Flight of Spitfire IX MJ131 and Squadron Leader L M Cameron on 1944-07-03
On 1944-07-03, Pilot Lorne Maxwell Cameron (Squadron Leader, Commanding Officer 401 Sqn RCAF) service number J/15378, flew Spitfire IX serial MJ131 for this duty: Recce. His mission was not completed. Circumstances of the aircraft loss: Shot down by flak, crashed near Falaise. The location for the map is Falaise, France. Circumstances at the end of this mission for Cameron: he evaded.
Report of Lieutenant Peter Stanley Winston, 45th Royal Marine Commandos: Sqn Leader Cameron, RCAF was brought to the wood by a Resistance group. On 5 July Squadron Leader Cameron and I decide that the party should split up and each man should endeavour to find his own way through the lines. Squadron Leader Cameron and I moved together. We walked south by day and hid at night in barns, woods, etc. French peasants gave us food. Our route was - Mezidon (U 2555) - Argentan ((U 2619) - Alencon (Z 3503) where we obtained two bicycles from a Frenchman. We cycled to Le Mans (Sheet 15, Z3931) - La Fleche (Sheet 14, K 1902) - Saumur (Sheet 20, P 1853) - Loudon (P 1915) - Poitiers (Sheet 21, U 4878) - Ruffec (Sheet 24, U 3418) - Angouleme (Z 3074) - Montmoreau Z 2847) - Chalais (K 2032) - Le Roche - Chalais (K 1820) - St. Barthelemy (K 3211) where we arrived on 16 July. On 17 July we were taken to a Maquis group in St, Michel le Double (K 3911). We remained with this group until 27 July when we were taken by train (third class) to Bordeaux. We stayed at a house there until 4 August/ On that day we were being taken by car to a rendevous which had been arranged by letter with a supposed member of the Resistance. The car was stopped by about 50 Germans and we were made Prisoners of War. We were interrogated by the Gestapo. We gave only names, rank and number. With eight Americans we were taken to the detention prison in Bordeaux, where we remained until 19 August when the German Air Force took the ten of us to Merignac aerodrome near Bordeaux. We stayed there until 22 August when we were taken in a Luftwaffe convoy to near Chateauneuf (Z 1369). We stayed there until 28 August. Between 26 and 28 August we persuaded the Germans to send groups of our party to a civilian hospital in Angouleme. The last party was taken there on 28 August. On 1 Septembefr at 0315 hours the local Maquis came to the hospital and took us to the Torn Hall, where we were feted by the French. On 2 September at 1900 hours we were taken to Limoges with a Canadian Captain Paratrooper. On 3 September we were brought to the United Kingdom by air in two parties.