Thank you to John Martinello of Brighton, Ontario for this story. See the links below for his story about F/Lt Magee.
"It was published in the Chatham (Ontario) Daily News in 2011. F/Lt Magee was a Canadian flying Typhoons with 247 Sqn RAF. When he crash-landed in Telgte, Germany, he was flying Typhoon Mk 1B coded ZY-G, serial number MN471. I have never forgotten that July 1967 day when Magee spoke about his experiences as a Typhoon pilot." Magee and his wife were friends of John's parents. John was a nine year old boy at the time he met Magee.
9 EFTS (St Catharines) - 7 Oct 1941 - the first time Magee ever flew was 22 Aug 41 at 19 yrs old
1 SFTS (Camp Borden) - 22 Jan 42
17 AFU (Watton) - 1 Jun 42
56 OTU (Tealing, Scotland) - 12 Aug 42
56 Sqn RAF (Matlaske, Duxford, Snailwell) 56 was first squadron to get Typhoons; lots of problems & accidents); 1 Oct 42 - Magee first flew a Typhoon; 17 Oct 42 - at 20 yrs old Magee flies Typhoon in first Typhoon attack on The Continent; 8 Jan 44 - Magee flies last operation with 56 Sqn
1 TEU (Tealing) - 16 Mar 44
No 83 GSU (Bognor Aegis, Sussex)- 20 Jul 44
438 Sqn RCAF (France) Magee was a member of 438 Sqn for 12 days from 20 July 1944 to 31 July 1944. During this time he flew 4 operations with 438 Sqn. ORB: 1 Aug 44 - "Posting was received here today for CAN J17298 F/O E.A. Magee - a new arrival who is going to No. 247 … He is at present laid up with a case of "hives." ORB: 2 Aug 44 - "F/O E.A. Magee was today taken to No. 52 N.F.H. a suspect of chickenpox."
247 Sqn RAF (Helmond, Volker, Eindhoven …) - 16 Aug 44 - Magee flies first op with 247; 3 Feb 45 - force-lands Telgte, POW at 23 yrs old.
John provides more detail about Magee from handwritten notes included in the last pages of F/Lt Magee's Flying Logbook.
FEBUARY 17TH 1945
CAPTURED NEAR GREVEN (MUNSTER) – MADE A BREAK AND GOT ABOUT 8 MORE MILES – SHOT AT WITH REVOLVERS & RIFLES (A COUPLE REAL CLOSE). RECAPTURED TAKEN TO GREVEN CIVIL JAIL – THEN TO LUFTWAFFE HQ. MADE WALK TO MUNSTER-HANDORF A/D IN RAIN 14KM STAYED AT HANDORF ONE DAY & ONE NIGHT BOMBED BY 1000 RAF BOMBERS. – DEPARTED FOR OBERSTURSEL NEAR FRANKFURT ON 8.2.45 ARRIVED ON 10.2.45 AFTER A HECTIC JOURNEY (PADERBARM KASSEL). STAYED THERE 20 DAYS LIVING ON 4 SLICES OF BREAD AND A BOWL OF SOUP A DAY MOVED TO DULAG-LUFT NEAR GIESSEN ON 23.2.45 REALLY A SWELL CAMP DUE TO THE RED CROSS 2 FAIRLY GOOD SIZED MEALS A DAY. MET PETE ISACHSEN A NORWEGIAN PAL LEFT DULAG FOR NURNBERG STALAG XVIII D ON MARCH 3RD ARRIVING 7.3.45. CAMP REALLY LOUSY. PUT IN AN OLD RUSSIAN CAMP NO LIVING CONDITIONS AT ALL (NO BEDS – 121 IN A VERY SMALL ROOM – NO MEDICAL TREATMENT - ABOVE ALL VERY LITTLE FOOD, ONE SEVENTH OF A LOAF OF BREAD – A SMALL PIECE OF MARGARINE AND A TIN CAN OF SOUP – A TIN OF GERMAN
COFFEE MAKING THE DAY’S RATION. MET CHEYNEY & AL LYE ON MY ARRIVAL HERE. AM WITH A GRAND GANG OF FELLOWS HERE 12.3.45 A CHURCH SERVICE WHICH REALLY SHOWED OUR SPIRIT IN LIFE. GETTING VERY WEAK DUE TO LACK OF FOOD. GOOD WAR NEWS KEEPING UP SPIRITS,, 13.3.45 RATIONS CUT EVEN MORE (SALT, SUGAR & MARG) SWISS RED CROSS MAN ARRIVED. PROMISE OF RED CROSS PARCELS 14.3.45 MID WEEK CHURCH SERVICE 15.3.45 A GREAT DAY – RED CROSS CAME THROUGH WITH PARCELS – IN WIZARD SPIRITS 16.3.45 RICHIE ARRIVED – NEWS SOUNDS GOOD AGAIN 16.3.45 REALLY GOOD WITH RED CROSS BOXES – NIGHT LECTURE IN BARRACKS – BIG RAID ON NERNBURG BY RAF – REALLY A BEAUTY SING SING IN BARRACKS 17.3.45 – ANOTHER GOOD DAY DUE TO RED CROSS – LECTURE ON NEW ZEALAND AT NIGHT FOUND TUBBY NORTON IN CAMP – “MOSSIES” RAIDED NERNBURG AT NIGHT THRU 10/10 CLOUD NO FUTURE FOR US 18.3 .45 ANOTHER GOOD DAY – SAW TUBBY NORTON
18.3.45 EVENING MOSSIES RAIDED NERNBURG AGAIN REALLY CLOSE. 19.3.45 HEARD MAINZ HAD FALLEN. – GOOD NEWS. - .GOOD DAY WITH ALL SIRENS FULL BLAST. – RED CROSS PARCEL “CAPUT”. HOPING & PRAYING FOR ONE TOMORROW EVENNG SING SONG WITH ACCORDIAN. – 20.3.45 HAD A SHOWER 2ND SINCE P.O.W. – EXPECT R.CROSS PARCEL. – MADE SOME SHELVES FOR BILLETS – PARCELS ARRIVED 1 PER MAN EVERYONE REALLY HAPPY – 21.3.45 – NEWS GETTING BETTER – SING SONG AT NIGHT BAGS OF TALENT APPEARED 23.3.45 ANNIVERSITY OF MEETING BETTE – WEATHER WAS BEAUTIFUL - SUN BATHING – ANNIVERSITY DINNER AT 530 – JUST FINISHED – MADE A RAISIN PUDDING WHICH WAS REALLY A HONEY – MORE R.CROSS TRUCKS ARRIVED AT NIGHT – SPEECH ON SOUTH AFRICA – 23.3.45 – MORE GOOD NEWS WORMS FALLEN – WHOLE SIDE OF RHINE NEARLY WON BY ALLIES MORE GOOD MEALS FROM RED CROSS PARCELS
FRIDAY 23RD _ EVENING – PLAYED RUMMY & WON THREE PINTS BEER (ON LIBERATION) NEWS STILL GOOD SAT – 24TH – GOOD WEATHER – GOOD NEWS – NOTHING STARTLING HAPPENED SUN 25TH LEARNED OF AIRBORNE LANDING NE OF WESEL 30,000 RED CROSS PARCELS ARRIVED WONDERFUL DAY EVENING PLAYED CARDS UNTIL AIR RAID MON 26TH – GOOD WEATHER – TRADED JACKETS WITH AN AMERICAN YESTERDAY – RECEIVED FRENCH RED CROSS PARCELS – EVENING LECTURE ON AUSTRALIA TUES. 27TH – LOW CLOUD, RECEIVED RED CROSS PARCELS TODAY. EVENING NOTHING HAPPENED. WED 28 – RECEIVED ORDERS TO MARCH IN 30 MINUTES – RECEIVED ANOTHER RED CROSS PARCEL, PART OF PARCEL STOLEN BY HUNS. ABOUT HAD IT THURS 29TH – STILL WAITING FOR MOVE. EVENING – BRITISH CIGARETTES. FRI 30TH GOOD FRIDAY CHURCH SERVICE. CHEESMORE GAVE US PART OF HIS RATION AFTER OURS STOLEN.”
Note #2
“FORCED DOWN BEHIND ENEMY LINES ON FEB 3/45 DUE TO ENGINE FAILURE FORCE LANDED JUST OUTSIDE TEGELE IN GERMANY – WALKED BY DAY & NIGHT FOR 4 DAYS REACHING GREVEN JUST OFF HOLLAND BORDER – CAPTURED HERE BY CIVILIANS AFTER ESCAPING FROM THEM ONCE – FIRED AT MANY TIMES BY CIVILIANS & ALSO MISTREATED TAKEN TO GREVEN CIVIL JAIL FOR A DAY (RATS & WATER) REMOVED TO MUNSTER/HANDORF A/F FOR 1 DAY - MOVED TO FRANKFURT –ON-MAINE FOR INTERIGATION (20 DAYS IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT (NO FOOD) – MOVED TO WETZLER CAMP FOR 4 DAYS – MOVED TO LUFT III AT NURNBURG FORCED TO MARCH TO MOOSBURG (STALAG VIIA) STRAFFED ON WAY BY AMERICAN PLANES – ESCAPED WITH 3 CHUMS BUT CAPTURED NEAR AMERICAN LINES - TREATED ROUGH FROM HERE ON. – ARRIVED AT MOOSBURG WHERE LIBERATED ON 29.4.45 BY PATTON’S 3RD ARMY (LT/COL LAND) FLOWN BACK TO ENGLAND ON NIGHT OF MAY 10TH LANDING MAY 11TH (MY BIRTHDAY) WHAT A DAY!!”
In F/Lt Magee’s Flying Log Book there is an entry for 10 May 1945. That day he flew for 2 hrs, 40 mins – from Straubing, Germany to Rheimes, France – on a C-47. The next day, 11 May 1945 (his birthday), Magee recorded that he flew for 1 hr, 5 mins – from Juvincourt, France to Westcott, England – on a Lancaster. 'Free at last. Heading home to Wallaceburg, Ontario.' "What these guys did is beyond belief," says John.
John Martinello adds, "These notes were transcribed – unrevised & unredacted - from hand-written notes at the back of F/Lt EA Magee’s Flying Log Book. The Log Book I worked from is a copy of a copy (of probably many copies); so the writing is faded. To the best of my ability, the preceding Notes preserve the format, form, punctuation & mistakes of the original hand-written notes. I have capitalized the notes because Magee wrote them in all capitalized letters. Remarks about Note #1
(a) The note seems to have been pasted into the Log Book. The original lines & columns of the Log Book are covered over.
(b) The note was divided into four pages; each page with the number 1, 2, 3 & 4 at the top of the page .
(c) F/Lt Magee wrote “PADERBARM KASSEL.” There are two towns in Germany called Paderborn & Kassel.
(d) F/Lt Magee wrote “NURNBERG STALAG XVIII D.” The various Stalag Luft XVIII camps were located in & around Salzburg. Because Magee consistently wrote “NURNBERG” when he refers to a Stalag, I believe Magee was held at Stalag Luft XIIID in the Nuremburg area..
(e) F/Lt Magee wrote “”MOSSIES.” This was a reference to the de Havilland DH.98 twin-engine, multi-purpose, fighter-bomber, Mosquito airplane.
5. Remarks about Note #2
(a) Unlike Note #1, this note was written directly into F/Lt Magee’s Flying Log Book.
(b) F/Lt Magee wrote “FORCE LANDED JUST OUTSIDE TEGELE IN GERMANY.” On the day he force-landed, Magee took-off from airfield B.86, Helmond, The Netherlands. After force-landing, Magee walked - for 4 days & nights - to Greven, Germany. Based on the facts that Magee took-off from Helmond & that it took 4 days & nights to walk to Greven, I believe that Magee force-landed in Telgte, Germany instead of “TEGELE.”
(c) F/Lt Magee wrote “MOVED TO LUFT III AT NURNBURG.” The various Stalag Luft III camps were in & around Berlin. I believe Magee was held at Stalag Luft XIIID in the Nuremburg area.
(d) F/Lt Magee wrote, “FORCED TO MARCH TO MOOSBURG (STALAG VIIA).” Magee was part of one of the infamous winter “Marches.” In his case, a march of more than 250 km – through one of the coldest European winters on record - from Nuremburg to Moosburg."
In Typhoon and Tempest by Hugh Halliday, there is mention of Sgt. Emmett Andrew Magee with No. 56 Squadron, November 1942 on pages 19 and 20. Could this be the same Mageee? In the book, it says that at 0930 hours, F/L Piltingsrud lead F/O R. H. Duego and Sgt. Magee, on an attack of military huts on Walcheren Island, flew at sea level until they were a mile from the coast, climbed to height, and swooped in. On February 26, 1943, Magee was hit by bullets and shrapnel off the Dutch coast, and was saved by the armour plating on the Typhoon.
Photos courtesy of John Martinello. "Please note that they are all really dark/grainy; they are copies of copies of..... But I have attached the two that copy best. The first is a copy of three 56 Sqn Typhoons taken from a page (at the end of Apr 1942, when Magee was on 56) of Magee's FLB. The second photo is at the very front of Magee's FLB. It is also from his time on 56. And it also partly answers the questions you (Anne) asked: "Could this be the same Magee?" In the book, it says that at "0930 hours, F/L Piltingsrud lead F/O R. H. Duego and Sgt. Magee, on an attack of military huts on Walcheren Island, flew at sea level until they were a mile from the coast, climbed to height, and swooped in. On February 26, 1943, Magee was hit by bullets and shrapnel off the Dutch coast, and was saved by the armour plating on the Typhoon." In photo, (just right of centre) is Piltingsrud as FLT-Comd (Killed). Also, in his FLB, Magee noted - for 26 Feb 43 - "CO TWO & MYSELF FIRED AT 4 ARMED TRAWLERS & I SET ONE ON FIRE (WAS HIT TWICE MYSELF)"
