He is a native of Platte City and lived there before the war. He went to high school in Platte City, then went to Glen Martin for training in Baltimore. He worked for Glen Martin until he enlisted. He was not drafted, but enlisted. He went to basic training at St.-Petersburg, Florida. He went through basic twice since there was no room for him in subsequent courses when he finished basic. He then went to gunnery school at El Paso, Texas, and then to work-up training with the crew. He was married on pre-embarkation leave.
The crew took their Liberator to England via Miami, Brazil and Africa. On arrival the crew went to Northern Ireland for six weeks, which was further gunnery training for him. He was not part of the crew he flew with on April 22, but he trained with them and knew them. He remembers little of Tibenham base, and never left the base. On the April 22 mission, he remembers a lot of flak, but never saw an enemy aircraft. He had lectures on how to bail out and was instructed to wait before pulling the rip cord. He landed safely, and before he could bury his parachute a woman claimed it for use in making clothes. Then John Mahoney showed up and they joined up. The knew to move inland, away from the coast. Almost at once, a Belgian man showed up motioned them to follow him. All of this happened shortly after their landing. The man led them for most of the night, and then took them to the farm where they were to stay.
On the farm they had to stay in the attic during the day, and couldn't go out. They had to stay away from windows, and generally just stayed quiet during the day. Michel was the farmer they stayed with, and a man from a farm about 100 yards away would come to see them during the night. Father Rathé came to see them from time to time. "It was pretty lonely, but we managed." Most people they encountered knew a little bit of English and wanted to learn more. Michel and his wife knew no English, but their son knew some of the language. Father Rathé spoke pretty good English. John Mahoney was able to go to early mass at the Waregem church every Sunday. As far as he knows, Father Rathé was not involved with the resistance, although of course he was aware of them.
He had a .45 pistol when he landed and the resistance took it from him immediately. As far as he knows, there were no Germans permanently stationed in Waregem. He doesn't remember who took the photos of them with the resistance group. He doesn't know how the resistance communicated with the allies and other groups or whether they were in contact with anyone. He didn't know the origin of their weapons. He remembers a blonde girl who rode a bicycle. He didn't know the name, but everyone looked up to her. They were aware of D-Day, having heard it on the radio. He (and Mahoney) accompanied the resistance on several missions. He was not armed, but just went along. Particularly after D-Day the resistance was not very active, but there were some missions. In one, they put a bomb on a railroad track and blew an engine off the track. When they got back, he was concerned to see that the incident was near the farm where they stayed. The Germans soon repaired the track, and trains ran the next day. The engine stayed there beside the track for some time. He was not aware of capturing the Germans in Waregem. He went into the woods with the resistance group. As it turned out, the Germans were also in the woods.
He went with the guys to meet the English. Almost as soon as they made contact with the British, the Germans started shooting. After the battle they were sitting there when someone shouted "Surrender!" They then shot all of them, making three passes with their weapons. (Note the three areas where he was wounded). The Germans were SS, not ordinary soldiers. The entire incident from the time of meeting the British till the shooting was not more than fifteen minuted. "The bullets in my hip really stung. After that I didn't feel anything, but I felt no pain from the others. I guess I went into shock. I could feel myself thumping and moving from the shots." There was a lot of moaning and groaning after the shooting. "I lay there as still as a could, and I could hear the Germans walking around. After everything was quiet I went to the house. How I got there I don't know". The Belgians took him to Waregem hospital disguised as a German soldier, with German dog tags. They instructed him not to say a word. He passed out and woke up in bed in Brussels. He rejoined his unit on November 11, 1944, and flew no more missions. He was in England for six weeks, then was flown home to the States. They took out five of the bullets, but three remain in his shoulder. He was shot in the hip, under the right arm (those are still there) and on the right side.
He was presented the Distinguished Service Cross, with the citation signed by President Truman at the Union Station in Kansas City after the war. It was a joint ceremony in which many servicemen and survivors received decorations. After the war, he went into business for himself for several years, then became a postal carrier. He retired from the Postal Service.
Interview done at his home on September 21, 2006 by George H. Kelling. In the presence of Mrs. Cockriel and Mrs. Kelling. James Cockriel left us mid May 2007. May he rest in peace.
