Relation with Lake (class): Lake Casualty Cemetery (LCC)  
Total nr. of casualties buried here (TC): at least 54 end WW2, today 45. 
Lake casualties, initially, end WW2 (LC-I): at least 35
Unknown today: 3, all RAF airmen.
of which unknown from Lake (LC-U): all 3.
of which unknown from North Sea (NS-U): 0
Initial burial site in WW2: yes, Lake Cemetery East side of Lake (LCE)
Post war burial site for collection and reburial from other sites: no.  
Cemetery with Lake casualties today: yes (LCE).


               
HARDERWIJK GENERAL CEMETERY 'OOSTERGAARDE'

Because of its location Harderwijk (Harderwyk) was pre-destined as town were many airmen from the lake would be buried (at least 35). It has a long down-wind coast line that in practice also included the shores of neighboring Ermelo south and Nunspeet to the North. Direct in front lay a vast part of the lake that the Harderwijk fishermen used for their trade. The water here was named 'Harderwijk bay' or 'the Knar'. From 1941 to 1945, the boats brought-in corpses on a regular basis. Not only Allied airmen, also German. Some were dead for months. Funerals for drowned airmen were common and numerous. Victims came from 20+ aircraft that crashed in the water here. Five burials (whole crews) were caused by crashes on land in the vicinity. At least 10 Americans were exhumed from here in 1946. They were of minimum 4 different aircraft. Their crew mates washed ashore nearby or are MIA. An US Quarter Master Grave Identification Team took them to the US identification-centre Neuville-en-Condroz ("Ardennes" Belgium).

         

Dutch name cemetery: Harderwijk Alg. begr. pl. Oostergaarde. 
Full name: Harderwijk General Cemetery.
Address (usable for car navigation):
Oosteinde 12 or 35, Harderwijk. NL.

For reaction or comments; send us an email,
see address and info at CONTACT.
Please use as subject title: 'Harderwijk'.








The strategic bomber offensive on Germany was witnessed daily and made a large impact on the people here. Out of respect and to commemorate the Allied flyers in general and in particular the aircraft (approx. 25) that have a link with their town, the Harderwijk Monument Foundation (initiated by local historian Mr. Dim van Rhee), were allowed to raise a new and impressive monument, April 18th 2012, see photo. It represents a (Wellington) bomber falling in the lake. A Dutch airforce Chinook placed the steel statue with its concrete base in the shallow water in front of the city's seaside park. Photo by Ronald V/Fok news. Google their site for good photos of this event, or Google 'Dim van Rhee'. A plaque was made with the names of 117 crew members of involved aircraft. This list is not entirely correct, we will produce a list from our database in nearby future.

    




























































Photo above shows the back of the Cross of Sacrifice. The Allied burials started here in 1941 on the plot left (west) of the cross on the inner row (row 1). Followed by the outer row on the same plot (row 2, from grave 34 to grave 4 ). When this was full the field right of the cross came in use (eastside). Here row 3 is facing towards the cross and row 4 is facing out. The empty spaces in the Eastern plot are of the in 1946 exhumed American airmen. See also the scheme below.
























































Photo below: Left plot, row 1 (facing the camera). Burials started with grave no. 9 and 11a. These were crew members of two Wellington bombers crashed in the lake on 09/10 April 1941. Then there is an open spot. To the right of the open spot (grave 13, 15 and 17) exists a war time picture, see photo below.






















































We have identified below (probably German) photo as Cemetery Harderwijk. Left Plot, grave 13, 15 and 17. Date is approx. May 1943. In the top of each wooden cross is engraved 'DIED FOR HIS COUNTRY', followed by other information they had. Left to right: 'W.F.P. Charlton, Pilot Officer, RAF, date of washing ashore'. Middle grave: 'Titcomb, Sergeant, RAF + service number, date of washing ashore'. In grave 17: 'Evans, RAF + service number, date of washing ashore'. The graves behind them in row 2 are not there yet, so date is before July 1943. 














































Photo below. Same spot today. Left to right: P/O William F.D. Charlton (Hampden AT191, 408 Sqn, in the lake 1st June 1942), Sgt. William A. Titcomb (Gilbertsons crew, Wellington BJ661, 75 Sqn, in the lake 29 July 1942), Sgt. Robert E. Evans (Stirling BF353, 15 Sqn, in the lake 16 September 1942). Today they have their date of death on the headstone. Only unidentified airmen buried 'Known to God' still have their washing ashore date on the stone.





















































 
West plot photographed from grave 33 and 34 towards the Cross of Sacrifice.





























Photo below: The Cross of Sacrifice with the war graves on the left Plot (west plot) and the right plot (east plot).

















































Photo below: the plot on the right hand side (east plot). 




















































On the Eastern Plot the positions of the exhumed Americans are very recognizable today. At least following USAAF airmen washed ashore and were buried here. They were exhumed by a US team on 21 March 1946. The remains were transported to Neuville-en-Condroz ID-centre (today: Neupré, American Cemetery "Ardennes", Belgium).

Grave No.    Name

??                  ?
??                  ? 
??                  S/Sgt. Angelo J. Riccardi.  Recovered (drowned) from the lake and buried the same day 13 Jan. 1944 (B-17  42-3486, crew Maginnis, Lake 11 Jan 1944)
52                  2Lt. Clyde L. Coldren.  Landcrash to the East of here (P-47D  42-75084, 358FG, crashed 8 March 1944)
??                  1Lt. James J. Maginnis. Buried 15 April 1944 (B-17  42-3486, crashed near Harderwijk in the lake on 11 Jan 1944)
??                  S/Sgt. Albert H. Edgett.  Washed ashore 22 April 1944. Crew Hubert Cripe, B-24H 42-52226, in the lake 6 March 1944
??                  1Lt. Clarence E. Blevins. Buried here 28 April 1944, crew Maginnis, crashed in the lake 11 Jan 1944 
??                  S/Sgt. Luster T. Harrah. Washed ashore and buried here. Crew Nason, B-17  42-37719, crashed in the lake 11 Jan 1944
??                  S/Sgt. Joseph P. Keane. Washed ashore and buried here 25 May 1944, crew Maginnis
??                  S/Sgt. Harry C. Sutton. Washed ashore and buried here 25 May 1944, crew Maginnis
59                  S/Sgt. Joseph M. Debowski. Jumped from B-24J 44-40152 at Garderen 19 May 1944. Parachute did not open. 492BG (pilot 2Lt. Robert D. Fischer).
??                  T/Sgt. Joseph M. Price. Recovered from lake, buried here 11 March 1945. Crew Rolfe, B-17G  42-102565, crashed in the lake 26 Nov. 1944.  
??                  ? 

Nothing on this cemetery commemorates the exhumed Americans, but their name will appear on the plaque near the aircraft-monument on the waterfront.























































Below schemes.
In the analysis of a cemetery, we always use a few tools for a better understanding of the situation. Underneath scheme shows crew members; same colour and aircraft-no. are crew mates.



















Below scheme shows recovered from the lake in blue. Landcrash in other colour.




















Gate of the city's historic centre.




















































 The waterfront park.



















































The monument that commemorates the aircraft crashed in Lake IJsselmeer (Old Zuyder Sea) in WW2. Placed 2012.









































































City wall 









































































Sources:

- MACRs
- site ABMC
- site CWGC
- Bits and pieces of Harderwijk burial records.



- A nearby cemetery with war graves (not from the water) is Putten:  http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/992.html

- Our other files on Lake IJsselmeer Cemeteries with war graves:  http://zzairwar.nl/dossiers/796.html




© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air war)