| Date: 1943 Dec 13/13 | A/C Type: B-26 Marauder | SN: 41-31625 | Code: YA-R | A/C Nickname: Hell's Fury |  |
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| File: 494 | Airforce: USAAF | Sqn/Unit: 386 BG - 555 BS | Mission/Raid: Amsterdam Schiphol airfield | |||||||
| 1 | Pilot | Capt. Raymond Sanford WIA, POW. | 9 | |||||||
| 2 | Co-pilot | F/O Raymond C. Roberts KIA Margraten | 10 | |||||||
| 3 | Nav/B | 1Lt. Charles A. Jackson KIA Ardennes | 11 | |||||||
| 4 | E | S/Sgt. William E. Turner KIA Arlington | 12 | |||||||
| 5 | RO | T/Sgt. Sloan B. Peterson KIA " | 13 | |||||||
| 6 | G | S/Sgt. Robert M. Becker KIA " | 14 | |||||||
| 7 | TG | S/Sgt. Herbert M. King KIA " | 15 | |||||||
| 8 | 16 | |||||||||
During bombing Amsterdam-Schiphol airfield, Flak shot off a wing. Pilot was thrown clear in explosion 10 seconds later. The aircraft crashed in Aalsmeer-East (Oosteinde), now approx. Hornweg 182. |
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Captain Sanford recovered consciousness in the air, he was outside the exploded aircraft, falling down strapped in his pilot seat. He pulled the cord of the parachute attached to the seat. It functioned and he landed near of group of civilians with German soldiers running towards him, POW.
Burial of the crew in Amsterdam 17 December 1943
The Germans recovered the remains of the crew from the wreckage. On 17 Dec. 1943 they were buried in the Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery in plot 69, grave 76, in 4 coffins, stacked 4-deep to 1-deep. Our research of the original Amsterdam WW2 burial files shows:
- Grave 76, bottom coffin, deep 4: "Jackson, C.A. Presumed Australian". In February 1946 he was recognized as USAAF, but further investigation was necessary and these remains were brought to the US identification center in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium. Here the airman was identified as 1Lt. Charles A. Jackson. He was buried on the ID-center's cemetery and rests there today: American centralization War Cemetery 'Ardennes' in Neuville-en-Condroz, village later renamed 'Neupré'.
- Grave 76, coffin deep 3: "English militair, presumed Roberts, Raymond C.". During the exhumation in Amsterdam 27 February 1946 it proved to be USAAF F/O Raymond C. Roberts and he was reburied as first of this crew. His remains were taken to American centralization War Cemetery 'Netherlands' in Margraten and rests there up to this day.
- Grave 76, coffin deep 2: "Unknown English militair". These were the remains of sergeans Turner, Becker and King. Reburied in Neuville-en-Condroz 'Ardennes'.
Remark: The mother of Sgt. Herbert M. King had learned from Dutch source that her son died in hospital on 24 December 1943. We did not find evidence for this.
- Grave 76, upper coffin, deep 1 "Unknown mil.". He was in February 1946 in Amsterdam identified as T/Sgt. Sloan B. Peterson. Reburied in Neuville-en-Condroz 'Ardennes'.
These last two coffins were exhumed in 'Ardennes' in 1950 and renewed. Reburied in Arlington Cemetery, Virginia, USA.
Amsterdam Schiphol raid Nov. & December 1943 - Arlington
The below image shows the headstone on an 'Army Air Corps' collective grave in Arlington National Cemetery. Here rest crew of two aircraft: B-26 41-34963 'Bugs Bunny' 323BG, Capt. Geiser, Lt. Lesher, S/Sgt. Lombardo, Lt. Savino and Lt. Stadler. They crashed at Schiphol (Bovenkerk) on 3 November 1943. Their non-identifiable remains were initially buried in one coffin in grave 74, Amsterdam. The other aircraft B-26 41-31625 'Hell's Fury' 386BG crew Sanford, was shot down on the similar raid on 13 December 1943 at Schiphol (Aalsmeer). Initially the non-identifiable collective remains of S/Sgt. Becker, S/Sgt. King and S/Sgt. William E. Turner were buried in one coffin in grave 76 - 2d, Amsterdam. T/Sgt. Sloan B. Peterson lay on top of them in grave 76 - 1d. Despite the 5 weeks between the crash dates, both aircraft crashed only 2 miles from eachother. Nine casualties of knocking-out Schiphol airfield are now united in Arlington. There was a third B-26 lost on the Schiphol raid, the B-26 41-34940 'Raunchy Rascal' 323BG crew Lt. Pipher, crashed North Sea off Dutch coast, crew MIA. They are commemorated on the Wall of the Missing in Margraten and Cambridge.
Monument in Aalsmeer
On 29 May 2007 construction work on a housing-project in Aalsmeer was stopped because aircraft parts were found in the ground. Local specialists from airwar museum 'CRASH 1940-1945' were called in and it proved that a part of a 50 Cal. machinegun had a serial-no. that matched with a number in the MACR of 41-31625. They had found the exact spot were this B-26 had crashed and the men had lost their lives. A monument for the crew was erected.
Sources/read more:
- MACR
- http://ww2review.blogspot.nl/2012_12_30_archive.html
- http://amsterdam.usconsulate.gov/news-events/events-2011/american-heroes-honored-on-dutch-soil.html
- http://www.dichtbij.nl/amstelland/regionaal-nieuws/artikel/2785142/herdenking-bij-de-hells-fury.aspx
© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War)
Below: USAAF photo of this raid over Schiphol airfield. The curved lane is highway A4 (Amsterdam - The Hague).
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