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03/13/2005 07:28:10 AM · #1 |
This year it will be 60 years ago that Holland was liberated from the German occupation and the end of the 2nd World War. The historical society for whom I do much of the photography will do an exhibition about the war in our area (Westfriesland).
So I have to edit and reprint (up to 600% larger) many small old photographs. This is a bit timeconsuming so I have no time for the lines challenge, but do want to share one of the photos I'm working on.
These are American bombers (daytime flights = US) on their way to Germany, almost certainly B17's escorted by Mustangs (the small group slightly ahead). This photo was made by an unknown photographer, hiding from the Germans in Nieuwe Niedorp. Taking pictures like these was not allowed by the Germans, so the photographer took a big risk. The photo was made on February the 10th 1944.
Perhaps some of you or your fathers were in those planes.
At the moment I'm going trough mission diaries to find out which group flew there and where they were heading. Not that is important for the exhibition. These diaries are very interesting.
Edit: 8th airforce, including 447th sqd, target: Brunswick near Hannover. 169 B17's leave England, 140 return of which 52 were damaged. Ecort consisted of P38's, P47's and P51's.
Message edited by author 2005-03-13 07:45:57.
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03/13/2005 08:10:34 AM · #2 |
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03/13/2005 08:44:19 AM · #3 |
| Would love to see your edited version of this. I would love to do that kind of work and I bet yours if very interesting. |
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03/13/2005 08:56:11 AM · #4 |
| All I can say is WOW! That sure gives me goose bumps. |
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03/13/2005 09:17:21 AM · #5 |
Love to see this. My grandfather (who passed away Christmas of 2004) was a pilot of B-17's over Germany from around July 1944 to March of 1945. He wrote a book out about alot of it back in 1992, which I love. Has his notes to family and some pictures of various things.
Great stuff!!
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03/13/2005 10:10:25 AM · #6 |
Stunning pic. One of those pilots is almost certainly my uncle, according to his logs...
Here's a quick cleaning and adjusting of the image, for the heck of it:
Robt.
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03/13/2005 11:39:29 AM · #7 |
| Very cool. My great uncle was (is) the youngest pilot of the famed Flying Tigers. He once showed me two very good, COLOR photographs of the planes on the ground in China taken during WWII. |
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03/13/2005 11:59:10 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by jmritz:
All I can say is WOW! That sure gives me goose bumps. |
I agree! Thanks for sharing! |
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03/13/2005 01:33:18 PM · #9 |
I absolutely love seeing that...Do you have more like that?
Also, what are the rights of those photos? I ask because I would love to have a print of this if you'd be willing to send the completed file...
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03/13/2005 01:38:57 PM · #10 |
Azrifel
Grate picture for line, also US was really grate country true out the world war's by time there have been small chancing in this nation,
Icerock |
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03/13/2005 03:47:21 PM · #11 |
I'm only 35 so the second world war is just stories to me but I have very strong memories of some of the men that fought in the war and the thing that has always stayed with me was their grace. All the men I knew simply refused to talk about what they saw and what they did. The impression I was given was that they went through hell so that the rest of us would never have to.
It made a big impression on me and I've always been fascinated with WW2, especially WW2 aircraft.
And quite frankly this photograph just gives me goosebumps.
Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
John
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03/13/2005 04:06:48 PM · #12 |
| Thanks so much for sharing this photo! |
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03/13/2005 04:10:38 PM · #13 |
I really have no idea why I am so fascinated and captivated by WWII, but I am. Thank you SO much for sharing this.
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03/13/2005 04:25:58 PM · #14 |
Both my parents are Dutch, they have told me stories of having to boil tulip bulbs for food as there was nothing else to eat and my mothers brothers going out after dark to steel food so they could survive.
My mother also told me how her and a girlfriend were watching the planes dogfight with their elbows over a fence like kids do when a piece of shrapnel came down and cut off her friends elbow.
Hard time over there at that time we simply do not have any idea of what hardship really is.
Bob
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03/13/2005 04:37:45 PM · #15 |
Awesome capture! As an aside, I've been berated for posting images 700px wide. Probably because they weren't as historic as this shot, but great nonetheless.
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03/13/2005 07:07:43 PM · #16 |
| All I can think of is the two points of view, one of those waiting to see those lines of liberation in the sky, and the other of those who wait while the whistle of falling steel gets louder and louder.... |
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03/14/2005 01:53:19 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by thatcloudthere:
I absolutely love seeing that...Do you have more like that? |
Here are two smaller ones (I did that, the originals are a lot bigger):
Again bombers and fighters on their way to Germany, daytime, so US. Fighters in the middle.
This one is probably shot after fights in the air. The condensation lines are unorganized and scattered. A lot of planes have crashed in our area and the IJsselmeer nearby. There are several monuments to remember this. Spring 1944.
Sorry for the late reply, I'll answer some more in a moment perhaps. European time zone, had to work. :)
Message edited by author 2005-03-14 13:55:11.
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03/14/2005 02:20:42 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by Gurilla:
Both my parents are Dutch, they have told me stories of having to boil tulip bulbs for food as there was nothing else to eat and my mothers brothers going out after dark to steel food so they could survive. |
On top of it all, the winter of 1944-1945 was one of the coldest of the century. So not only a lack of food, but also a lack of fuel for the heating. It's called the 'Hongerwinter' (winter of hunger).
Many people made long journeys (walking, 40-100km and back again in the cold) from the cities to the country in the north. The people in the cities were limited to 1 bread and 1kg of potatoes per week per person... Only at the farmers in the north there was some food left (normal distribution was near impossible, because the trains were on strike and because all other good vehicles were at the front).
So these people walk miles and miles, get some food (with everything from commercial bastards to farmers giving it away for almost free), return home and many times when they are almost there the Germans would confiscate all the food, leaving the hungry people empty handed.
Until the 16th of May there is an exhibition about this at the Museum of the 20th century in Hoorn, The Netherlands.
Originally posted by Gurilla:
My mother also told me how her and a girlfriend were watching the planes dogfight with their elbows over a fence like kids do when a piece of shrapnel came down and cut off her friends elbow.
Hard time over there at that time we simply do not have any idea of what hardship really is. |
So true.
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03/14/2005 02:25:20 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by dacrazyrn:
Love to see this. My grandfather (who passed away Christmas of 2004) was a pilot of B-17's over Germany from around July 1944 to March of 1945. He wrote a book out about alot of it back in 1992, which I love. Has his notes to family and some pictures of various things.
Great stuff!! |
Heroes, all of them. No so much because of the targets they have hit, but they risked their life day after day. Especially the US crews because they had to go into Germany during daytime, with those condensation lines as an aiming help for the Germand air defence. :(
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03/15/2005 01:11:36 PM · #20 |
| I love to hear the stories of the wartime heroes and what they had to endure. Great pictures! |
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