http://www.303rdbg.com/gc-holymackerel.htmlOriginally Posted by tallwalker
My Uncle was the pilot of a B17 named "Holy Mackerel" during the early days of daytime bombing missions over Germany. He was shot down on the way back over Holland by 109's. They were straggling behind after being hit by flack pretty badly. The townspeople watched as they fought back and were peppered until they spun in. Took more than 30 minutes. Three of the crew were able to bail out and were picked up by the Germans and sent to POW camps until the end of the war. All three of them visited my Grandmother way down south of New Orleans in a town with less than a hundred people at the time when they got back stateside and told her the whole story and what they thought of him. I am amazed at the effort it must have taken for them to just find her in those days.
He arrived East Anglia England in August 1942 and shot down in November same year. 4 months, 9 daytime missions over Germany. Can't even imagine the guts it took to climb into that plane every time knowing how few came back from every mission. He is buried in Holland. The dutch townsfolk adopt each of the graves and maintain them themselves as a family, take flowers. Believe it or not, there is a waiting list that want to adopt graves! I get letters and pictures from the family that visits my Uncle there every so often. 36 year old young man, his wife, and 5 year old little son. The Dutch truly have class when in comes to honoring and remembering why they are free today.
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