow for drinking and, in other instances, they drinking water from the ditches. A lot of them contracted dysentery and other illnesses because of the contamination of water. In the evening, they attempted to stay in a barn that offered some kind of protection from the weather.

Franklin remembered the day on May 2nd Franklin awoke in a town that was small and discovered his German guards had gone out at night, and British soldiers were on the way. The British army tried their best to help the dehydrated prisoners and offered them food. The British advised the prisoners to grab whatever they desired from the farms that were in the region. One farm was abandoned, Franklin came across a stunning collection of pistols dueling tucked away on an unfinished wall. He was determined to get the guns, but was not able to find the courage to lift away from the wall. A lot of prisoners got sick due to excessive eating. The prisoners who were liberated were returned on the American lines on May 6.

Following the time that Germany surrendered, the bulk people who were American prisoners were transferred to the camp Lucky Strike which was located in St. Valery, France. It was a part of the Red Horsestaging region, which was located approximately 45 miles to the west of Le Havre. After Franklin and the other prisoners of war had been examined and had their paper work was processed after which they were taken home via ship from Le Havre.

Douglas Franklin had been awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, The American Campaign Medal [Europe], the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal and the WW II Victory Medal.

In the time that Franklin was in New York City in June 1945, he stated that his first dinner was Fried chicken. After that it was a short trip into Miami, Florida, by train. After a brief time in Miami the man was transferred to a hospital for convalescent patients in Macon, Georgia, and was discharged on the 10th of November 1945. He returned home just a few days later, and was almost thrown off by his wife when she rushed out to meet him.

Utilizing to pay for the GI Bill, Douglas Franklin enrolled at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn) currently Auburn in 1946. He began his studying Aeronautical Engineering. He quit Auburn in 1949 after earning his degree and moving into Opp, Alabama. Franklin taught vocational training for veterans at the Blue Springs School for a period of time, and also worked in bookkeeping for various companies, such as Bryan Oil Company. At different occasions, Franklin did small engine repair, made furniture upholstered and also sold insurance.

Franklin was a huge fan of folk music, and was a huge Hank Williams fan. He played many instruments with strings, but was most skilled on the guitar, which he carried up high in his chest. He composed songs, poems and poems and kept the atmosphere at home alive.

Andrew Douglas Franklin died March 6, 1976, at 53 years old. Funeral services were held at the Foreman Funeral Home, Andalusia, Alabama, on March 8. He was laid to rest at the Pilgrim’s Rest Memorial Cemetery in Crenshaw County, Alabama. He was preceded in death by his mom, Irene Marvin Adams Franklin and a sister, Nancy Inez Franklin, two brothers Horace Vernon Franklin and Donald Lee Franklin and an infant son Andrew Douglas Franklin, Jr. His father was also survived, Dennis Lee Franklin; sisters, Gladys Franklin Dawkins and Ruth Franklin; sons, Allan Butler Franklin, Kenneth Eldred [GailFranklin, Kenneth Eldred [Gail] Franklin, Terry Kyle Franklin, Timothy Eugene Franklin; Marvin Craig Franklin; daughters Diane Franklin [Steve] Tucker, Sherry Franklin [Biggs] and Karen Franklin [McGlaun]; and a host of grandchildren.

John Vick John Vick

Author would like thank Allan Franklin and Karen Franklin McGlaun for their assistance in writing the story of their father. We will always remember and cherish the memory of the Greatest Generation.

Sources Wikipedia. Voces Oral History Center, University of Texas at Austin [J Ose M. Salas]; www.461bg.org; www.15thaf.org; Army Air Corps Museum (pre- WW II; American Air Museum in Britainin Britain.

The article Andrew Douglas Franklin, Sr. Tech/Sergeant U.S. Army Air Corps Prisoner of war in WWII Part 2 was first published at The Andalusia Star-News.