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Michael Moores LeBlanc |
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The 100th Bomb Group
Foundation is sincerely grateful to
Michael Moores LeBlanc for sharing his
detailed research with us and for
allowing us to publish it on this
website. The photo of Michael (below)
was taken in September, 2005 in
Amsterdam where he was involved in the
recovery of his uncle's Halifax III
bomber and its crew. Most of the
information you will see in this section
of the website is in the public domain.
However, we request that you give
proper credit to Michael Moores LeBlanc if you choose to use his research. |
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 By way of introduction I am a 1949 model Canadian, living in
Acton, a small suburban-farming community 45 minutes NW of
Toronto International airport. I have a wife, two boys aged 20 &
22, three cats, two dogs, a boa constrictor, a mortgage and a
wife called Kathy. I work in the communications department of a
local hospital but originally trained as a technical
illustrator-graphic designer (alas, a failed career) and taught
visual arts for 13 years (unlucky number).
I was raised in a war-generation family. All of my seven uncles
saw service in WW II. One was a POW of the Japanese (Hong Kong),
one was with a Recce reg't, one was in artillery, and one was an
engineer who got away (evaded) from the action at Dieppe after
he was captured by the Huns. All the rest, including my father,
were air force on Wellingtons, Halifaxes and B-26s. One uncle
was killed in air operations on 24-35 May 1944. Just this fall
my two sons and I participated in the salvaging of his Halifax
III bomber and the recovery of the remains of five of the crew
that were still in the aircraft. If you care to check this
incredible experience out you can find a Dutch website devoted
to it at:
http://home.hetnet.nl/~pdw34/OHHalifaxEN.htm
Back in the mid-1980s I took an interest in this uncle's crew
and subsequently researched them, their Sqdn (attending two
reunions & corresponded with ca 380 former Sqdn members) and
eventually recovered the stories of all the 33 British aircraft
and 8 German night-fighters lost the same night. While doing
this I stumbled on the fact that the Dutch tried to help 18 of
the lost bomber crew members.
Twelve were sent down to Antwerp in Belgium where they all found
themselves on a false escape line (the KLM) created by the
Abwehr - German Miliraty intelligence. I decided to find out how
this situation developed and who was involved. I ended up
identifying most of the 235 allied airmen captured this way,
identified who the airmen were, who real patriots were and who
was working for the Germans.
In turn, this led me to a thorough study of all of the escape
lines of Holland, Belgium and France. I am told I am good at
what I do and some people say I am a 'general' authority on the
matter, a flattery I enjoy but I know I am still very much a
student. I continue my involvement with this passion to this day
... which is now I have ultimately come into contact with you
(100th Bomb Group Foundation)..
For your further reference I would like to draw you attention to
the web site of a good friend of mine, John Clinch:
http://home.clara.net/clinchy/eeb.htm
John's website deals primarily with the very, very early days of
Comete but has an excellent bibliography section as well as a
very good 'instruction' page for anyone wishing to carry out
further evasion research. By the way, the word 'Comete' is
simply French for 'Comet'. The French spelling is usually used.
A very good introduction to evasion line history and one that
covers most of the prominent evasion line organizations is Airey
Neave's 'Saturday at MI-9'.
Michael Moores LeBlanc (March 2006) |
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