| Date: 1943 Dec 11/11 | A/C Type: B-17F Fortress | SN: 42-3488 | Code: | A/C Nickname: |  |
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| File: 784 | Airforce: USAAF | Sqn/Unit: 385 BG - 548 BS | Mission/Raid: Emden | |||||||
| 1 | Pilot | 2Lt. E. F. Pollock Evaded, later POW | 9 | RWG | S/Sgt. Francis M. Harwell POW | |||||
| 2 | Co-pilot | 2Lt. Milo A. Raim Evaded, later POW | 10 | TG | S/Sgt. Joseph La Via POW | |||||
| 3 | B | 2Lt. Max Weinstein Evaded, later POW in Antwerp | 11 | |||||||
| 4 | Nav | 2Lt. Maurice G. Alexander POW | 12 | |||||||
| 5 | E | T/Sgt. Herbert M. Baber POW | 13 | |||||||
| 6 | RO | T/Sgt. Max Schwarz POW | 14 | |||||||
| 7 | BTG | S/Sgt. Wilford M. Husband KIA | 15 | |||||||
| 8 | LWG | S/Sgt. Howard G. Hall KIA | 16 | |||||||
Came back from Emden damaged by Flak and fighters. Crew (8) parachuted out between Leeuwarden en Groningen. Aircraft crashed east of Sneek with the BTG and LWG still inside. Both were already dead, shot in the air. They were found during German recovery of the wreckage and buried on 21 December in village Offingawier. |
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According to the book by Aaldert Pol described below, 2Lt. Max Weinstein was helped by the underground and stayed in several safehouses in Drachten, Gaasterland (pilothelper A.C. Mous, resistance name 'Tinus'), north of Vollenhove in De Moespot (E. van der Linde), Vollenhove (name 'Max Weinstein' is on the Kingma-list) and Meppel (pilothelper Peter van der Hurk). According to Mr. E. van der Linde, Lt. Weinstein had comments on pilot Lt. Pollock, because Pollock jumped out the aircraft as first. Later Pollock defended himself, stating that he thought the crew already jumped. Also: "Max Weinstein was hidden underground in safehouses, but had the habit of walking out and observe when American bomber formations were passing over. This made him a safety risk".
Lt. Weinstein evaded as far as Antwerp in Belgium. Here he ended up in the trap of false escape line 'KLM', was arrested and made POW. This escapeline 'helped' 175 airmen into POW-camp and was set up by the German Sicherheitsdienst (SD) with help of V-mann (Vertrauensmann) Belgian traitor Rene van Muylem (executed 1948).
Sources:
- MACR
- http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/6559
- Booklet "De bevrijding van het Nederlands Onderduikers Paradijs" by Aaldert Pol, 1995.
Chapter 9 'The shoelaces of a Jewish bombardier' (page 43/44).
- http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/157015
© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War).