New England aviators 1914-1918; their portraits and their records . sne, April and May, 1917; theYpres offensive, July and Aug., 1917; Verdun, 1917. He was awarded the silver medal of Ligue Aeronautique deFrance, in May, 1917, and recommended for Order of Leopold, byCO. 13th Groupe de Combat, July, 1917. Proposed for Sous-Lieut, in French Army, July, 1917, and cited for Croix de Guerrewith palm, Aug., 1917; he was also recommended for Majority Aviation, by Com. Fequant, CO. 13th Groupe de Combat,Aug., 1917. On Aug. 18, 1917, Lieut. Willis was shot down behind the enemylines at Verdun, a
New England aviators 1914-1918; their portraits and their records . sne, April and May, 1917; theYpres offensive, July and Aug., 1917; Verdun, 1917. He was awarded the silver medal of Ligue Aeronautique deFrance, in May, 1917, and recommended for Order of Leopold, byCO. 13th Groupe de Combat, July, 1917. Proposed for Sous-Lieut, in French Army, July, 1917, and cited for Croix de Guerrewith palm, Aug., 1917; he was also recommended for Majority Aviation, by Com. Fequant, CO. 13th Groupe de Combat,Aug., 1917. On Aug. 18, 1917, Lieut. Willis was shot down behind the enemylines at Verdun, and was interned in the prison camps of Mont-medy, Carlsruhe, Landshut, Giitersloh, reprisal camp Eutin, BadStuer, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Magdenburg, Wurzburg, and Vil-lingen, during 14 months of captivity. After several attempts, Lieut. Willis, disguised as a German guard,made his escape from the American camp at Villingen on Oct. 4,1918, in company with Lieut. Isaacs, , and Lieut. Puryear, This plan was accomplished by means of an intricate and [ 44 ]. HAROLD BUCKLEY WILLIS coordinated plot of many American and Polish officers, electriclights being short-circuited, barbed-wire palisades and cordons ofguards being pierced at several points simultaneously. Isaacs andWillis crossed the Black Forest mountains together, travelling atnight by means of luminous compasses, and aided by the stars,hiding by day. After a week they arrived at the Rhine frontier ofSwitzerland, which was crossed by swimming. On arriving at Paris, Lieut. Willis was awarded the MedailleMilitaire, and permitted to return to the Argonne front. Returningto the in 1919, he was honorably discharged. CitationsCroix de Guerre Citation a lOrdre du Service de Sante de la 73me Division, N° 19. Par application du decret du 23 avril 1915, sur la Croix de Guerre, leMedecin Divisionnaire cite a lordre du jour du service de sante de la 73meDivision — Monsieur Willis, Harold, conducteur a la A tou
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