I am seeking ANY information on my gr-uncle, Lt. Col William T. Boren.
 
He was born in 1917 in TX. He lived in Snyder, Scurry Co, TX when he enlisted in 1940. (Two other brothers served- my grandfather, Lt. John H. Boren a B-24 pilot in Eur Theater stationed in England, and Robert "Bob" Boren, a radio gunner on B-25 in So. Pacific.
 
Uncle Boren's last rank was Lt. Col. with Headqurters squadron 29th Bomber Group, Very Heavy.
 
In 1943, Major Boren was shot down over occupied France  (in Sept I think) and was assisted and hidden by the French underground for 29 days before being directed back to England. He was "kept" in Clermont with one of his crew, a Sgt. Anderson (I think). Four other crew members were taken prisoner. I don't know how many would have been on board. When my gr-uncle was on leave after returning to the states, he obviously did not discuss his experience to family members.
 
Boren was married to Floy Denton Thompson, of Jackson, MS.
 
On Jan.8, 1945 after having been in Pratt KS, Maj. Boren (or perhaps Lt. Col by then...not sure) was on a mission flying from FL to Puerto Rico and was lost. His last contact was with a Col. Storrie (sp ?) and distress calls were heard up to three days after his plane went missing.  No wreakage, oil slicks or debris were found in the water.
 
I have some letters that were sent between family members, but since he went MIA before the end of war, I know little of his missions. I am eager to learn anything about his escape through France, his last mission and anything about him as a pilot and commander.
 
(Incidentally, the French woman/family who helped Uncle Boren was Mme. Jeanne Maurelet and then Mme de Chauvigny and family.)
 
Thanks to anyone who can help. 
 
Jennifer Morris

hi jennifer
 
this is what i found
 
date was 21 september 1943
 
B-26B-20-MA   41-31721  TQ-P   "Cactus Jack"     387 BG  559BS
 
P      Maj William T Boren
CP    2lt Charles R Esparza
N      1lt Joseph J Rosa
B      1lt Henry L Metzer
E/G   s/sgt James Beaman
R/G   t/sgt John L Connell
G      s/sgt Francis W Anderson
 
MARC 0614
 
take off Chipping Ongar ,assigned P/T the airfield at Beauvais/Tille was attacked at 0937 hrs by 34 B-26 despatched.
Exploded on striking the ground about  2 mil;es north west of the airfield at Beauvais/Tille
Crew had previously baled out after the left engine,aileron and elevator controls been shot out
 
Maj Boren and t/sgt Connell evaded and made it back to england
 
Maj Boren was the CO of the 559th Bomb squadron

ron
http://www.mary-ruth.ontheweb.nl/

Jennifer, 
 
You may want to go to the research section above to obtain instructions on how to request service records. 
 
Howard

Howard Keller (LTC, USA, Ret)

Ron-
Thank you so much for the information you provided! I really appreciate it.
 
Jennifer

Ms. Morris,
 
Please see the information below on your great uncle's evasion which I had provided to another person.  I have been looking for a Major Bowen for some time now, not realizing I had the wrong name.  Let me know if you have any questions. 
*********************************************************
Dear Loic,

Thank you so much for the information on Major Boren, not Bowen as I had it.  I would be happy to tell you what I know about the evasion.

On 20 October 1943 the following Americans assembled at a train station in South Paris for a trip to Toulouse:

Major Boren, B-26 Pilot (Name was Bowen according to E&E report of Lt. Olof Ballinger)
1st. Lt. Olof Ballinger, B-17 Pilot--533rd BS, 381st BG, Shot Down 4 July 1943--LaCoulonche, l'Orne, MACR 161
1st. Lt. Keith W. Murray, B-17 Bombardier--335th BS, 95th BG, Shot Down 3 Sep 1943, east of Paris
2nd Lt. Charles H. Hoover, B-17 CP--535th BS, 381st BG, Shot Down 6 Sep 1943, Stuttgart Raid, Bailed out--Belgium 
2nd Lt. Harold Bailey, B-17 Navigator, 379th BG, Bailed Out by Mistake (Thought plane was going down), 16 Aug 1943, Bouget Field, Paris
T/Sgt. William B. Plasket, B-17 RO, 368 BS, 306th BG, Shot Down 6 Sep 1943--Stuttgart Mission, Bailed out at Beauvais, MACR 518
S/Sgt. Francis E. Owens, B-17 Waist Gunner, 533 BS, 381st BG, Shot Down 4 July 1943--La Coulonche, l'Orne, MACR 161

Also in the group were six Frenchmen who wanted to reach the Free French Army in North Africa.  Unfortunately, I do not have their names at the current time.

Each American was escorted by a female member of the Resistance.  After arriving in Toulouse, the group switched trains to Boussens, Haute-Garonne.  There, they switched trains again and headed for St. Girons, Ariege.  The group stayed at a hotel in St. Girons on the evening of Oct 20.

On the 21st. of October the group headed southeast and stopped for the night at Massat, staying with a farmer.  In the morning, Lt. Ballinger found that his legs were in poor condition and that he could not go on.  He was told to wait at the farm for 8-10 days until the guide returned.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the group headed towards the frontier, presumably towards Estrerri d'Aneu, Spain.  They encountered a number of German sentries in the mountains and they had to proceed slowly.  On the 23rd of October they encountered a severe storm which caused heavy snow and very cold temperatures.  Near the summit, one of the Americans collapsed.  He was carried by the others for some distance.  Once over the summit and on the way down towards Spain, two more Americans collapsed.  Now, all three of the exhausted Americans could or would not move another step.  Their paper shoes had disintegrated in the wetness and their feet were frozen.  Their poor diets and lack of exercise while they were evading in France contributed greatly to the problem.

The guides tried everything to get the exhausted men to move including the threat of shooting them but it was useless.  The remaining members of the evasion group eventually left the collapsed men in the snow and continued on down the mountain.  The escape group eventually reached Barcelona on 28 October 1943.

Meanwhile, Lt. Ballinger was forced to leave the farm in Massat when Gestapo agents started searching the area.  Ballinger left Massat on 30 October and reached Andorra City by the next day.  He left St. Julia de Leria on 2 November 1943, and proceeded to the southeast reaching Berga on the 6th and Manresa on Nov. 8.  He was in Barcelona the next day.  Ballinger was sick and exhuasted and he did not leave Spain until 3 Dec 1943.

In early September, 1951 the bodies of the three Americans were found in the Pyrenees:  Lt. Bailey, T/Sgt. Plasket and S/Sgt. Owens.  It is presumed they all died of exposure.  My interest in this affair stems from the fact that Ballinger and Owens were in my father's crew.  Owens was buried at the Ardennes American Military Cemetery in Belgium. 

Please let me know if you need any additional information.  Again, thank you for setting me straight on Major William Boren.

Regards

P.S.:  I do have a little info on some names in the Paris network that orgainized this escape.  The writing in the E&E report where this information exists is very difficult to read.  I will be back to you as soon as I can decifer the text--Warren.

_____________________________

Warren B. Carah

Warren B. Carah