Donald Paul Breeden co-pilot #42-3436 - MIA
Eygelshoven in the very south of the Netherlands, October 14, 1943. That is the place and date where Donald Paul Breeden went missing after his B-17 got shot up on its way to Schweinfurt to bomb the Kugelfischer ball bearings works on a day that is now known as Black Thursday.
It is said that he bailed out of his plane but he was never found.
Donald Paul Breeden went missing in that action and is remembered on ‘The Walls of the Missing’ at the US Cemetery in Margraten - The Netherlands.
At this US Cemetery Margraten there is a campaign going to give all men and women buried there ‘a face’ - to get a photo of each of them. I promised to get one of Donald Paul Breeden. Here below the result of that search and more research on him why he went missing.
Read on
His home town, his training and his last flight
The fate of the other crew members; 4 KIA and 5 POW
More on the crew
The story of Mr Linrud - engineer/TTG
How Mr Linrud became a crew member
The story of Mr Roberts - BTG
The story of Mr Henlin - left waist gunner
Other publications on the crew of A/C 42-3436
More on the 305 BG
Black Thursday and the 305th BG
The memorial
Dutch and German stories
Een Nederlandse samenvatting
Die Geschichte von Helmut Brinkmann
Donald Paul Breeden in the press today
The bomber boots of opa Dassen
The press in 1943
Going on
Searching relatives of Martin, Wells and Manley
Developments - a continuing story
Surprise
In 2020 I was surprised with a royal award.
This is why:
Wim Slangen (65) makes his knowledge about victims of WWII available to third parties in various ways. In addition, he also informs his worldwide contacts about his findings and involves young people in this topic by involving pupils, especially primary schools, in commemorative activities and teaching on this topic. He also contributed to the realization of various monuments such as in Eygelshoven on the cemetery a monument in honor of the crew of the American bomber A / C 42-3436.
I did not do all that alone.
Kind people help you and they make you go on.
For that I want to thank you all!
