The Baker Crew
By Co De Swart 04-18-2010
This story covers the Baker crew (335th BS) that was involved with the crash of the 95th BG aircraft 42-30274 (Our Bay Bee) on August 17, 1943 over Mol-Desschel, Belgium.It includes information on the Luftwaffe attackers that downed the B-17F, two Me-109's of 7/JG 26.
Pilot 1st Lt. Walter A. Baker
Co-Pilot 2nd Lt Martin G. Minnich
Navigator 2nd Lt. Cedric L. Nussbaum
Bombardier 2nd Lt. Henry P. Sarnow
Radio Operator T/Sgt Walter T. McDermott
Top Turret/Engineer T/Sgt Alvin O. Forney
Ball Turret Gunner S/Sgt John White
Right Waist Gunner S/Sgt William H. Binnebose Jr
Left Waist Gunner S/Sgt Roscoe J. Alderman
Tail Gunner S/Sgt Albert G. Bergeron
Gunner William Binnebose was one of the ten man-crew who got ordered to pack an extra change of clothes, toothbrush and shaving-set as they would leave Horham Airfield UK for a day or two extra for this mission. A better than average breakfast waiting in the mess hall made him and his buddies clear this was something different. At the briefing they found out this would be the farthest mission ever gone into Germany, they were to turn south over the Alps, Italy and the Mediterranean to land in Africa. They should load up again and bomb a target in France on the way home.
They were the low plane on the left. They met with other Groups, formed three Wings, a force of 146 B-17's to bomb Regensburg. Only 122 ships of their own Wing bombed the primary target, 24 did not make it. Thirty-eight men were KIA, 133 ended up as POW's, 13 were evaders, 20 interned in Switzerland and 40 were rescued from sea to be returned to their units. The USAAF had one of their first black days, losing more than 60 B-17's.
11:30 hrs: They were hit badly by Flak, fires starting in the front. Perhaps there was a chance turning back now, to make it home. Captain Walter Baker talked with his Nav. Lt. Cedric Nussbaum, both said it was the best way.
Binnebose: "When the German fighters saw us turn off and away of the Group this was their signal to come in and finish us off. I got hit in the ankle and was bleeding quite bad from it. Another pass of the fighters made me fire a lot of rounds at one of them. Then the bail-out alarm came through, every-one seems to have his harnass on, Jim (Alderman) was pulled out opening the waist-door with his foot. The buckle of his chute around his leg caught the D-ring of the chute on my chest, opened it and spilt the chute inside the plane. Mc. Dermott seeing this, shoved me out with it all in my arms. Well clear of the plane I threw the pilot-chute in the air, it opened as it would have if I had used the ripcord. Counting the other ‘chutes, I saw the plane exploding on the ground in flames. (Mol-Desschel/Achterbos: deS). Trying to land on one foot and falling over, Belgian people from Mol helped me up and also German – Naval-soldiers arrived; after putting a tourniquet on me, they let these Belgian civilians carry me via a farm to a hospital where my wounds were cared for. Then a German ambulance took me to their Naval-hospital in Beverloo. The German doctor gave me paper and a pencil to write home. It was mailed for me and it did arrive. It's still in my scrapbook. (1980-ids) After being settled in my bed, they also brought in a German pilot. In the time we were together and with help of a German interpreter, we could communicate. I found out he was one of the Luftwaffe fighter pilots that had shot us down and that it was my gun-position that had shot hìm down. His name was Werner Kraft. I've never forgotten.
"I was in the Beverlo hospital for about six weeks. Then I was up with a crutch and the Germans must have thought it was time to send me to POW camp (Dulag>Mooseburg). I met again with Alderman, Bergeron and McDermott and later also Forney in Stalag 17B ,Krems-Austria, transported there on Oct.12-1943. On April 8, 1945 we marched out, the Germans fleeing from the Russians coming our way fast. We marched from the 8th until the 25th, covering a distance of about 200 miles, to where the river Inn meets the Danube. We lived there in a self-made shelter in the woods until May 2nd, when a US Army captain arriving in the 'camp' told us to gather up all the guns from the German guards – “WE WERE FREE!" (Co de Swart summary: from his family-book: "The Memories Remain" by William 'Bill' Binnebose Jr. (1970s))
For the members of Baker's 10-man crew, seven became Prisoners of War (POWs).
Three (Co-pilot Martin Minnich, Bombardier Henry 'Hank' Sarnow and gunner John White were lucky enough after shutting down on Belgian soil, to be 'catched' by a Belgian Resistance man Mr. August Fruythof from Arendonk. He led them after much life-dangering escapades and caring for their wounds, into an escape line (a.o. the Cometline). Helped, all through Belgium and France, they reached Gibraltar and home in late 1943.
Resistence-man Fruythof later in the war was arrested and put in a concentration camp (Flossenburg). Weighing only 39 Kgs, he nevertheless survived, telling his WWII experiences, including this story helping the three of the crew, in his postwar book From Purgatory to Hell (He died in the mid-1980s) After the war, the Minnich family visited the Fruythof family in Belgium twice to thank this very courageous man. The Fruythofs visited the Minnich family in Piqua Ohio USA in the early eighties. (In the mid-1980s the families lost track of each other. As a result of this search by Dutchman Co de Swart, they'll met again in Belgium in July 2008).
Luftwaffe Attackers
Luftwaffe attackers of the B-17, a.o. taking off from "Fliegerhorst Schiphol", Holland that morning were fighter pilots of 7/JG 26 Lt. Erich Burkert and indeed Fw. Werner Kraft. (See photo's).
Burkert (Meldezeit 11.42 hrs of his claim that day) later got credited for this 'victory', his first on the western front, following six claims in Russia while the seventh, Staffel, was with JG 54 in West-Russia.
After another kill (B-17-3439 over De Bilt, Holland: siehe Jägerblatt 1/2004) Oblt. Burkert got killed in action over Laon France on Jan. 21, 1944 by USAAF ace P47-fighterpilot Maj. Walter Beckham-353FG/351FS.
Kraft in1942 defended the Reich in France at the Channel and earlier had another narrow escape. He was lucky enough to survive a ditch-in, after downing a RAF Hurricane, and was saved by a German Naval boat. He survived the war.
Gunner 'Bill' Binnebose of B-17 'Our Bay Bee' damaged the Me-109 Fighter that the German pilot Werner Kraft was piloting. This forced the German pilot to crash land his fighter. The wounded Kraft was taken to the Beverloo Hospital not far from the crash site, where he met William Binnebose and there the two discussed their air fight.
Assistance for the American Flyers
'Hank' Sarnow and Martin Minnich were aided by Anne Brusselman who helped Minnich, who was badly burned during this mission. She also helped them get housing and get connected with the Belgian underground.
