RIP S/Ldr Phil Lamason, hero of Buchwald

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:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/6954700/Kiwi-World-War-II-hero-dies