Sol Stone: Shot down US Army Air Corps navigator uses magic to bring relief to refugees
Celebrated New York magician and World War Two veteran, Sol Stone, sadly passed away in early March 2021, aged 98. In his honour, this special blog recounts Stone's wartime service, including his narrow escape from becoming a prisoner-of-war and the moment - in the midst of war - when he discovered the power of magic to bring wonder to people's lives.
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1922, Stone first became hooked on magic when he was seven years old. His father took him to see master illusionist Howard Thurston. The show made a strong impression on Stone. After, he would spend hours in Brooklyn libraries looking for books on magic. He built up a small act and took part in magic contests and school shows. Growing up during the Great Depression, performing magic helped Stone fund his college studies.
Sol Stone with a dove production (c1930s)
(Source: Sol Stone)
In 1942, aged nineteen, Stone enlisted into the U.S. Army Air Corps. He joined the 739th Squadron, 454th Bombardment Group (Heavy) of the 15th Air Force. The 454th Group was formed in May 1943 and equipped with the B-24 Liberator, a heavy bomber. Stone became a Group Lead Navigator, responsible for preparing routes to and from the bombing targets.
After training in the USA, the 454th deployed to Italy at the end of the year (a few months after the Italian's surrendered to the Allies). The B-24 aircrews were primarily engaged in long-range strikes against German oil refineries, aircraft and munitions factories, industrial areas and airfields. During downtime, Stone would entertain his fellow crew members with magic.
By late February 1945, the Germans were in retreat. Soviet forces had taken Hungary's capital, Budapest, and were advancing due west towards Vienna, Austria.
The 454th Group were supporting the Soviet advance by continuing to bomb strategic targets. On 20 March 1945, they were assigned to bomb the OKH Toy Factory in Saint Valentin, Austria. Despite its cover name, the 'Toy Factory’ was one of the most important German tank manufacturing bases of World War Two. It was the biggest and most modern tank production facility of its time.
B-24 Liberator (heavy bomber)
(Source: Creative Commons)
The bombing raid was Stone's twenty-sixth combat mission, out the 35 he needed to do to complete his tour of duty. His aircraft was part of the third wave over the target. As the B-24 approached the Toy Factory, at an altitude of 22,000 feet, anti-aircraft guns were already relentlessly firing at the Allied bombers.
Two of the Liberator's engines on the left wing were knocked out, the in-board engine on the right wing was damaged, and the main fuel line shot through. The aircraft couldn’t stay aloft on the remaining one-and-a-half engines and tipped into a nosedive.
The pilot, Captain Williamson, managed to get the plane out of its dive at around 12,000 feet. This was too low to get it over the Alps into neutral Switzerland, or back to Italy. So, Sol gave him a navigation line towards the Soviet lines. Even that appeared too far to reach, as the B-24 started losing more height. Eventually, the aircraft crash-landed in a field. Luckily, it stayed intact and the crew all managed to get out alive. They ran off to find cover, not sure if they had cleared German occupied territory.
Map of West-Central Europe, 1944-1945
(Source: United States Military Academy Department of History)
Minutes after the crash this question was answered for them, when a German search party arrived. The soldiers started examining the plane and searching for the missing crew. Stone and his colleagues faced the very real threat of becoming prisoners-of-war, or being shot on sight.
Twenty minutes later, the Germans suddenly became agitated and took off. Not long after, a horse and wagon came down the road, driven by a civilian. The Liberator's crew came out of the woods and flagged him down, shouting "American flyers!". They asked where they were and the man explained they had landed in Western Hungary, right on the battle line between the German and Russian forces. Fortunately for the Americans, the civilian was a Hungarian doctor. He treated Sol (who got glass in his eye when the radar set shattered on landing) and the rest of the crew. Half an hour later, a Russian tank arrived. The battle lines had moved on and the US aircrew were now safely in the Soviet area.
In the initial days after the crash, the crew were looked after by local Hungarian farmers. Stone used magic to break down language barriers and to reassure their helpers that their guests were not a threat. Within a week the crew were moved to Budapest, where they were deposited at the train station and told to board a small train formed of a steam engine and just a few boxcars. Joining them on this ride to safety, were a miscellany of refugees, along with liberated prisoners-of-war and concentration camp internees.
It was on this journey that Stone realised that magic was to play a very important part in his life.
"There were a lot of children on that train...who all looked very shy and like they had post-traumatic stress disorder," Stone later said. Both the refugees and the train’s crew knew they were in constant danger, as they slowly travelled through the volatile war zone, and "everyone looked very depressed." The kids were especially wary of the aircrew, who were wearing military uniform and spoke a foreign language.
It was a slow and uncomfortable journey. At one of the train’s frequent stops to take on water and allow the passengers time to stretch their legs, Stone felt like he wanted to do something to alleviate the children’s mood.
"So I picked up a pebble," he said, "and I pulled it out of my ear and slowly, one of the kids began to look at me. Then the others, and finally I got one to smile." The child's mother said, “It’s the first time she had seen her kid smile in two years”.
The kids saw that the airmen were not threatening and they all began to smile. Now, every time the train stopped, the kids came over to Stone's boxcar asking for "more" tricks.
In that moment, Stone “realised how important magic, or any kind of entertainment is… It gave them a mini-vacation from the stresses and strains of war… [and] if I could intrigue a kid with magic and surprise, and delight them for a few minutes, and make ‘em smile, I’ve accomplished what I set out to do."
The art of magic can be profound in many ways that transcend method and effect. Stone's adventures - breaking down language barriers, establishing trust, and bringing joy to those in despair - shows just how deeply significant it can be.
Refugees boarding trains during WW2
(Source: Hoover Institution Archives)
For the next 38 days, through into April, Stone and his fellow travellers navigated the chaos of war; or as he described it, "bumming his way through the Balkans." Frontlines were constantly changing, as Soviet forces advanced on Germany from the east, while British, American and other allies closed in from the west. Scores of Nazi concentration camps and POWs camps were liberated and refugees were abound.
Meanwhile, Stone's small train first headed south towards northern Yugoslavia, then east into and across Romania, and on to Odessa in Russia. From there, a British merchant ship - the first to make it into the Black Sea after the Axis blocked off the Dardanelles - picked up Stone and his crew. The ship returned them to Italy a few days before the end of April.
These were momentous times. On the 28 April, Mussolini was executed. Hitler committed suicide on 30 April and, on the 7 May 1945, Germany surrendered. The war in Europe was over.
In recognition of his wartime actions, Stone was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by the U.S. Armed Forces "for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight" and a Purple Heart for being wounded while serving his nation.
After the war, Stone continued his academic studies, making use of the G.I. Bill. He became a career counsellor for Brooklyn College while studying for a doctorate, qualifying as a clinical psychologist in 1957. Dr. Sol Stone went into private practice, while also staying with Brooklyn College as a psychology professor. Though he shied away from using magic in his professional career, Stone did use it occasionally as a therapeutic tool.
Outside of work, Sol Stone continued developing his magic skills. Over the years, he became well known for his coin magic and other close-up material. He did not seek fame or fortune, but earned himself the moniker of a New York underground legend. His training in psychology made him realise that the reaction of the audience was more important than his own feelings concerning a trick or routine. In the introduction to The Essential Sol Stone (2010), author Stephen Hobbs fears that his words might not be sufficient, "I can try to define [Stone's] touch, I can give metaphors for it, but in the end you have to see it to appreciate it."
The Essential Sol Stone (2010)
(Credit: Stephen Hobbs)
On Saturday afternoons, for several decades, Stone would meet with a group of other magicians in Tannen's magic shop in New York City, or the back room at Reuben's Deli restaurant on Madison Avenue and 38th Street, and in other venues. Their gatherings were the subject of a documentary film, Saturdays at Rueben's (2003).
Mirroring his experience on the train during the war, Stone always found time to provide people with the delight of magic. "Whenever a child comes into the restaurant, Sol looks to see if he feels the child would enjoy magic and [if he or she looks like they will]...Sol would get up and go over to the child and do all sorts of things with a coin. It's wonderful to hear a wild giggle. I guess that why we should do magic - to entertain and to make people happy," wrote friend Gerald Deutsch.
He had a friendly, unassuming manner which immediately set guests at ease. And he was one of the true masters of 'intimate magic' - magic performed for one or two people, often spontaneous in a casual and informal setting. "Sol Stone has 'the touch'," wrote magician John Carey, adding "he manages to find the most subtle, deceptive, and direct way to create the impression of real magic".
In 2014, aged 91, Stone's lifetime contribution to magic was recognised by the Society of American Magicians (Parent Assembly 1) who named him Magician of the Year.
Documentary short - Sol Stone, Society of American Magicians
(Parent Assembly 1) Magician of the Year 2014
(Source: Herb Scher, YouTube)
Genii editor, Richard Kaufman, described him as "one of magic's greatest treasures".
Dr. Sol Stone, World War Two veteran, clinical psychologist, and a magician for an incredible 90 years, truly understood human nature and brought the wonder of magic to many.
Related article: "For you, the war is over": American POW makes secret radio, tells the story of Walter F. Williams, Jr., who went on to become International President of The International Brotherhood of Magicians. Blog link.
Related article: The Magician of Stalag Luft III, a three-part blog about John Casson, an amateur magician and Royal Navy pilot, who was shot down in Norway, ended up in the Stalag Luft III prisoner-of-war camp, and played a role in the Great Escape. Blog link.
Research supported by The Good Magic Award 2021 from The Good Thinking Society
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