Chester J. Mann, Jr.
386th Bomb Group, 555th Bomb Squadron
On Saturday, November 18, 1944, the 386th Bomb Group was getting their B-26 "Son of Satan" ready to take off for their target, a storage dump located at St. Wendel, Germany. Chet Mann was not scheduled to fly that particular mission. However, when duty called, he met the crew on the flight line, his bunkmate handed him his flying gear, and he boarded the aircraft. The B-26 "Son of Satan," flown by flying deputy Captain Owen, took off without incident and made its way to the target. At 1240 hours, the wing was struck directly and blown off the aircraft, causing the plane to spin. Amid the plane's death spiral, Captain Owen ordered "Left wing out," and Chet bailed out through the bomb bay. One chute opened up as the plane spiraled down.
The Son of Satan dropped like a rock and slammed into the ground. A large explosion and fire ensued. The only survivor of the plane crash was Mann, who landed outside the crash site in a tree. Unable to free himself, he dangled in the tree, waiting until someone could rescue him. He was found by people from the village of Morschied, who took him to the town center, where he was handed over to the Nazis. The Nazis stripped him of his clothing, beat him, and marched through the town. He was held as a Prisoner of War for the remainder of World War II. He was imprisoned at Stalag Luft IV in Gross Tychow (now modern-day Poland).
In early 1945, as the Allied armies closed in on Germany from both the east and the west, the German authorities decided to evacuate the camp and force the prisoners on a "Black March" to an area just east of Hamburg. The prisoners were marched for days in the cold and the rain, with little food or water, suffering frostbite, typhus, dysentery, pain from wounds, and complete fatigue. Some died along the way. When the war finally ended, Mann returned home to his family.
On Saturday, November 18, 1944 the 386th Bomb Group was getting thier B-26 "Son of Satan" ready to take off for their target, a storage dump located at St. Wendel, Germany when they were down a man. Chet Mann was not scheduled to fly that particular mission. However, when duty called, he met the crew on the flight line, his bunkmate handed him his flying gear, and he boarded the aircraft. The B-26 "Son of Satan" flown by flying deputy Captain Owen, took off without incident and made its way to the target. At 1240 hours, the wing was struck directly and blown off the aircraft, causing the plane to spin. In the midst of the plane's death spiral, Captain Owen ordered "Left wing out," and Chet bailed out through the bomb bay. One chute opened up as the plane spiraled down.
The Son of Satan dropped like a rock and slammed into the ground. A large explosion and fire ensued. The only survivor of the plane crash was Mann, who landed outside the crash site in a tree. Unable to free himself, he dangled in the tree, waiting until someone could rescue him. He was found by people from the villiage Morschied, who took him to the town where he was handed over to the Nazis. The Nazi’s stripped of his clothing, beat him and marched through the town. He was held as a Prisoner of War for the remainder of World War II. He was imprisoned at Stalag Luft IV in Gross Tychow (now modern-day Poland).
In early 1945, as the Allied armies closed in on Germany from both the east and the west, the German authorities decided to evacuate the camp and force the prisoners on a "Black March" to an area just east of Hamburg. The prisoners were marched for days in the cold and the rain, with little food or water, suffering frostbite, typhus, dysentery, pain from wounds and complete fatigue. Some died along the way. When the war finally ended, Mann returned home to his family.