Theodore S. Simmons.

T/Sgt. Theodore S. Simmons served as radio operator in the 93rd Bomb Group. Born 13 March 1907, he worked as a welder in civilian life. He had completed 8 missions and held the Air Medal. On 30 January 1944, his aircraft went down near the Zuiderzee, Holland, and Simmons and the engineer stayed together following the crash. He sustained two small cuts on his scalp and a skinned left arm.

About five miles from the crash site, a Dutch farmer took them in and connected them with the underground. The resistance provided civilian clothes, identity papers, and took their flying equipment. They were escorted toward the Belgian border, where they lost their guide and continued independently.

In Belgium, Simmons and his companion were taken in by the Belgian White Army and held at a camp until 1 August 1944. They then moved into France, where the French Maquis took them to a camp in the Ardennes. During their two-week stay, German forces attacked the camp. Following the attack, Simmons was sent to a small French village where he sheltered until liberated by advancing American troops.

Simmons was interrogated by I.S.9 (WEA) on 6 September 1944 and returned to the United Kingdom on 7 September 1944. He had carried an aids box (unused) and a tan purse that was taken by the Dutch underground. His account is documented in E&E Report No. 1656.