Damaged as she was, flying over the Lek river, she got attacked by German fighters. After research, it is pretty sure that the German pilot Unteroffizier (Non-Commissioned Officer) Albert Brett of the 7^th Staffel (Wing) of the 1^st Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Squadron) in his Messerschmitt Bf-109 around 13:30 o'clock on December 1st, 1943 finished the job of the anti-aircraft guns, which shot the B-17 earlier.

The plane crashed into the Lek river at about one and a half mile from the border between the towns of Nieuw-Lekkerland and Streefkerk. While the crew-members tried to get to safety, other German fighters shot at them. That was only mentioned by some eye-witnesses, but the crew can't remember it.

Dirk Verheij from Nieuw-Lekkerland takes five men with his rowing boat from the water and brought them to the shore. Through the current he floats a little westwards and gets at the bank of the river near the former address 'Lekdijk 44'. The two other crew-members got saved by a man from Lekkerkerk with a rowing-boat that came from the hotel/restaurant  ’de Groote Boer’ in that town.

A former man from Lekkerkerk, who now lives in Canada, Marinus van de Hoek from Opperduit, can still remember that he was walking to school when he saw the crew standing on the wings of the plane. Another man from Lekkerkerk, Anton den Ouden (12-3-1934) was fishing near the café 'Schoonzigt' when the B-17, followed by shooting German fighters, flew eastwards from him and crashed into the Lek river, in opposite of the shipyard van Duyvendijk.

In a distance, to the right side of the green beacon on this jetty, came the nose of the B-17 (photo taken by Paul Baanen).


In a distance, to the right side of the green beacon on this jetty, came the nose of the B-17 (photo taken by Wim Hasman).


In the middle of the photo, against the green beacon on this jetty, came the nose of the B-17 (photo taken by Ed IJsbrandij).


To the left of the photo, against the green beacon on this jetty, came the nose of the B-17 (photo taken by Mike Philbin).


In the middle of the photo (red 1), against the beacon on this jetty, came the nose of the B-17 from the west (right) and at the red 2 is café 'Het Zwaantje'.


In the middle of the photo, at the red 2 is café 'Het Zwaantje'.


In the middle of the photo, at the red 3 is the house of Jan de Jong and to the left at the red 2 is café 'Het Zwaantje'.

Five of the saved crew-members were brought to the nearest farm and house of Jan de Jong. The other two, Culver and Tully were first attended in the café ‘Het Zwaantje’ and after that they were brought to the previously named house of Jan de Jong. The wounded were bandaged by the doctors from Nieuw-Lekkerland, the dokter from Streefkerk and members of the air protection service. Two of the crew-members were seriously injured and three a little less serious. Another one was slightly injured and one not injured at all. The military police, also present, said that the plane should have had 10 crew-members, so they concluded that three men must have been drowned.

The river-police from Krimpen aan de Lek brought a buoy to the location where the plane came down and regulated the shipping traffic on the river. Soon the Germans arived, who brought the wounded to a hospital, probably the 'Sint Jozef' in Gouda. This one was used by the Germans as a Luftwaffe field-hospital. After that they were brought to a prisoner of war camp. The officers Sweaney and Tully went to Stalag Luft I in Barth, Northern-Germany. The five others, Carano, Christensen (also officer!), Culver, England and Josephson were brought to Stalag XVII B near Krems, Austria.

According to Tully, Christensen came later, on January 10th, 1944 in his camp and on February 15th, 1945 he also saw there England and another man he flew with during other missions, Padgett, who was repleaced by Carano for the Mission Belle because he was injured.

On June 12th, 1944 in the reeds along the Lek river, the previously mentioned Dirk Verheij found a body that wore a flying-jacket. According to the dog-tag on that body, it was the pilot Harland V. Sunde from Minneapolis. His body was brought to the cemetery in Nieuw-Lekkerland. He would be temporarely buried on June 13th, 1944 at the cemetery of that town. On February 18th, 1946, his remains were brought to the American Honour Cemetery in Margraten. McCutchen’s body was found on the 30th of May, 1944 in the Lek river and Healy's only in 1955 during the salvage.

And George D. Giovannini, who had to fly with another plane in the same mission, went  MIA (Missing In Action). The only information we have, is that his plane, the "Four Aces - Pat Hand" (42-31111) was shot by German flak and probably crashed into the North Sea between Holland and England. His name is mentioned on the wall of the missing in Margraten.

                                

From left to right the headstones of Harland V. Sunde, Doyle C. McCutchen (both in Margraten, southern part of the province of Limburg) and John F. Healy (in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium) and below the wall of the
missing in Margraten where George D. Giovannini is mentioned.

©  & ® Mission Belle, July 14th, 2016.