21 Jul Charles R. Huntoon, Jr.

Charles Huntoon in his working office, July 15, 2010.

On July 15th I had the pleasure of interviewing USAAF veteran Charles Huntoon in Portland, Maine.

1st Lt. Huntoon was the pilot of the B-24H Hoo-Jive that on the 25th of August 1944 left England for Wismar, Germany. Their target was an FW (Focke-Wulf) aircraft engine plant. The B-24 was hit by a burst of flak under the right wing and soon lost its #4 engine. Not long after that, the #3 engine also died. As they started back toward England, with a P-51 covering them, #2 engine started smoking.  Knowing their only other alternative was to ditch the plane in Germany, the crew decided to head toward Sweden. They threw everything in the plane that was not fastened down overboard.

Charlie made a perfect landing at Bulltofta, an airport near Malmö, and the crew was safe.

Initially Charlie went to the internment camp at Falun. Then because he had an engineering background, he was moved to Satenas, an airfield where quite a few of the bombers had been impounded and needed repair.

Charles Huntoon at Falun internment camp works on a canoe he is making for a local little boy. 1944.

After the 1st of the year, January 1945, Charlie was the only American officer on the base. When the internees were given a weekend pass to go into Stockholm, Charlie would debrief them when they returned to base. It was not unusual for the boys to be approached by “characters” asking seemingly casual questions about military details. If there was anything unusual to report, Charlie would take that information to Herman Allen who was stationed in Stockholm at the American Legation.

That is how Herman and Charlie became friends. Herman introduced him to Count Folke Bernadotte. One evening Charlie was invited to the Count’s apartment in Stockholm.  “It was dark with a lot of leather and old wood.” Charles and Count Bernadotte enjoyed an evening of political conversations.

On July 12, 1945, Charles Huntoon flew the same plane back to England that he had brought to Sweden the year before, now with four re-built engines.  His was the last interned plane to leave.

Sometimes I think the folks at home had it rougher than we did. They were so alone, while we were always with friends.

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