RIP S/Ld Phil Lamason - hero of Buchenwald

It is very sad to see that S/Ldr Philip John Lamason DFC*, mid2, RNZAF has passed away.

Phil Lamason was the heroic leader of the Allied airmen sent wrongly to the Buchenwald concentration camp by the Gestapo. This is the subject of an absolutely fantastic documentary that aired recently here in NZ, and is set for release around other countries in the world too. It shows the true grit of the man and determination to ensure his fellow airmen made it out of that death camp alive. I highly recommend The Lost Airmen of Buchenwald, an American made film which features Lamason and several of his fellow lost airmen from the USA, Canada and Britain.

Lamason was not just a great leader in the camp but also a determined bomber pilot who was awarded two DFC's and was twice Mentioned in Dispatches.

An obituary has been placed here:
Phil Lamason | Kiwi World War II hero dies | Stuff.co.nz

 

Squadron Leader Philip John Lamason DFC*, mid2, RNZAF

 

A true Kiwi hero, bravery that went unrecognised for so long.

 

S/Ldr Philip John Lamason DFC & Bar, MID 2.RIP

Paul

 

Squadron Leader Philip John Lamason. DFC & Bar, MID 2. R.I.P.

After attending a special memorial service there a couple of years ago, myself and several others had to hastily get out of the Cellar in the crematorium, as we were all experiencing a horrible sense of evil.

Regards
Tom

 

An interesting obituary on the risks that Allied aircrew endured if found in civilian clothes whilst engaged in evasion.The majority of escapees found themselves sent to POW camps if the Luftwaffe were involved and the appropriate ID was held on the person but some unfortunates found themselves at the mercy of the SS and its afilliate organisations and were likely to disappear under the Nacht und Nebel policy.These people required little motivation to murder aircrew who the Nazis regime propaganda machine had deemed "terror flyers"

For the helpers,the Germans showed their usual reaction,sent to a concentration camp was the minimum punishment,while instant death was the norm.

S/L Lamason echoes one of the major criticisms of the Nuremberg raid from the moonlight night to the route selected by the planners.Seen a number of references of surviving pilots who chose to navigate their own route based on their up to date experience of operations rather than take the official route.Some reported outward and inward flights without seeing an enemy aircraft either on the their route or over the target.

Of course there has been some suspicion highlighted that the Germans were aware of the operation and that preflight test H2S emissions gave the Germans early warning of a large operation being mounted.

Looking forward to see the dedicated documentary.