bombing of the barn, my Dads story

well i heard back from the Ten Post Historical Society, only they did not answer my question, they just gave me the link that Stevin posted! oh well i will try again!

 

Don't worry too much about the dates, it's problably a spelling mistake. Remember that pictures were not developped before months after they were taken and sometimes years when people kept the rolls hidden (in case of censured material by the Germans) . Besides pictures were rare and were a real luxury for civilians in a occupied country. So by the time they were developed the memory of the exact date could be vague. I'm actually surprised this picture was developped. Most pictures I have are from the 1944-1945 period because other simply were not taken because they were illegal and taking certain pictures meant arrest and more.

 

wow, i didn't know that but it makes sense, they controlled everything else!
thanks Skipper!

 

Your father was lucky to take a picture of a barn which was not of strategic importance, because it was very dangerous to take pictures of crash sites, dead airmen, pows etc... some stil did, but risked thier lives. Besides film was rare and expensive and mostly reserved for occupation forces. some civilians had one or two rolls at home , but they were either pre-war, black market, or traded with Germans against food (the Germans lacked eggs and milk and often dwelled in the countryside trying to trade things for food).

 

wow, that's another question i have to ask, where did the film come from!?

 

Quite some stories about people hiding their pics buried in the garden or stashed away in the attic for when the war was over. In the 80's researchers found the files of a The Hague (?) professional photographer who took pics of Germans and Dutch guys going off to the Ost. Published the best in a picture book. Very good pics they were but they were hidden away after the war for quite the opposite reasons.

You cab also see the clandestine aspect of filming by just looking at many of these home-movies; Of retreating Germans or Germans conducting a razzia, taken from behind the curtain, jerking left and right and dodging downwards when a German is looking in the filmer's direction....Gives you an acute sense of the fact they were doing something that could have them sent to jail for sure and quite possibly a concentration camp as well.....

BTW no word yet from Groningen here either...

 

man i really need to get my aunts and uncles to talk more!

 

Who knows how many treasures are still buried in our attics? People who worked for the resistance had all kind of tricks to take pictures, like hiding a camera in a purse with a little hole for the lense and pretending to be be fumbling in the purse and take a picture without being noticed. Many pictures were taken in the back of soldiers. This way people knew the size a patrol and the germans did not notice they were being photographed etc... Everything was useful for London, the age of the soldiers, the emblems on the uniforms, the plates on the vehicules etc.. no wonder the Germans strictly forbid the taking of pictures and systematically made security zones around crash sites and targets.

 

Got a nice letter today from the Ten Post Historical Society. They said they received communication from BigFun.....He usewd another name though...

They state that the date of 11 oktober 1942 is also on the back of the pic that they have (from a relative of you, BigFun!). Apparently there were 8 bombs.

They bridge you talked about is the one over the Damsterdiep and was blown up by the Germans on April 14, 1945.

The bomb in the garden of the painter was actually a mine, that the Germans used to try and blow another bridge up with.

They say they will get into the story and let us know if they find out more stuff. Seems the date 11 October 1942 is the right one though....

 

I need a bier !

sorry guys nothing in the way of NF activity this night. only for 6./7. October and then 13./14. October 42

 

Ghost bombers, eh!?

Again only minelaying ops. on 10/11 and 11/12. on 10/11 no losses (although I have one mossie lost without a trace, going to Hanover....But they don't carry 8 bombs...), on 11/12 October 2 Wellingtons and 1 Stirling lost. They came down in or near Denmark.

No claims is a possibility if he made it back to Blighty....

 

thanks Stevin!
that is weird that there is no record of this flight! thanks for the info on the mine! my Dad was young and it was a long time ago, so details are hard to come by! but i will pass this on and see if it triggers any further memories!
thanks again!!

 

Stevin the bombers you mentioned downed over Denmark could of been minelayers but why if ...............ah I'm not sure what I am trying to get at so will leave it be for the moment

E ~

 

well i have to research to see how the mine laying planes work. But my Dad still swears he only heard 4 explosions? could they been mines?

 

I reckon If they where Mines there would have been one hell of an explosion-Sea mines had to be big to sink a Ship.

 

Agreed, these had to be regular bombs or shells. Minelayer would probably avoid the coastal batteries and fly a little west of the shore to stay out of reach as long as possible. In my opinion flying over Groningen with Den Helder west, the Frisian batteries north, many more south and Germany East, including the Kiel area would have been suicide for minelayers. The only plausible operation I can think of is a straffing, a milk run or a bombing mission. They had to be deliberately ordered to go to such a heavy defended area. I would try to see if Twente , Groningen, the Dutch Frisian Isles or German Ost Friesland was targetted.

 

10/11 October 1942

Minelaying: 47 aircraft off Biscay ports and in the Frisians without loss. (15 planes to the frisians; 5 mined south of Texel. The others around the islands.)

11 October 1942

8 Mosquitos to Sluiskil (this is in Holland but at the extreme other side, the southwest; zeeland - 2 losses), Hannover and Saarbrücken. 1 aircraft lost ( a mossie).

11/12 October 1942

Minelaying: 80 aircraft to many locations. 2 Wellingtons and 1 Stirling lost. 10 bombers mine in the Frisians. No losses here.

Coastal Command sent out 5 Hudsons to attack a convoy, which isn't found. No losses

 

Hmm I kind of like the Hannover possibility, but then why bomb a target that seems far away and is not strategical (opportunity, emergency etc.. ? ) I also checked Fighter Command but the only claims I have are rodeos in Norhthern France on October 11th. Units involved 64, 332, 453,(Raaf) Squadrons.
Concerning Bomber Command the "Gardening" near Esjberg, Denmark were night operations so we can take this away.

 

Provided still that the date is correct, of course, it is a possibility that the LW chased the Bomber and it got away...they it will be a very tall order to figure out who could have been. Also, 4 bombs, what plane could that have been? The TPHS wrote there were 8 bombs. maybe four unexploded.....Many what-if's here...

Also thought of a minelayer being chased but again; 4 mines seems a bit much and the damage it would have done is probably bigger than in the pics....

 

well this is quite strange, i guess we may have to call it a day on this one! None of my Aunts or Uncles can remember seeing the plane as it was too dark. I don't know what happened but I appreciate the effort of all, especially Stevin! This has been quite exciting for myself and my whole family! If the story ends here, well then it ends here. I am sure this is not the first and probably won't be the last! But again thanks to all for all the input, htis has really got my relatives talking about their experiences in Holland. I have already started to write this in a journal for future generations of Woldhuis' to read!

Scott Woldhuis