Date: 1943 Dec 11/11 A/C Type: B-17F  Fortress SN: 42-3488 Code: A/C Nickname:
 File: 784 Airforce: USAAF Sqn/Unit: 385 BG - 548 BS Mission/Raid: Emden
1 Pilot 2Lt. E. F. Pollock                     Evaded, later POW 9 RWG S/Sgt. Francis M. Harwell       POW
2 Co-pilot 2Lt. Milo A. Raim                    Evaded, later POW 10 TG S/Sgt. Joseph La Via               POW
3 B 2Lt. Max Weinstein    Evaded, later POW in Antwerp 11    
4 Nav 2Lt. Maurice G. Alexander                POW 12    
5 E T/Sgt. Herbert M. Baber                    POW            13    
6 RO T/Sgt. Max Schwarz                          POW 14    
7 BTG S/Sgt. Wilford M. Husband     KIA 15    
8 LWG S/Sgt. Howard G. Hall             KIA 16                    

Came back from Emden damaged by Flak and fighters. Crew (8) parachuted out between Leeuwarden en Groningen. Aircraft crashed east of Sneek with the BTG and LWG still inside. Both were already dead, shot in the air. They were found during German recovery of the wreckage and buried on 21 December in village Offingawier.
 


According to the book by Aaldert Pol described below, 2Lt. Max Weinstein was helped by the underground and stayed in several safehouses in Drachten, Gaasterland (pilothelper A.C. Mous, resistance name 'Tinus'), north of Vollenhove in De Moespot (E. van der Linde), Vollenhove (name 'Max Weinstein' is on the Kingma-list) and Meppel (pilothelper Peter van der Hurk). According to Mr. E. van der Linde, Lt. Weinstein had comments on pilot Lt. Pollock, because Pollock jumped out the aircraft as first. Later Pollock defended himself, stating that he thought the crew already jumped. Also: "Max Weinstein was hidden underground in safehouses, but had the habit of walking out and observe when American bomber formations were passing over. This made him a safety risk". 

Lt. Weinstein evaded as far as Antwerp in Belgium. Here he ended up in the trap of false escape line 'KLM', was arrested and made POW. This escapeline 'helped' 175 airmen into POW-camp and was set up by the German Sicherheitsdienst (SD) with help of V-mann (Vertrauensmann) Belgian traitor Rene van Muylem (executed 1948).

  





















































Sources: 

- MACR
- http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/6559 
- Booklet "De bevrijding van het Nederlands Onderduikers Paradijs" by Aaldert Pol, 1995. 
  Chapter 9 'The shoelaces of a Jewish bombardier' (page 43/44).
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/157015 

 







© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War).