HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH AIR FORCE

APO 520 - U.S. Army                         D-LBE-lf

10 October 1944 Ref: USA/SKP/111

ESCAPE STATEMENT

1. Shareda, Patrick J., 2nd Lt., O-699453, 746 Bomb Sq., 456 Bomb Group.

Born - 17 March 1920                                     Enlisted - 13 Aug. 1942 Home Address - Medford, Wisconsin

Peacetime Profession - Truck Driver

M.I.A. - 28 Aug. 1944              RTD - 10 Oct. 1944                Missions - 13

2. Target was R.R. bridge at Trent, N. Italy. Source was flying #7 position, able box from 2-5 minutes after dropped bombs received direct flak hit which put out all controls including C-1 and trim. Couldn’t control ship so source gave bail-out signal and everyone bailed out. Ship exploded on impact with mountain. Pilot landed in mountains about 10 miles from town and near a lake called Molveno. Source remained at this spot until night and at the same time looked for rest of crew.

3. No prison camps.

4. Source went into town of Molveno and contacted a priest who could speak some English. The priest fed source and told him to leave because the Germans were in town. He left at 2100 and went to Denno where an Italian boy picked him up in a truck and took him to his home. The Italian boy hid and fed source who left at 0300 the following morning, rendezvousing with two men who led him through the mountains to the town of Campiglio - arriving 1500, 30 August 1944. Later that afternoon source went to Pizzola arriving at 0100 hrs. 31 August where he stayed all that day and on 1 September moved to a ranch three hours walk away. At six the next A.M. source left for Peis, 4618N 1038E, with Italian guidance all the way. Next morning, 3 Sept., went through a pass at

4622N 1032E. The guide left him at the pass and he went along alone. After a long hike he finally got a 5 mile ride and stayed near S. Contina 4 September 1944. He continued and got into Switzerland through the Stelvio Pass, 4632N 1022E, and eventually on to the main road where Swiss authorities took source into custody, and then to St. Maria, 4635N 1020E, 4 Sept. 44. He had contracted an “itch” so was put in the hospital there until 9 Sept. From there he went to a temporary internment camp called Samedan

(4 miles from St. Moritz) where he stayed until 26 Sept. He then went to a hotel, with other USAAF men, at Montreux, leaving on the 4th of Oct. when he was taken out on legal repatriation to Geneva through customs and to Annecy France from where he went by truck to Lyons. Here he stayed at a transient hotel. The following day source obtained a ride back to a field north of Rome in a B-25 and from there hitched to Rome. Source arrived in Bari by jeep 9 Oct. 1944.