The 489th Bombardment Squadron in Corsica

Here's a fascinating 489th Bomb Squadron story told by Walker Harris:


This is T/Sgt. Radio-gunner Walker Harris of the 489th Bombardment Squadron in a picture taken before he was shot down on November 4, 1944 in B-25J 9E 43-27746 on a mission to Casale Monferrato. In this photo, Walker Harris is standing in front of B-25J 9V (717) "That's All Brother," maintained by crew chief Tom Sullivan.

"I was with the 489th Bomb Squadron, 340th Bomb Group in 1944. On a mission to bomb a bridge at Casale Monferrato in the Po Valley, I was shot down near Alessandria and was picked up soon after by partisans under the command of 'Capitano Tino' near Canelli. Together with a Lt. Ardell Klemme I was sent to another partisan unit in the mountains above Cuneo which was served by a British SAS mission. Unfortunately, before any plans could be developed to get us out, the Germans mounted a heavy rastrellamento and we had to split up. Lt. Klemme went with another P-47 pilot from his unit, so I teamed up with Lt. Reginald Jorgenson and we walked south and west to join partisans above Taggia (Imperia). That unit, il 3a. Battaglione Garibaldini(Caudido Quizzola), was led by 'Commandante Gori' (Domenico Simi). I later heard the Capitano Tino was killed in the same rastrellamento that has caused us to split up above Cuneo (Mondovi). After about two months with the partisans near Taggia, we were moved to a location near Ceriana where we were hidden in a cave dug into a terrace in an olive grove. There we were captured by the Germans through betrayal by the former political commisar of the partisans. He was probably trying to save his life, but I dont know if he succeeded. The Germans took us to a hotel in San Remo which they used as a headquarters and then to a villa on a hill on the west side of San Remo which was used as a holding jail for prisoners. After perhaps a week, during which the town was shelled by a destroyer, we were transported to Genova where we were lodged in the Carceri di Marrassi. Later, I escaped when partisans opened fire on a bus that was supposed to transport us to Germany."

"There is not a lot more to tell about 4 November 1944. When we were hit I was standing by the window on the left side and was hit on my nose and inside the elbow of my left arm. I hadn't had my parachute on because it was a seat pack and I rolled around on the floor trying to get into the harness and tighten it. I remember seeing Mallicoat hunched over the guns in the tail and yelled at him but got no response. This was about when we fell off into a spin. It was difficult to crawl over to the hatch release on the left side above the rear hatch and pull it. When the hatch dropped away I rolled out head-first and I still remember seeing the belly of the plane between my legs as it passed over. All of this took some time and according to Alex Stewart, his tail gunner was told to watch for chutes but did not see any. When my canopy opened, it seemed that there were only a few oscillations before I hit the ground in a plowed field. Alex Stewart, by the way, died last year, according to "Men of the 57th" newsletter. We are dropping like flies after a killing frost. It took only a few minutes for some Italian civilians to come running across the field while I was gathering up the parachute with the idea of burying it, but that much nylon was too valuable so the Italians took it. I also gave them my .45 pistol since I had only one clip for it and figured that was hardly enough to hold a perimeter and couldn't depend on a re-supply of ammunition. I was taken to a house and had my nose and arm bandaged then after dark to another house where I spent the night. Over the next several days I was escorted to a little town of Canelli, where a partisan band led by a Capitano Tino had headquarters. There I was introduced to Asti Spumanti, the beginning of a long and continuing friendship. Capitano Tino also provided me with funds and an escort to another village where I joined up with Ardell Klemme, a P-47 pilot who had been shot down. I talked to him just last night when I heard that Eric Erickson, a P-38 pilot and long-time friend of his had recently died. Klemme lives in Harshaw, WI, and Erickson lived in Northern Minnesota. Klemme and I walked to the mountains above Mondovi where we stayed for a few days with the partisans led by Piero Cosa. There were several American airmen as well as a British mission there in a little town called Prea. If you get a detailed map of Piemonte, Alessandria is south of Novara. Asti is west of Alessandria and Canelli is almost due south of Asti. Today, as it was then, this is important wine country. The Castelli di Canelli is a world famous label. It took us several days to reach Prea since we were only able to move at night. My wife and I are returning to that area this coming Fall. We would like to retrace the route so long as memory serves as we did last year in Liguria. I am attaching a picture of Ardell Klemme in the cockpit of his P-47. We were the prisoners of Lt. Commander Georg Sessler of the Kriegsmarine who was on the staff of General Anton Dostler. Sessler testified at the trial of Dostler, who was courtmartialed and later shot for having ordered the execution of about 20 commandos near LaSpezia, I believe, in 1943. If you have any contacts in Germany, I would like to locate Sessler, who always treated us well, within the limits of his authority and circumstances. Of course, he could well be dead by now."



This is Walker Harris' wife, Donna Harris with Pietro Cosa, the son of partisan Piero Cosa (who protected Klemme and Harris in 1944) alongside Walker Harris near Cuneo in 2000 during a visit to Italy.

"In October-November 2000, my wife and I went to Italy and visited most of the places I've mentioned. We found partisans who had been with the band led by Gori (Domenico Simi) near Taggia and also we found his nephew and great-niece. We found the son and wife of Piero Cosa near Cuneo (Pietro and Francesca Cosa) and Father Aldo Benevelli, chaplain to the partisans of Val di Pesio. He remembered Jorgensen because Reggie had been with the partisans since he was shot down in the summer of 1944. We also met and still correspond with Sergio Costagli, a historian in Cuneo."



This is the flight schedule for Walker Harris' 47th mission on November 4, 1944 to Casale Monferrato on which he was shot down.

"In July, 1989, J. J. Walsh sent me copies of all my mission schedules (47 of them). Reading those schedules, you can almost smell that aromatic military fuel and the hot aluminum when you boarded the planes in the Corsican sun, even early in the morning. We were fortunate to have had officers like JJ and Len Kaufman. That is probably the reason I can't think of any disciplinary problems in our squadron, either before or after I was there. They were true gentlemen in the best sense of the word."


Back to Personnel Photos taken by Quentin Kaiser at Alesani, Corsica in 1944-45.

Back to Page 1 of "The 489th Bombardment Squadron in Corsica".



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