What happened next?
56th Fighter Group
The 56th destroyed over a thousand enemy aircraft, its final mission was on the 25th April 1945. The war in Europe was over on the 8th of May and in the far east on the 14th of August. The P47s, their mission completed, were sent to be scrapped on the 14th of September and the group was disactivated on the 18th of October 1945. The pilots involved in Robert Jenkin's final mission each have their own page:
Major Donald M. Goodfleisch, (White 1), 63rd squadron leader 25 may to 17th July 1944. Honourably discharged 30 sept 1969, died San Antonio Texas 4 september 1991.
First Lieutenant Marvin H. Becker, (White 3), 63rd squadron, completed his tour of duty 23rd August 1944, died at Ann Arbor, Michigan 13 May 1999.
First Lieutenant Roach S. Stewart, (White 4), 63rd squadron, killed in combat on 4th August, 1944 near Blâmont, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France probably by flak during a ground attack. P47-D22, 42-25969. Buried at West side cemetary, Lancaster, Lancaster County, South Carolina, USA. Born 04 April 1921, died age 23, MACR 7448.
First Lieutenant Darrel E. McMahan, 62nd squadron, awarded the Distinguished Service Cross 2nd September 1944, died at Santa Paula, California 1990.
First Lieutenant William M. Heaton, (Whippet Yellow 3), 61st squadron, received the Distinguished Flying Cross, killed in combat on 5th September, 1944 near Limburg an der Lahn, Germany, by anti-aircraft fire during a ground attack. P47-D25RE, 42-26468. Buried in Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands. Born 14 april 1920, died age 24. MACR 9805.
Colonel Hubert Zemke, 56th FG commander, transferred to 479th FG 12 August 1944, POW 30 October 1944, died Oroville, California 30 August 1994.
Flieger-Regiment 91
Erich Theophil Gayko. Born 10 December 1894. In a 1935 adress-book, he is employed as a teacher living in Königsberg. After being beaten by the French resistance at Blois, Flieger-Regiment 91 travelled east to Montbeliard through Epinal then Badonviller. They appear to have been involved in another battle against the resistance at Viombois and the ensuing massacre on the 4th September 1944. Gayko was a POW on the 16th October 1944 and died the 12th December 1962.
Otto Baaske, promoted to Hauptmann (flight lieutenant) 01 April 1942. Awarded the Ehrenpokal (Goblet of honour) 15th February 1943 whilst in Kampfgeschwader z.b.V.1 (transport squadron). Transferred on assignment to to Kampfgruppe z.b.V. 300 headquarters 09 April 1943. Transferred to Luftkriegsschule 7 (flight school) 11 May to 26 June 1943. Tranferred to front-line destroyer group on the 26 June 1943. Transferred to Flieger-Regiment 91 where on the 16th April 1944 he was awarded the German gold cross (DKG). As company commander of Flieger-Regiment 91, he was killed on the 4th October 1944 in ground fighting in the region of Epinal in eastern France.
The map shows the approximate route Flieger-Regiment 91 took as they retreated towards Germany between the 1st and 4th September 1944.
Towards Germany
The map shows a (very) simplified indication of the two allied invasions.
D-Day was only the start of the battle. From the beach head in Normandy, the allied forces moved east towards Germany. A second invasion in Provence on the 15th of August made rapid progress up the Rhone valley to Lyon.
I've highlighted the river Loire and Blois on the map. The allies wanted to attack Germany and didn't want to be hampered by the German forces in the south-west of France. They knew that if they destroyed all the bridges over the Loire, then their right flank would be protected.
The German forces at Blois, once they'd been pushed south of the Loire by the French resistance would only have been a hinderance and weren't strategically important.
Map source: Cartes-de-france.fr
Bridges at Blois
One of the many bridges destroyed was this rail bridge across the Loire, it's situated 4km (2.5 miles) upstream of Blois at La Chausée St. Victor.
It was destroyed by B24 Liberators on the 11th June 1944 and was never rebuilt.
The photo is from Google maps 3D 2023. Article in the Nouvelle Rebublique. A photo taken from one of the bombers (commercial site).
Chronology of events around Blois
20 April 1944 ground attack at Le Breuil airfield near La Chapelle-Vendômoise by Mustang P51s.
27 April 1944 La Chapelle-Vendômoise aerodrome deliberately obstructed by the Germans to prevent Allied planes from landing.
07 May 1944 the resistance informed the allies of a munitions depot at Salbris (camp Michenon), it was then bombed and destroyed by the RAF but 49 airmen were lost. One of the planes, Avro Lancaster N° ND741, fell on the village of Herbilly, 20 km northwest of Blois, killing 7 residents and 6 of the 7 aircrew. The Lancaster was shot down by Lt. Fred Hromaduik of 9./Nachtjagdgeschwader 4 flying a Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4.
04 June 1944 during the attack on the Landes camp, an American bomb falls on a café at Sainte-Marthe, Villefranche-sur-Cher, 20 civilians killed including Abel Sourioux of Buxeuil, a relative of Eugène Sourioux, witness to the flak shot at Robert Jenkins over Blois.
06 June 1944 D-Day on the beaches of Normandy.
10 June 1944 Blois railway freight station bombed.
11 June 1944 bombing of the Blois-Romorantin railway bridge at La Chaussée-Saint-Victor by 41 B24 Liberators (458th bomber group, mission 405).
14 June 2023 failed bombing of the Jacques-Gabriel bridge, the bombs fall on Avenue Wilson in Southern Blois killing 16 civilians and wounding 40 others.
21 June 1944 aerial bombardment of the Jacques-Gabriel bridge, Blois. One of the unexploded bombs was removed from the Loire on the 2 December 2018.
25 June 1944 the resistance sabotage a temporary wooden bridge across the Loire which had been built by the Germans in case the Jacques-Gabriel bridge fell.
27 June 1944 aerial bombardement of the Jacques-Gabriel bridge, Blois.
29 June 1944 aerial bombardement of the Louis XII square in Blois.
03 July 1944 artillery bombardment of Landes le Gaulois by the Germans.
08 July 1944 parachute drop in Clénord of 16 tons of weapons and ammunition for the resistance.
12 July 1944 aerial bombardment of the railway station, the Rousset shoe factory and the Saint Charles school at Blois.
15 July 1944 ground attack on Le Breuil airfield near La Chapelle-Vendômoise by 56th Fighter Group.
26 July 1944 aerial bombardment of Blois.
04 August 1944 aerial bombardment of Blois.
06 August 1944 aerial bombardment of La Picardière, Villierfins, Saint-Sulpice and the forest at Blois (the allies believed, incorrectly, that the Germans were stationed there), 800 bombs dropped, 3 civilians killed.
09 August 1944 aerial bombardment of Blois
10 August 1944 release of 183 political prisoners and resistance fighters in Blois by the FTP (francs-tireurs and partisans).
11 August 1944 liberation of Vendôme.
12 August 1944 American artillery bombardment on the Blois forest and the Poudrière (Medicis crossroads).
14 August 1944 American artillery bombardment on rue Augustin Thierry and Foix quay.
15 August 1944 arrival of the American 166th Engineer Combat Batallion in Molineuf, their mission was to destroy the Jacques-Gabriel bridge in Blois. Clashes with the Germans west of Blois left two Americans and one resistance fighter dead. The Americans left for Orléans, leaving the French resistance forces led by Colonel Valin to retake Blois.
16 August 1944 aerial bombardment of Blois, Jacques-Gabriel and the Gambetta bridges dynamited by the Germans who withdrew south of the Loire.
18 August 1944 German artillery bombardment on the gendarmerie and rue des Ecuries du roi.
23 August 1944 German artillery bombardment on the chateau at Blois.
24 August 1944 aerial bombardment of Aristide Briand quay, southern Blois.
25 August 1944 liberation of Paris.
01 September 1944 liberation of Blois by the resistance, aided by the Americans.
230 civilians were killed between 1940 and 1944 in Blois.
Liberation of Blois
On the 14 August 1944 the American 166th Engineer Combat Batallion, commanded by Major John Robert Klug arrived via Molineuf on the western side of the Blois forest. Their mission was to destroy the Jacques-Gabriel bridge in Blois and all the other bridges up to Orléans. To reach Blois, they would have to cross the forest. The Germans were prepared and had blocked the forest road with fallen trees. A reconnaisance vehicle, a French Citroen 'Traction' with three men aboard was sent down the D766 forest road. When they arrived at the 'Valentine de Milan' junction, a machine gun opened fire killing the 17 year old guide, Bernard Mazille from the 'Fito' resistance group and wounding Lieutenant de Cassin the French liaison officer. The driver wasn't hit and was able to turn around and escape.
The next day, a larger group of Americans attacked down the same road. They got further but were repulsed by the German artillary. Two Americans, Private Henry Trajanowski and Staff Sergeant Carl Russo were killed. Major Klug gave the order to withdraw without further casualties but they left 5 vehicles behind. The Americans left for Orléans via Herbault, burying their dead at Vendôme, leaving the French resistance forces led by Colonel Valin to retake Blois. The Germans were forced out of northern Blois on the 16th August blowing up the central arches of the Jacques Gabriel bridge behind them. They hung on in the southern part of the town for a further two weeks. Two American self-propelled howitzers gave the firepower the resistance were lacking and the Germans finally left Blois on the 1st of September 1944.
Staff sergeant Carl Russo, born in Ohio, 1919, is buried at the Calvary Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio, section 35, lot 44, grave 1. Private Henry Trajanowski, from Northbridge, Massachusetts is buried at the Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France, plot B row 12 grave 5.
Photo: Henry Trajanowski and Bernard Mazille.
All 3 men are remembered on a memorial to the 166th Engineers Combat Batalion near Les Allées, D766 at the western entrance to Blois 47°34'55.6"N 1°17'40.7"E.
