大象传媒

Message 1 - Mercy mission to Holland 5th May 1945

Posted on: 22 December 2003 by Peter - WW2 Site Helper

Dear Robert

5 May 1945 was indeed a momentous day for Holland. The complete surrender of all forces in the Netherlands was signed at Wageningen shortly after 4pm, by the commander of all German forces in Holland, General Johannes von Blaskowitz, in the presence of Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes, the senior Canadian officer. Also present, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief in the Netherlands, was Prince Bernhard. So you probably made the last flight.

There was another unconditional surrender at Baldham in southern Germany at 2.30 PM the same day, although on 5 May the Red Army was still in fierce combat in East Prussia, although Marshall Zhukov had accepted the surrender of Berlin on 2 May. The day before, 4 May, German officers came to Montgomery on Luneberg Heath and surrendered all forces in North-West Germany, Denmark, and Holland to be effective the next day.

As you know, 55,500 gallant aircrew of Bomber Command, brave men like yourself, had died since 3 September 1939. It is perhaps typical too, of men like you, that you have chosen to write about a mercy mission rather than the high danger of your bombing missions. But even here, at such low altitude, in those last chaotic hours, it would have only taken some vindictive Nazis to open fire and bring disaster upon you.

I enjoyed reading your contribution,

Peter

Message 1 - Mercy mission Holland 5 May 1945

Posted on: 23 December 2004 by cornel

Dear Robert,

Could it be that your article appeared in the Rotterdam daily newspaper 'Maasbode' (now defunct) on a Saturday at the beginning of May 1946? I remember as a boy reading an article which had by and large the same content as your posted article, one year after our 'Bevrijding' (Liberation). I still vividly remember the food droppings just outside Rotterdam on 5 May 1945 (a Sunday afternoon?) on the meadowlands around the Van Nelle factory. The tins of 'Meat and vegetables' and the butter began arriving on our tables a few days later, together with white bread donated by the Swedes. Our shrunken stomachs took some time to get used to this new diet but it was delicious at the time.
I wish I could say that I was the recipient of your 'sweets drop' on your homemade parachute. I remember that the newspaper article referred to above ended by asking any 'recipient' to get in touch with the editor of Maasbode, but I gather from your posted article that nobody ever did.

Kees Panhuizen (Dutch by nationality
and upbringing, now living in England).