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| Date: | Monday 17 May 1943 |
| Time: | 11:51 |
| Type: |  Martin B-26B-4-MA Marauder |
| Owner/operator: | 322.BGp /452.BSqn USAAF |
| Registration: | 41-17982 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 6 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near fortress 'De Beer' west of Rozenburg, Zuid-Holland -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Bury St.Edmunds /Sta.468 AAF Suffolk |
Call Sign: DR-P
Eleven crews were selected and briefed on the mission, which was to fly the same attack as 3 days earlier on 14th May 43,where they encountered heavy flack. It was low level (50-250 ft altitude) avoiding enemy radar, from Orfordness on the Suffolk coast to Noordwijk on the Dutch coast, then inland following canals and railways to the target at IJmuiden. The Dutch power plant at Velsen.
Of the 11 aircraft who took part in this raid, only one aircraft returned. 41-17982 was the first aircraft lost.
The low height was to avoid the German Radar. However, 41-18058 piloted by 1st Lt. Stevens hit technical difficulties and aborted from the mission before reaching the Dutch coast. Following his training, he turned around and climbed to 1000 ft as trained. This was high enough for his crew to parachute from the plane if required or give him gliding time to regain control of the aircraft.
He was flying at the rear of the formation, and maintained his radio silence. The lead aircraft were unaware he had left the formation.
It is thought that this action, alerted the German defences of the approaching attack.
The pilot Brigadier General Robert M. Stillman gave the following account to William J. Barber:
As the Dutch coast raced towards us at around 210 mph I saw a lot of bright flashes of light Suddenly the water was leaping Up at us in great geysers. Somehow the German artillery knew of our approach They were deliberately shelling the sea. hoping to knock; us down with the resultant columns of water which reached higher than we were. I couldn't understand how they'd got onto us. I signaled "spread out" with my wings and moved the pace up to 235 mph.
About 5 miles northeast of The Hague, we started inland over the rolling coastal dunes...right into a blazing spray of machine gun fire. The nests were well concealed along the higher ground beyond. Tracers from three locations stabbed at my plane. I used the elevators and rudder to bring our .50's in the wings to bear and triggered off a hot answer. I think I stopped two enemy guns. but the third one over at 11 o'clock stopped us.
Something knocked me out for a couple seconds. As I fought back to consciousness, the Marauder went out of control. I had no rudder and the wheel no longer brought any responses from the elevators. My co-pilot Lt. E. J. Resweber, was slumped down next to me. Dimly I realized the plane, quite on its own was going into a snap roll. I looked out my window straight down at the speeding earth beside me. Everything was happening so fast everything seemed so unreal that I felt no fear. The odd conceit glimmered in my mind that; the Air Corps was losing a damn' good crew and two damn' good pilots.
I don't remember our hitting the beach but it must have been something to see. Eyewitnesses filled me in later: Almost level with the earth upside down and doing 300 mph we crashed and cut a screaming, bounding furrow In Holland.
Crew:
Pilot Lt.Col. R.M. Stillman O-19760 USAAF Survived POW
Co-Pilot 1st Lt. E.J. Resweber O-791727 USAAF Margraten H-9-10
Nav / Bombardier 2nd Lt. W.R. Betz O-790934 USAAF Margraten I-7-16
Engineer S/Sgt. M.S. Freeman 19011978 USAAF Survived POW
Radio Operator T/Sgt. C.D. Willis 14071397 USAAF Survived POW
T Gunner S/Sgt. E.K. Hagetter 19016978 USAAF Margraten J-9-9
Sources:
https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T2334&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
http://www.b26.com/historian/trevor_allen/ijmuiden.htm
https://sites.google.com/site/wo2vpr1/home/1943-05-17-b-26b [Last Accessed 29/05/24]
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Dec-2008 11:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 16-May-2018 07:24 | TigerTimon | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 16-May-2018 07:25 | TigerTimon | Updated [Location, Narrative, ] |
| 16-May-2018 08:08 | TigerTimon | Updated [Location, ] |
| 20-Dec-2019 09:17 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator, ] |
| 26-Jan-2021 10:07 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator, ] |
| 28-May-2024 07:18 | PaulL | Updated [Departure airport, ] |
| 30-May-2024 05:43 | PaulL | Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 19-Sep-2024 22:24 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Operator, ] |
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