Sun Jun 22, 2014 7:12 pm
Sun Jun 22, 2014 9:40 pm
Eric1001 wrote:...The air droppings on Schiphol were done from May 2 till May 7, 1945. It seems the Americans did most or all of them.
Mercy missions to starving Dutch people are now being flown by the 8th A.F. Flew my first today, and it was a thrill. We came over in formation at 400 feet. To see the people waving at us and to see "Thanks Boys" and "Many Thanks" spelled out with flowers gives you a warm glow. Just sitting there and looking at them brought tears to my eyes, and I'm not ashamed of it, either! To think that today we did good instead of blowing towns and people to hell makes me realize that there is still some good left in this world.
Dad recalled being terrified at flying so low and so slowly - just above stalling speed. Crews could see the German anti-aircraft guns tracking them, including the fearsome 88mm guns accurate to 20,000ft, and said he felt like they could have reached up and slapped his backside. It was an eerie feeling for crews who were used to bombing from 15,000ft or more to be flying a slow pass over enemy guns at just a couple of hundred feet. Several Lancasters, Dad's included took some rifle fire from below but luckily no one was injured. Dad's pilot retaliated by diving onto a tented German camp, gunning the engines and blowing the tents apart! He also recalled one trip where the pilot took the Lancaster up a wide boulevard in a town at absolutely zero feet while the crew looked up at the cheering faces in the house windows on either side. For men used to dropping destruction it was an incredibly moving experience and one Dad was incredibly proud of.
"There are no words to describe the emotions experienced on that Sunday afternoon. More than 300 four-engined Lancasters, flying exceptionally low, suddenly filled the western horizon. One could see the gunners waving in their turrets. A marvellous sight. One Lancaster roared over the town at 70 feet. I saw the aircraft tacking between church steeples and drop its bags in the South. Everywhere we looked, bombers could be seen. No one remained inside and everybody dared to wave cloths and flags. What a feast! Everyone is excited with joy. The war must be over soon now."
Mon Jun 23, 2014 9:33 am
Mon Jun 23, 2014 8:09 pm
CoastieJohn wrote:1. Could the pits that run along the small road be impromptu runway lights someone put in seeing as how the main runways were bombed? Throw a little gas in there and light them.
2. Left side of pic in the grass.....looks like a plane crash landed in the field. On the right side of the skid mark, there is what likes a fuselage when you blow up the photo.
3. There is a lot of standing water and mud puddles.