From: "Jan Hey" To: "TE, ret." <801492bg.historian@comcast.net> Subject: Re: 5-6 July 1944 Date: Saturday, January 12, 2008 6:44 AM Hello Tom, Nice to hear from you and your fresh initiatives for the NLS. My very best wishes for 2008 ! For B-17G 42-39811 I have a MACR 6988 dated 6th July 1944 covering a loss of the 492nd BG. On the MACR-form is recorded: 858th Night Leaflet Sqdn, Cheddington, Herts. The ship caught fire while flying over Rotterdam, Holland, and exploded. All of the crew bailed out and landed near the towns of Schiedam and Rotterdam-Kethel at 0142 hrs local time. It is not known why they came in distress. I have not seen a German report about a nightfighter attack or flak hit. The B-17 crashed in Overschie, a suburb of NW Rotterdam. The parachute of 2/Lt Roger C. KEEDWELL 0-762574 (Bombardier) failed to deploy. He fell to his death and was buried in the General Cemetery in Schiedam, Row C, Grave 482. After the war his remains were concentrated into the US Military Cemetery Ardennes in Neuville, Belgium, Plot C-4-85 and in about 1948/9 moved to a civil cemetery in the State of New York. The survivors were : (P) 2/Lt James R. BROWN 0-756169 (CP) 2/Lt John M. MANN 0-817243 (N) 2/Lt Carlisle W. LIMEHOUSE 0-709415 (RO) T/Sgt Stivers L. LEE 39108011 (Eng) T/Sgt William D. HARRIS 11129380 (WG) S/Sgt Norman HOLLANDER 16065396 (WG) S/Sgt Ralph M. TYNE 36647108 (BTG) S/Sgt John H. McNAMARA 37021184 (TG) S/Sgt George A. JELLISON 33688109 These 9 men were all captured in the end. Four of them were picked up by the Dutch Resistance that attempted to put them on the Escape Line to Belgium and then to France/Spain or Switzerland. Sadly the German Secret Police arrested Brown on 10.08.44 in Antwerp, Belgium; Mann was arrested in southern Holland in civilian clothes on 07.07.44; Harris on 08.08.44 in Antwerp and McNamara in Belgium on 22.08.44. The others were captured after landing in area Rotterdam. Brown, Harris and McNamara were helped by Mr. A.D. Sissingh of Rotterdam who visited America in 1946, likely to visit 'his customers'. Adams & Andrews list the B-17 for 422 Sqdn and code JJ:E. In the book of Roger Freeman and David Osborne 'The B-17 Flying Fortress Story' : assigned 365BS/305BG as XK-C Chelveston on 17.10.43. Assigned 422nd as JJ:E on 23.05.44. If you need info on other a/c please let me know. One question: re the crew of EMMEL 19.03.45. Some years ago Norman Malayney sent me some copies of documents that had then become available in NARA, and were related to this crash and the victims. Since then I have attempted to obtain more info about the killed secret agent, his true name and burial place. He should be dropped near the Ruhr area. A friend of mine living in Dortmund, almost in the center of that area, has supported me but so far we were unsuccessful. Possibly due to the fact that we are not 100% sure about his real family name. Did you collect further info on that man from other sources ? Warm regards from a cold and windy Holland John Hey ----- Original Message ----- From: TE, ret. To: Hey, John Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 9:51 PM Subject: 5-6 July 1944 John, Good to have your address again! I'm starting to integrate the night leaflet squadron into my work and the first casualty I come to after they were designated the 858th BS at Cheddington is that of Lt Brown on the night of 5-6 Jul 44. I have data sheets on such as the attached for all of the crew but Lt Mann. Can you offer any additional info such as MACR # or full ID of Mann? Many thanks, Thomas L. Ensminger Media Director 801st/492nd BG Assoc. p.s. My honor roll, which you helped complete back when, is now at: http://home.comcast.net/~801492bg.historian/HonorRoll/HonorRoll.html All The Best!