Nabestaanden co-pilot, Alan R. Willis bedanken Staphorster gemeenschap voor het redden van het leven van hun vader in 1944

Verrassing
Zo'n 30 mensen waren er vandaag bij om het ontroerende verhaal van Dochter Susan aan te horen. Ze vertelde erg blij te zijn om dit mee te mogen maken, 75 jaar na het neerstorten van het vliegtuig. Dat Harm Dunnink ooggetuige was geweest was ook voor haar een grote verrassing. Harm liet zien waar het vliegtuig de grond in boorde en in brand vloog, het gras is op die plaats nog steeds lichter van kleur.

Alan R. Willis deed er 6 maanden over om van Staphorst naar Parijs te komen om vandaar weer terug naar Amerika te kunnen. Hij maakte daarbij gebruik van dit valse identiteitsbewijs.

Henk Smit, de initiatiefnemer van het monument en zijn vertaler waren vandaag ook bij deze ontmoeting. Van de Prins Mauritisschool was meester Westhoff er met enkele leerlingen. Groep 7 en 8 van deze school hebben het monument geadopteerd en verzorgen en onderhouden het. De kleindochter van de co-pilot sprak ook in haar beste Nederlands enkele dankwoorden.

SLO-Drenthe.nl
Susan kwam het monument op het spoor in een artikeltje in Searchline (de Engelse versie van Schijnwerper) van de Stichting Luchtoorlog Onderzoek Drenthe.

Foto's en video © weblog Staphorst















Englisch by Google translate:
Next of kin co-pilot, Alan R. Willis thank Staphorster community for saving their father's life in 1944

 Today Susan Willis came to Staphorst to visit the war memorial at the Zwarteveenweg, but above all to thank the Staphorster community for saving her father's life.

In 1944 (WWII) her father was in the American bomber who was shot down by German over Staphorst. Her father, Alan R. Willis, was the co-pilot. When his plane was shot, he jumped out of the plane to discover that his parachute was not open. Hardly did he know how to fuse the canvas from the packaging to reach the ground in a reasonably safe manner. The plane crashed into a meadow on the Zwarteveensweg. 5 airmen lost their lives. The accident cost the co-pilot a leg.

Harm Dunnink (81), who at that time was 6 years old, watched the whole scene sitting on a fence and wanted to run to the crashed plane, but the fire stopped him. Harm then lived near the place where it happened. The co-pilot was taken care of in his father's farm.

Surprise
About 30 people were there today to listen to the moving story of Daughter Susan. She told us that she was very happy to be able to participate, 75 years after the crash of the plane. That Harm Dunnink had been an eyewitness was also a big surprise for her. Harm showed where the plane went into the ground and caught fire, the grass is still lighter in color.

Alan R. Willis took 6 months to get from Staphorst to Paris and from there back to America. He used this false identity card.

Henk Smit, the initiator of the monument and his translator were also present at this meeting. Van de Prins Mauritisschool was master Westhoff with a few pupils. Group 7 and 8 of this school have adopted the monument and take care of it and maintain it. The granddaughter of the co-pilot also spoke some words of thanks in her best Dutch.

SLO-Drenthe.nl
Susan discovered the monument in an article in Searchline (the English version of Schijnwerper) from the Stichting Luchtoorlog Onderzoek Drenthe.

Photos and video © weblog Staphorst