The route can be started anywhere. There are also some shortcuts, making it possible to cycle a part of the total 75-kilometre route. A good starting point if you want to ride the whole route is the village of Hoonhorst, where you can start the route past 12 crashed aircraft, each with their own story. The last stop is then Dalfsen cemetery for a tribute to those who had to pay with their lives for the fight for our freedom.

The Netherlands

375th Fighter Squadron P-51 Mustang E2-X serial no. 44-14270 nicknamed 'Betty Lee II' of Lt. William T Kemp (left). Little Walden, Sept. / Oct. 1944 - 

Betty Lee

Air warfare over Dalfsen

The court of honor is part of the cemetery in Dalfsen, where the war victims are commemorated every year on May 4. Flowers are laid at the graves of the 14 British, 5 Australian and 3 Canadian airmen during the commemoration.The names and dates of death of the 22 war victims are:Sergeant John Bonser Brown (1-5-1943), Flying Officer John Murray Dunsmuir (23-9-1944), Sergeant Herbert Charles Ellis (1-5-1943), Pilot Officer Leslie James Ellis (1-5-1943), Sergeant Joseph Hardy (20-10-1943), Flying Officer Angus Beverly Harvey (23-9-1944), Sergeant Warren Wallace Jarrett (27-8-1942), Flight Sergeant Charles Benjamin Jolliffe (20-10-1943), Flight Sergeant Raymond Larcome (23-9-1944), Sergeant Rex Lake Le Page (1-5-1943), Flying Officer James Westwood Leitch (20-10-1943), Filght Lieutenant Arthur George Macleod (20-10-1943), Sergeant Stanley Stuart McClellan (1-5-1943), Flight Sergeant Francis Edward Noble (20-10-1943), Flying Officer William Arnold Rollings (1-5-1943), Flight Sergeant Frederick Henry Pete Simmonds (20-10-1943), Sergeant Colin Hugh Mackenzie Smith (27-8-1942), Flight Sergeant Eric Henry Tunnell (23-9-1942), Sergeant Henry Thomas Augustus Turner (27-8-1942), Flight Sergeant Cyril Charles Viney (27-8-1942), Flying Officer Kenneth Derek Whisken (25-6-1942) en Sergeant Robert Williams (1-5-1943).4 separate gravesOn the right side of the row of headstones, four graves stand apart from the rest. Until the early 1950s, two American airmen were buried between these graves. These have been transferred to the American war cemetery at Margraten in Limburg. One of them was later returned to the US at the request of the family.

The graves of the airmen

"What a blunder to forget to praise our "V for Vengeance"* over the intercom at take-off in the early evening. I value such a fixed habit - before you know it, you could bring disaster upon yourself.&nbsp;Our 50th squadron has been deployed in recent months to destroy German dams and dykes, depriving the German war industry in the Ruhr area of supply routes from the seaports. Tonight, our designated target is the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Ladbergen, while another squadron will bombard the nearby city of Münster. I noticed that I feel less emotion when targeting such a tactical objective: this suits me better than destroying the city center of Münster.&nbsp;Upon arrival, we experienced delays because the vanguard had not yet marked the target. That meant being careful while flying back and forth in the pitch dark: you could easily collide with another aircraft. In the distance, I mistook a flickering plane for an initial light flare.&nbsp;As the canal became visible, around 22:00, in the light of flares and light bombs, we received final instructions from the master bomber guiding us in this precision bombing. Hitting dykes is challenging enough, but this time an aqueduct was our main target. A direct hit would naturally result in a huge outflow of canal water onto the lower-lying land.&nbsp;On the way back, I was hindered by strong crosswinds, forcing me to fly further north. While I was trying to rejoin the group of bombers after another gust of wind, we were attacked by a night fighter. We lost an engine, and a fierce fire broke out, choking the air. Communication was down, but the autopilot was still functioning. With great effort, Harry MacFarlane and Charles Lucas managed to open the door and jump into the night.&nbsp;I squeezed past two lifeless bodies in thickening smoke and managed to throw myself out. As I hung from my parachute, I was really scared. Although a German fighter plane flew above and below us several times, we reached the ground in one piece.”&nbsp;*the name of our aircraft: the 'V for No Forgiveness'&nbsp;Pilot Oliver Korpela was housed in several safe houses before he reunited with 'Mac' and Charles in the woods near Raalte in January 1945. On 30 March 1945, they would experience liberation in Zelhem.Text Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research Jaap Tempelman

Water as a weapon 

Following this, several poignant events unfolded for the young couple. Whilst awaiting the birth of their child, at the end of February 1940 their baby was stillborn. A year later, foreseeing his conscription into the army, Jolliffe volunteered for the Air Force and was enlisted in early August 1941. After basic military training, he was stationed at a flight school in South Africa and qualified as a navigator, bomb aimer/observer, and air gunner. From October 1942, in England, he was assigned to train with the full crew of Australian pilot James Leitch.&nbsp;Leitch and Jolliffe performed so well that they were selected together for further training as Pathfinders. This elite unit would fly at the forefront of a bombing raid with the latest radar equipment on board, allowing them to efficiently and accurately locate and mark designated targets with flares suspended from parachutes, guiding other bombers to the right spot.&nbsp;On 25 May 1943, the seven-man crew undertook their first operational flight to the industrial Düsseldorf, Germany. In the following months, the pilot and bomb aimer/observer, with varying crew members, flew to targets in Germany, France, and Italy. On the night of 8 to 9 October, they reached a milestone: with a bombing raid on Hannover, they completed their 30th mission. Upon reaching this, they were granted leave and transferred to ground duties, for example instructor roles.&nbsp;Jolliffe was relieved, as his wife Greta had informed him that she was expecting another child, and he was looking forward to the opportunity to visit her during the upcoming leave. However, the grim reality caught up with him: the RAF had suffered such heavy losses recently that he and Leitch cannot be spared, and on Saturday 20 October 1943, they set out for Leipzig. Despite heavy anti-aircraft fire, they managed to escape unscathed.&nbsp;As was their usual practice, Jolliffe swapped positions above the bomb bay, and switched places with Frank Lashford, the flight engineer, so he could sit next to the navigator. Shortly after, they came under attack from a night fighter, which, on the second attack, hit the starboard wing hard. The aircraft became uncontrollable, and Leitch shouted that they must bail out. The only one who was able to escape through the hatch was Frank Lashford, who was severely injured upon capture.&nbsp;Three months later, Greta would give birth to a healthy boy: Trevor Jolliffe.Text Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research Jan Sievers

“Only the brave die young”

Yesterday morning, as we were flying towards Braunschweig in our B24, we noticed over the Channel that the boosters were not working. We managed to stay in formation and drop our bombs on target, but then the misery began. We had to drop leaflets elsewhere in Germany, losing more and more speed. As a result, we became easy prey for four Focke-Wulf.&nbsp;They attacked us from the flank and shot holes in our fuel tanks, causing an internal fire in the bomb bay. Another hit caused us to lose altitude, worsening the situation. Flames were shooting out of the plane on all sides, so I gave the order to bail out.While the rest of the crew bailed out the back, I could see from my position that the men in the front of the glass nose hadn't noticed a thing. Unfortunately, I was not able to reach them in time as I lowered myself down: a huge explosion threw me out of the plane.The next moment I woke up as my parachute, which had opened by itself, pulled me over a field of crops. There was nothing but nature around me, nothing but silence. Once I was free, I saw a man waving to me from a distance. He told me to hide in the bushes near a burnt-out farmhouse and that I would be picked up at night.As soon as it was dark, I heard someone say in English that it was safe. He told me his name was Sybe Post and that he himself was hiding nearby with the Meulman family. I was able to stay with them for a while, but not for long.After a short time, we reached the farm. We walked very quietly past the front house and crawled through a maze of straw bales to where I woke up this morning. Freedom smiled at me through the small stable window.”&nbsp;In those early days, Pilot David Talbot watched from a distance as the bodies of navigator Goldman and bomber Moriarty were recovered from the wreckage. Meulman's farm proved to be a hotbed of resistance. With the help of many, Talbot managed to travel south on a forged identity card. He finally reached liberated French territory via a Franco-Belgian smuggling route through the German lines.Text Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research Stefan Hendriks&nbsp;

A new life in Nieuwleusen

On the same day, Germany also came under fire. More than 1,100 US planes were on their way to German ground targets, including a machine factory in Hanover and an oil refinery in Magdeburg. One of the many long-range bombers was pilot Richard Vogel's B24 Liberator, ‘No love no nothin' *.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While the other planes turned left before Hannover, Vogel flew straight towards Magdeburg. There, the crew came under heavy anti-aircraft fire: just as their bombs fell, one of the engines was hit. With the plane empty, they could rely on the thrust of the three remaining engines. Still, they were vulnerable on their retreat as they lost speed, but fortunately two Mustangs from the Hanover group came to escort them.&nbsp;Then, something happened which nobody expected. One of the Mustangs got very close, too close. ‘The Betty Lee’ gets into the airflow of a hard-working engine, causing the Mustang to crash into the tail of Vogel's B24. As the Betty Lee went down towards Eerde, the crew of Vogel's B24 managed to bail out in two groups. The first five pilots were captured by the Germans near Vilsteren. The second group was luckier and were taken care of by the locals.&nbsp;And Vogel? With the unpleasant realisation that his loyal colleague John was trapped as tail gunner, he was the last to leave his plane just before the river Vecht. Just barely on time. On 10 April, he and his co-pilot, Leslie Sellers, would witness the liberation by the Canadians at a safe house in Lemele.&nbsp;John Lougheed, pilot of the Betty Lee, was buried in Ommen on 13 September 1944, and later reburied in America. He flew in the borrowed plane of his colleague William Kemp (pictured with his new Betty Lee – October 1944)&nbsp;*ELLA MAE MORSE ~ <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="Hyperlink SCXW101127602 BCX8" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-2PYiloD20">NO LOVE, NO NOTHIN</a>` ~ 1943. Beliebtes Lied aus der Kriegszeit:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “no love, no sir, no nothin’,&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; until my baby comes home”&nbsp;Text Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research Stefan Hendriks&nbsp;

‘No love no nothin’

With the Allies having gained air superiority there for the last month, many missions were aimed at maintaining and exploiting superiority. In addition to their surveillance of designated stretches of airspace, the pilots were tasked with taking out occasional targets. The squadron did not miss that opportunity: the twelve Spitfire aircraft successfully attacked ground targets near Gorinchem, the Netherlands, in the morning. In the Operation record book, they noted several hits on trucks, locomotives and wagons, with hits from every aircraft.&nbsp;They subsequently flew a little further east for a second reconnaissance of a quadrant between Ommen and Zwolle. Because there had been missiles fired from this region, they were extra motivated and alert. Aware that a supersonic V2 could not be stopped in the air, their special attention was focused on the vulnerable supply lines via rail and road. The required nine tonnes of propulsion power would arrive periodically in liquid form by train in Heino, before being transported to Hessum by road. A direct hit on that flammable cargo would naturally produce a great spectacle.&nbsp;They realised that they needed to be somewhat economical with their firepower, as later in the day the squadron would be escorting another small group of aircraft in a bombing raid on Zwolle's railway bridge. Unfortunately, one of the pilots would not make it to that mission - as they fly towards Rechteren castle, he would not fare well.&nbsp;When they spotted a truck on the Tolhuisweg near Hessum House, six pilots initiated a dive. Visibility was somewhat hampered by trees, and although they skimmed low over the treetops, the first salvo (rounds of fire) went over and past the target vehicle. On the second run, they hoped for more success, but just before the second attack, they noticed that pilot Van de Werve's aircraft was missing. One of them tried to make radio contact, but it remained grimly silent. They observed snapped treetops and debris below them and drew the inevitable conclusion.&nbsp;In May 1950, Léon van de Werve de Vorsselaer was posthumously awarded the 700th Flying Cross for his initiative, courage and perseverance. Van de Werve is the only Belgian ever to have been awarded a Dutch flying cross.Text Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research Stefan Hendriks&nbsp;

One truck too many 

Although... it remains to be seen whether we will be able to fly again after our crash last night. And how long would the war go on, with Antwerp already lost, and how long would it take for us to rejoin the troops? Would new aircraft still be delivered despite all the bombing of our factories?&nbsp;When we took off from Leeuwarden just after midnight in pitch darkness - having heard that English bombers had been spotted over the North Sea - Kurt still had the highest say &nbsp;&nbsp;He would use his technical knowledge to put the giant feelers on the nose of our Messerschmitt to work... Thanks to our new radar system, he would surely guide us quickly to the bombers, so that Willi could fire his shells at the Dickys without any problems.&nbsp;Well, that turned out to be quite different... Of course we kept an eye out for the gunners and were also on the lookout for English night fighters.&nbsp;But while we were concentrating on one of the guys above us, after an hour or so, we ourselves unexpectedly came under fire out of nowhere - there was no stopping us.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Luckily we managed to bail out in time and landed on the ground next to each other. I heard Willi moaning and managed to help him with an emergency bandage. I didn't hear anything from Kurt, but when I went to check on him, I heard very softly "Scheisse holz ... holz....". After that it was quiet. So could we have been attacked by one of those wooden mosquitoes and the new radar would not have picked it up properly?Text Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research Stefan Hendriks&nbsp;

Bad luck for Kurt

"This is my fourth flight and there have been no major problems so far, although there was the previous flight that had to be aborted then...."As a teenager, Stanley had discovered early on, in the Middlesex countryside of England, that the night could be both your friend and your enemy. When he used to leave Tottenham at night with his friends to go wildlife spotting, he was always the first to pick up tracks. It seemed his eyes got used to the dark very quickly. As a 21-year-old in wartime - he was happy with his sharp eyes and tracking skills, which ensured he could maintain his attention and rely on his reflexes should a German night hunter come into his line of fire.&nbsp;"We all used to go to Spurs at the weekends, we once swore we would never become Arsenal supporters; what a twist of fate that I am now a 'gunner'."Behind his back, the rest of the crew was busy navigating, tuning and adjusting: for the second time, they were heading for the war industries in Essen. He himself remained focused peering into the dark, especially towards the plane diagonally below him: that's where the blind spot was hidden, and the Luftwaffe knew that too. Older colleagues had warned how unexpectedly the night fighters could appear and how you should automatically press the machine gun fire buttons!&nbsp;"Last night I meticulously cleaned the glass dome, but there are still bug splatters in my field of vision. I know where they are, but still: isn't that dot getting closer and closer?"They had been flying at high altitude for some time and the cold was getting to Stanley's bones. His thoughts wandered for a moment to Rex, the engineer at the front of the plane, checking the gauges. They got on well together; they had agreed to think of each other for a moment every flight. At the army base, Stanley had a picture of the two of them pinned above his bunk. It gave him the idea that Rex was looking over his shoulder and supporting him - even when he felt lonely and trapped in the tail of the Lancaster.&nbsp;"The clock shows 15.15, where will we be - have we crossed the German border yet?"In a split-second he realised his fate...Text Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research Stefan Hendriks&nbsp;

Baptism of fire over the Vennenberg

At dawn we took off with 345 Thunderbolts from Steeple Morden airbase - just above London. At the briefing we were told we would be escorting the fifth major raid of the month, en route to the port of Bremen. It was foggy, cloudy and cold. We were flying high above the clouds - some of the instruments even faltered in the cold - but the Germans were not going to make it too easy for us.&nbsp;We experienced fierce attacks near the German-Dutch border, with some fighters firing rockets at us to our surprise. The strong winds made manoeuvring our wind-sensitive Thunderbolts quite difficult.&nbsp;We were covering the rear of the bombers when I spotted two Focke Wulfs at four o'clock. I steered away diagonally, slightly upwind to the right, immediately followed by the others. We were turning higher and higher into the Lufberry* when I saw that Lanphier, fourth in line, was oversteering. The nose went too high, the carrying capacity was gone and I saw him tumble down. We tried to turn to cover him when we saw he was heading for the coast. He tried to disappear into the clouds there, but the Germans were too close. I saw them both firing at John, but because he deflected about 60 degrees, they couldn't hit him. Still, I'm afraid he couldn't straighten his plane - it didn't look good.”&nbsp;John Lanphier almost made it: he managed a belly landing, but the high speed and wet grass caused him to slide against the canal dike. His plane broke in three and the pilot lost his life in the process.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fifteen minutes earlier, another Thunderbolt from the same squadron had crashed near the Regge at Vilsteren. This pilot bailed out in time and landed safely at Mariënheem.*If attacked and starting to circle above the enemy (a so-called 'Lufberry'), a pilot would be covered by the comrade behind you, so that in a small train they would be less vulnerable to enemy fire.Text Hugo van den EndeResearch Stefan Hendriks&nbsp;

Flightleader Markin sees things going wrong

Two weeks prior, the German air force (Luftwaffe) had lost its air superiority when they launched a substantial air attack on Allied air bases in the south of the Netherlands. However, on New Year's Day, a special SS unit had fired a newly developed weapon, the V2 rocket, on Antwerp from Hessum (municipality of Dalfsen). More recently, two to three rockets a day had been coming down in Antwerp; the German forces were using them to try to stop the supply of Allied goods and men. This supersonic weapon was unstoppable for the Allies, so it had to be fought by other means.&nbsp;The vulnerability of the Vergeltungswaffe 2 rocket (V2) was logistical in nature: the 14 metre rockets were made in an underground factory at a concentration camp near Nordhausen (Thüringen), Germany, by thousands of forced labourers. They were then sent via rail to various locations in the Netherlands.&nbsp;In the western Netherlands, several missiles had been launched from the woods in The Hague, bound for London. Transports had also arrived in the eastern Netherlands, at Nijverdal railway station. Some V2s, launched from the woods near the Hellendoorn Sanatorium, managed to hit the Allied port of Antwerp. The German rocket unit then moved to Hessum, where they stayed until the end of December, as the risk of discovery had become too great.&nbsp;Since 1 January, 9 tonnes (!) of fuel per rocket had been delivered by road. The V2 arrived on a low-loader from another direction, the other side of the village of Hessum. Located in a hidden spot in the woods near Archem House, the Werver-Batterie 500 technical service first made sure the V2 could find its target, then carefully applied the missile's warhead - which contained all the explosives.&nbsp;On Sunday 14 January, after the eight Hawker Typhoons had set off from Eindhoven airbase, they fired a salvo (simultaneous discharge of artillery or other guns) on the barracks of Camp Erika near Ommen, and then strafed (fired from low flying aircraft) the bridge between Archem and Hessum. Côté was the only one hit by German anti-aircraft fire, and while the rest flew on, he made a successful belly landing on the snowy field next to the Langsweg.&nbsp;Côté was able to take shelter in a nearby haystack, and the Resistance from Dalfsen helped him to get further south. Like other pilots, he tried to cross the Rhine into liberated territory, but failed. Shortly afterwards, on 30 March he experienced his liberation in Zelhem, together with the survivors of a Lancaster aircraft that crashed in Dalfsen at the end of September.Text Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research Stefan Hendriks&nbsp;

V for Vergeltungswaffe

English Air Marshal, Sir Arthur T. Harris, who had taken office in February, wanted to break the morale of the German population by submitting them to scorching bombardments in the hearts of German cities. It was through this that he 'earned' the nickname Bomber Harris.&nbsp;Departing from Brighton Air Base at around 20:00, Wellington Z1212 was the last of a squadron of Australian aircrafts. Sat in the front in the nose turret of the plane was bomb aimer, Horatio Munckton. He had two machine guns at his disposal should a fighter plane appear in front of him, and would also discharge the more than 800 incendiary bombs. In case of emergency, he would also act as second pilot.&nbsp;&nbsp;Munckton had replaced regular bomber Johnsen, who was sick back at the air base. Needless to say, he was on extra alert now that they were the last aircraft to be potential prey for German fighter planes. What he didn't know, however, was that over the eastern Netherlands a formidable night fighter was looking for prey: Oberleutnant Lüttje. Within a few months, Lüttje would become Staffel Captain of his own group of fighters and receive the coveted Knight's Cross.&nbsp;“Soon, at 14,000 feet, we were detected and fired upon by two night fighters. A rain of bullets rumbled through our aircraft and destroyed the hydraulic system, preventing us from turning our turrets. So we couldn't fire back either.&nbsp;We dove steeply into a cloud at 7,000 feet, after which pilot Kim ordered me to leave the turret and assist him. I could see from the fuel gauge how much fuel we were losing. To make the plane as light as possible, we immediately dropped our bombs and began the return journey. Our navigator Jarrett had been wounded in the face by a shell splinter. I left my position and put an emergency bandage around his head.&nbsp;At that moment, I saw grenade explosions at the level of my foot and the plane plunged straight down. Apparently Kim was no longer in control of the plane. I could not get in touch with the cockpit: the intercom was no longer working. I opened the escape hatch by my foot and wriggled through the narrow opening. Almost immediately, I was caught by the passing airstream and within a few seconds hung wildly shaking under my parachute.&nbsp;I heard a huge explosion from the plane as I made a fairly soft landing at about the same time. As I watched the wreckage burn out a short distance away, I realised I had made it out alive and suddenly felt intensely grateful.” - Munckton in an interview in 1992.Text: Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research: Stefan Hendriks&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Lucky accident 

In Operation Bodenplatte, the Luftwaffe strafed (fired machine guns/bombs from low-flying aircraft) Allied airfields in the southern Netherlands and Belgium, to regain the upper hand in the air. On the ground, rows of Allied aircraft were bombed, whilst in the air German fighter aircraft were vulnerable. The Axis air forces lost a large group of highly skilled pilots, which impacted them the most for the remainder of the war.&nbsp;“As pilots, wishing each other 'viel Glück' (good luck) just before every flight has become a regular habit, and yet on this day it sounded more like an incantation or hope against our better judgement. We have fought many battles with the British, but now we have to get past a flight of bombers. At the briefing, we learned that - despite all the air traffic - we will fly low over Twente from Nordhorn to Evere airbase near Brussels. There we will release bombs on the stationed Handley Pages and then hit the Douglas Dakotas parked further away.&nbsp;In our first wave of attacks, we gave the British a good wake-up call: we managed to set a whole line of bombers ablaze. In doing so, we disturbed the hornet's nest: people came running from all sides.&nbsp;When we launched the second attack, the sky was lit up by stripes and stars from the repeating anti-aircraft guns. Still, we pressed on and recorded another round of hits, but I got very little of that. I had to take a hit myself and saw damn little because of oil on the glass of my cockpit.&nbsp;On the return flight, I kept faith in my Focke Wulf: it has already proved it can land on rough terrain with its wide undercarriage and strong back. Should it come to an emergency landing, it is built for that: this day I will survive.”&nbsp;Norbert Risky came down in a field near Dalfsen at around 10 AM His plane may be one of 300 German aircraft lost that day, but he himself made it out alive. After being found wounded, he was transported on a ladder to the nearest farm on Smalleweg: Risky survived the war.Text Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research Stefan Hendriks&nbsp;

Risky is lucky 

The constant hum of hundreds of planes in the sky had made for a restless morning for 24 year old Dorus Broeks, from Zwarteweg. Every time it was briefly dry outside he ran out to look, but hardly any gaps appeared in the dense clouds. He couldn’t possibly have known that high above the eastern Netherlands, an endless line of US bomber planes were heading for Braunschweig - supported by hundreds of fighter planes. He only hoped that later in the day there would be better visibility to see a plane.&nbsp;On the other side of the church, 27 year old Marten Bekedam, from Klein-Rekkelaar, kept an eye on the land along Oude Vechtsteeg: as long as they flew past, he did not need to worry immediately. What he did not realise at the time was that the Luftwaffe could not just let this happen: they sent hordes of fighter planes from various airfields to counter the American forces. Marten would soon become acquainted with one of them.&nbsp;Father Joseph, from Zenderen, was walking back to Dalfsen station after the church service, when suddenly, for a moment, he thought the sky was coming down. Although the fierce rattle of machine guns and the high-pitched whine of an engine had been a warning, the battle in the air turned out to be closer than he thought. Moments later, Father Joseph was lying flat on the ground. Suddenly a plane emerged from the clouds diagonally above him, crashing deep into the land beside him.&nbsp;Once he had recovered from the shock, he saw Marten and Dorus come running...Text Hugo van den Ende&nbsp; Research Stefan Hendriks&nbsp;