Belgian Resistance - Downed Airmen

Downed Airmen

The Germans sent out patrols of men with dogs and motorcycles to search for any Allied airman who were shot down. The resistance groups were quick to beat the Germans to the downed flyers. Parachutes needed to be immediately buried and pilots were hidden from the Germans. The Comet Line had a series of safe houses throughout Belgium. Allied airmen were given civilian clothes and frequently moved from house to house, staying with Belgian families who supported the resistance. The resistance would aid the airmen by giving them false papers and guiding them to either neutral or Allied occupied territory. German soldiers would fail to recognize that some of the men passing through their checkpoints were actually allied pilots who were being transported out of Belgium. One incident was captured on film where a German soldier was shown lighting the cigarette of an American Navigator who was disguised as a Belgian civilian. Though many airmen were able to escape successfully, many others were caught by the Germans, sometimes after months of successful evasion. Captured airmen were interrogated by the Gestapo before being imprisoned in Belgium or transported back to German POW camps.