Developments - a continuing story
After my visit on May 4, 2016 I promised to do my best to give Donald Paul Breeden ‘a face’. He died near my place of birth Eygelshoven so that I would live in freedom.
I asked for help and Jeanne Venturino and Sue Moyer gave me that help in an extraordinary way. With this photo of Donald Paul Breeden as a first result. That was the start of my journey into the fates of Donald Paul Breeden and his fellow crew members.
I asked for help and Jeanne Venturino and Sue Moyer gave me that help in an extraordinary way. With this photo of Donald Paul Breeden as a first result. That was the start of my journey into the fates of Donald Paul Breeden and his fellow crew members.
From Donna’s daughter Beth
‘We all – mom (Donna), myself (Beth) and my sister (Charlotte) – want to send a big THANK YOU for this information, your time and your stories. It has been over 73 years with no information from our government. It is fulfilling and yet disappointing at the same time to be receiving information from out of country. Her (Donna’s) mother, Margarette Breeden spent her the remainder of her life wondering what happened to him. I, personally, find myself looking at my children and seeing pieces of him in them; my grandmother (Donald’s wife) would comment that their mannerisms were similar to his. We would like every piece of information that you have regarding my grandfather, Donna’s father – Donald Paul Breeden.’
This webpage still changes regularly. New information keeps coming in. My last additions:
2019
- While traveling abroad in March 2019 with my wife I must have missed a text message on my mobile.
Only in July I saw it again and responded to it. And this is the story that Mr Bruce Harper told me. The story of a part found at the crash site in 1943, held by his landlord while he was working with AFCENT (now JFC) in Brunssum in the nineties.
How he found out what is was - a propeller bushing - and that it is now back in the USA with the Breeden family.
- In the same week Mrs Astrid van Erp (Fields of Honor Margraten) published another photo of 2Lt William James Martin.
2018
- While JoAnn Linrud spoke with Mr Ben Roberts on Veterans Day 2018 this story came up in their conversation: “Mr Roberts said that when they were shot down, his boot heater was not functioning. The heated boots had a cord that plugged into an outlet on the inside of the turret. His wires shorted out, so he had no heat to his boots. At the time, the temperature in the plane was -40 degrees F. .... Ben said he could crawl around a bit to increase the circulation to his legs, but he was suffering from frostbite at the time they were shot down. Before they encountered the German fighters, he reported the malfunction to the pilot, who said they had to continue on with their mission. Ben believes that, if they had completed the mission, his legs would have frozen and would have been amputated. I asked if he had difficulty walking when he first landed after parachuting out of the plane. He said that he did have trouble, but had regained most of the feeling by the time he was captured....”
If he had not been shot down and captured, and if they had completed the mission, most likely he would have been an invalid.
- On Veterans Day 2018 in the Minotdailynews.com there was the story of the B-17
crash 75 years ago with this header: “75th anniversary of B-17 crash - Linrud family members attend ceremonies in Holland”. Thank you again JoAnn, Peggy and Erica!
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-After Veterans Day 2018 I got this information from Mr
Ben Roberts via JoAnn Linrud: In our conversation, he told me some other interesting information.
He said Leonard Henlin was the only one of their crew who wore that flight cap, which was actually a liner. They were issued a cap and the liner. Only Henlin chose to insert the liner into the cap; the others did not, for whatever reason.
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-The day after - 14-10 while touring the south of Limburg with JoAnn and Peggy Linrud and Erica Stern - we met Mr Engels again at the US Military Cemetery Margraten. While on every 14th of October he went there.
After the ceremony we talked at De Laethof and he told us that a friend of his father picked this A-9 flight cap up at the crash site in 1943 and later traded it with Jo’s father.
Jo also told us that his father used the cap himself under his helmet while he was in the Dutch Army.
- While on the US Army Base on 13-10 Mrs JoAnn Linrud gave me an account from Ben Roberts about how her father became a member of this crew; he was replacing the frostbitten FE/Sgt Watts who got wounded on the first operational flight of this crew on 4-10-1943.
13-10-2018 THE TWO UNVEILINGS - read more here
- On the 12th our guests from the USA - JoAnn and Peggy Linrud and Erica Stern - arrived in Kerkrade.
- Om the 12th all possible was made ready.
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- Chairs were hired; the cemetery was inspected for security and traffic issues.
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- In the last few weeks of September Dyon and I net more often - also with officials and press releases were sent out.
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- In September we went on holidays and after returning home worked on all things to make the unveilings on 13-10-2018 a success. While biking in Friesland I got a text message saying that the 5 street name signs were ready for forwarding. And that the plaque lay ready with the engraver.
- On 27 August 2018 we had a second lead from the article in the Aachener Zeitung. Mrs Bea Opree and I met Mr Hans Raida (*1934) in Herzogenrath.
As a boy Mr Raida saw the B-17 # 42-3436 getting hit by what he thinks was FLAK-ammunition, crew members getting out using their parachutes and the B-17 falling down.
He took his bike and raced from his home at the then Hauptstrasse (now Kirchratherstrasse) and went to Hofstadt. There on the edge of the slope down to Finkenrath he saw the crash crater of the B-17. There we talked about what he saw then, like pieces of dark hair on parts of the wreckage. And he told us he saw a propeller in the Hofstadt school yard.
Mr Raida then also told us about the finding of a skull while the water drainage of Hofstadt was constructed. The exact year is not known; but at least some 40 years ago. A new built system with its exit very close to where the B-17 A/C 42-3436 crashed in mid October 1943.
This skull then was examined by Mr Riediger - a known local archeologist - and it was found that it was from more recent history. Then no connection was made with the crew of the B-17 and the missing co-pilot Donald Paul Breeden.
A strange story now told so many years after the finding. And nowhere recorded as far as I know. Extra research was necessary.
What we found out within 2 days: The skull found near Finkenrath is still with the collection of Mr Riediger (Mr Riediger died shortly after that in 2018). The person who now takes care of this collection said to me it is said to be the skull of a woman and probably from a pest grave. We can come and have a look at it.
- Result one of the article by Mrs Beatrix Opree in the Aachener Zeitung was a call to Mrs Offermanns. Mr Wachter of Herzogenrath offered to show some pieces from the B-17 his father collected in October 1943 while he was a ‘FLAK-helfer’.
On 23 August Martina and I met mr Wachter. His father was a ‘Richtschütze/K2’ as a 15-16 year old boy in WWII. And as such helped to shoot with 88 mm AA-guns from a FLAK point near the Trierer Strasse and Adenauer Strasse in Aachen-Forst.
His crew also had to help clear crash sites. Like that of A/C 42-3436 in Finkenrath/Eygelshoven. No work for a youth. From Mr Wachter we understood that his father worked on the wreck parts on both sides of the border.
Mr Wachter showed us some artifacts his father found at that crash site. Some cord from a parachute with what he thinks blood stains (from the user?) and a kind of shackle of which he thinks it is of a parachute*.
He also showed a model from which the ‘FLAK-Helfers’ in the war had to learn to recognize a B-17 bomber. Wingspan some 10 cm / 4 inches.
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*The shackle turned out to be from a A-3 safety-belt for waist gunners (Wells’ or Henlin’s?) in the B-17.
Mr Wachter later presented both finds in a beautiful special made box.
- Mrs Beatrix Opree of the Aachener Zeitung wrote an article on our meeting on 19 July. It was published on 4 August.
You can read the text here - in German.
https://epaper.zeitungsverlag-aachen.de/…/article/b5ad5ab6c1
To see the actual page in the paper you have to click on the orange button - right upper side.
On the page you will also see the picture Bea made of the group in Finkenrath and details of the Black Thursday pin that Peggy Linrud proudly wore that day.
- On 1 August I visited the leading members of the Historical Soc. Worm-Wildnis, who also keep alive the memories about Finkenrath.
I told them about my 'quest' and intentions. They accepted my invitation for attending the ceremony on 13-10 next on the RC cemetery in Eygelshoven. As was my offer to give a presentation about the crew and their B-17.
‘Herzlichen Dank für den Empfang, die Gespräche und der Kaffee und Kuchen.’
- On the 19 of July I met with Peggy, Lynette, Donna and JoAnn Linrud - daughters of TTG/F Arthur Linrud - and their relatives (Gliege descendants) at US Cemetery in Margraten.
We also went to the Finkenrath crash site (G). There we met reporter Mrs Opree at Finkenrath. Her first article in the Aachener Zeitung made the contact with Martina Offermanns-Gliege. She is a relative of late Arthur Linrud's wife - Adela Gliege - living in Würselen.
- On 1 August I visited the leading members of the Historical Soc. Worm-Wildnis, who also keep alive the memories about Finkenrath.
I told them about my 'quest' and intentions. They accepted my invitation for attending the ceremony on 13-10 next on the RC cemetery in Eygelshoven. As was my offer to give a presentation about the crew and their B-17.
‘Herzlichen Dank für den Empfang, die Gespräche und der Kaffee und Kuchen.’
- On the 19 of July I met with Peggy, Lynette, Donna and JoAnn Linrud - daughters of TTG/F Arthur Linrud - and their relatives (Gliege descendants) at US Cemetery in Margraten.
We also went to the Finkenrath crash site (G). There we met reporter Mrs Opree at Finkenrath. Her first article in the Aachener Zeitung made the contact with Martina Offermanns-Gliege. She is a relative of late Arthur Linrud's wife - Adela Gliege - living in Würselen.
With their teachers Jef and Dennis I talked about adopting the monument by the
(oldest) pupils of their school. I think that will work out Okay as well.
An invitation for next year - than before 4 May - is in my pocket.
- On Monday 18 June I met with two representatives of Eurode - a local municipal collaboration across the German-Dutch border. Mr. Von den Driesch, who also is the mayor of Herzogenrath - to which the now vanished Finkenrath once belonged - and our deputy mayor of Kerkrade Mr. Tim Weijers.
We had a good conversation and they offered me their help, so I asked for support to receive invited guests in De Laethof in Eygelshoven after the unveiling ceremony at the RC Cemetery. The local Historical Society who helped me enormously getting started with exploring Breeden’s MIA-case, will offer the tea and coffee and Eurode said to pay for the cakes etc.
We had a good conversation and they offered me their help, so I asked for support to receive invited guests in De Laethof in Eygelshoven after the unveiling ceremony at the RC Cemetery. The local Historical Society who helped me enormously getting started with exploring Breeden’s MIA-case, will offer the tea and coffee and Eurode said to pay for the cakes etc.
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- On the 8th of May the City of Kerkrade arranged that the stone that will be the bearer the memorial text plaque in October was put on its place on the RC Cemetery. So that the stone can settle.
- Two day before (6 May) we - LTC Dyon Reijnen and I - met with Mr. Jos Som, the Mayor of Kerkrade, to tell him about our plans, invite him to take part and ask for help to make it all possible. Mr. Som will be a good supporter and participant!
- In between I had an email correspondence with Mr Dennis Lepore who gave me details on his father (tail gunner Sgt Dominic Charles Lepore) and his life after his return from the German POW camp. I added this to Mr Lepore's biography on the web-page about the crew.
- On the 4th of May I was invited to the Dutch National Remembrance service in Eygelshoven. The committee invited me to have a speech about Donald Paul Breeden and his MIA-case (that was solved in 1948/49) and the many WWII service
men still missing in and over The Netherlands.
After that I stood with my white carnation flower ready to put it on the war memorial in Eygelshoven as Mr Jan Jongen stepped up to me and handed me the flower with
the name tag of Donald Breeden on it. He said ‘I want to swap this one with yours’,
and away he was with my original flower.
- On the 2 May I visited the opening ceremony of the ‘Faces of Margraten 2018‘. I met Terry Hirsch, Arie-Jan van Hees, his wife Nicole (a former college) and another former college, Monique. Proud that we could add 3 photo’s and have a happy meeting with them all.
- A local stonemason - Mr Rogier Lemmens of ‘De Beitel Grafmonumenten’ - will sponsor the stone plate between the text plaque and the big stone. He spontaneously offered his help; even before I had finished my question in detail.
- Via my connections with Mr Raf Dyckmans of Fields of Honor at Margraten I got into contact with Mrs Teresa Hirsch who offered helping me finding relatives of William Martin. I sincerely hope we can get into contact. And maybe also relatives of Mr Manley and Mr Wells.
- March 15 I had a next meeting at USAG Schinnen to talk about the plans on the US Army Base with US officials like Mr Witkowski; our plans for the US Army Base were OK-ed after that meeting.
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-On 6 February I had a meeting with 2 (Dutch) persons; LTC Dyon Reijnen representing theUS Army Base in Eygelshoven and Mrs Hoefnagels as a liaison to the USAG Benelux in Schinnen. They offered their help and some extra ideas to honor the crew of A/C 42-3436 whose tail part crashed on the spot where now this US Army Base is. With their input 2 moments of dedication on Saturday the 13-10-2018 are coming up. On the US Army Base in the morning and at the RC Cemetery in the early afternoon.
- On 19 January I met Mr Jos van den Camp - member of the Church Council - to talk about the idea of Mr Frank Ramakers, employee of the City of Kerkrade to place the monument on the RC Cemetery in Eygelshoven.
On the 30th I got their ‘Yes’ via Jos. The proper location is chosen as well.
2017
- On the 28th of December I met Helmut Frenken and we talked about his memorial in Oberbruch/Heinsberg for the B-17 #42-5828 - ‘The Sweater Girl’.
Left a photo of the dedication with in the back Helmut and Mrs Margaret Morse, the daughter of the pilot.
- My last but one action in December was a meeting with Mr Roy Göttgens from Beek who told me about his experiences on his memorial.
- In the same month I went to the US Base in Eygelshoven and contacted Mr Wilco Ramakers, the Dutch Officer of the Guard at the gate. He wants to help me get a steady contact with US personnel at this base.
- Medio December I visited the primary school in Eygelshoven with the request to tell the oldest group of its pupils - who learn about the second World War - about the crash of Breeden’s B-17. Their teacher Mr Sjef Scholtes was enthousiast from the start. We talked about many topics. Like my father being the head of this school as Mr Scholtes started his career there.
Meanwhile I made a concept Power Point Presentation with many pictures and side steps to YouTube films. Next meeting is in January.
- In the begin of December I had a meeting with Mr Frank Ramakers as a representative of the City of Kerkrade. They support the idea of a memorial. Their idea is to have it on the Roman Catholic graveyard on the Rimburgerweg in Eygelshoven. That is a nice place not far from where the tail part of Breeden’s B-17 crashed. But it is up to the Parish Council to approve. So I mailed the parish priest; Mr Marc Heemels. He supports the idea as well but has to ask his council.
I did it gladly and in December it was issued in Bulletin # 381.
- The 25 pages of text as a part of the annual book of our local historical society - Historische Kring Kerkrade - will be available from Thursday 23 November 2017 after its presentation on that date in the 'Verpleeghuis (nursing home) Lückerheide' in Kerkrade.
Like at the book shop Boekhandel Deurenberg in the Marktstraat 23 in Kerkrade. Coincidence or not, the Lückerheide is very close to the place where Helmut Brinkmann’s Me-109 crashed on Black Thursday 1943.
More or less one circle completed. Next is a memorial.
- On 15 August 2017 I got the photo of Helmut Brinkmann. Martina Offermans was my great help tracing this photo from Frau Sabine Schild a relative of Brinkmann in the north of Germany.
Martina Offermans who lives in Würselen-Germany is related to JoAnn Linrud; daughter of TTG/Engineer Arthur Linrud.
- On 11 Juli Mrs Karin Viol of the Hansestadt Stade sent me a picture of the memorial in Fredenbeck.
There you can see that Helmut Brinkmann is missing since 14 October 1943.
The day his parents got a MIA-telegram as did the parents of the US bomber crew members.
- On Memorial Day in May 2017 I met my uncle and his friend Piet Diederen at Margraten. They both told me their experiences on that October 14th.
- On April 27 I got information from Mrs Karin Viol of the Hansestadt Stade that Helmut F. Brinkmann is remembered on a memorial in Klein-Fredenbeck (G), a town near Stade. He moved to Fredenbeck in 1928. I was also told that his name was spelled otherwise on his birth certificate: Helmuth J Brinckmann.
- On April 12 I got a letter from Mrs Riewe of the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) in Berlin about the place and date of birth of Helmut F. Brinkmann the Me-109 who was shot down by tail gunner Lepore and went missing like Donald Paul Breeden: June 13, 1920 in Stade Camp. A town at the river Elbe near Hamburg.
His known record says he was member of the 1st Kompanie Flieger-Ausbildungs-Regiment 61 (flying school) from Heiligenbeil (now Russia-Kaliningrad). So maybe a new pilot in his ‘Staffel’.
- On Februari 16, 2017 I interviewed Mr. Eduard Foitzik (*1935) of Merkstein (G). He remembers seeing one of the bailed out crew members while parachuting down being caught by a propeller of the spiraling down bomber. Is it the missing Donald Paul Breeden?
- On Februari 13, 2017 Mr. Dennis Lepore contacted me via our FB-page. Later he wrote that his father - tail gunner Dominic Lepore - told him he shot down a German airplane before bailing out. Most probably the Me 109 of Feldwebel Helmut F. Brinkmann.
2016
- On the brink of the new year - December 2016 - Mr. Helmut Frenken offered to help me finding out more about the German pilot Brinkmann who was shot down by tail gunner Lepore from the B17. Mr. Frenken is an experienced researcher.
- On the brink of the new year - December 2016 - Mr. Helmut Frenken offered to help me finding out more about the German pilot Brinkmann who was shot down by tail gunner Lepore from the B17. Mr. Frenken is an experienced researcher.
- On 19 December I spoke with JoAnn Linrud, daughter of top turret gunner/engineer Arthur Linrud. We met at the home of the family Offermanns in Würselen (G) to who JoAnn is related via the mother of Arthur Linrud.
JoAnn presented letters and pictures of her father. Like the one taken by the Germans in Dulag Luft - a card from a shortwave listener in New York who wrote to Arthur Linrud’s parents that he was save in POW Camp - his discharge certificate - and his 'WWII-memories' in a frame.
JoAnn, Martina Offermans, Beatrix Oprée (Aachener Zeitung) and I made a tour through Eygelshoven along the places where I think her father was in 1943. From the house where most probably McDarby was picked up along the wall (still there) that surrounded the former coal mine Julia. Where at the end in the direction of Rimburg the left wing crashed and some further on to the entry of the 'US Army Garrison Benelux' on which site the tail part crashed. Along that 'line' all of the bailed out man like Arthur Linrud were picked up by the Germans. In the dark we also went to Finkenrath. And then back home to the family Ortmanns with coffee, Ramona's cookies, 'Stollen' and a lot more stories to be told. For me a historical evening. The report by Bea was published January 11 2017.
On the photo front left JoAnn Linrud - to the right Marina Offermanns.
- On December 16 I talked with Mr. Hubert Walmanns from Hofstad (G) who was 10 years old as the crash occurred some mile from their farm.
- On December 12 I received a PDF with information on Mr. Donald Paul Breeden from Fields of Honor - Margraten (NL) in which the investigation into Mr Breeden's getting MIA is documented as Mr. Kuhl describes it in his book.
- Mr. Wilms from Wurm in Germany lent me a book in which another German eye witness - Mrs. Klara Wauters-Martini - describes that there where remains of 2 or 3 persons found in Finkenrath in October 1943.
- On November 17, 2016 I met another eyewitness Mr. Heinz Wilms from the German Wurm hamlet. I added his information. Mr. Wilms indicated that the B17 crashed closer to the rail road than shown by Mr. Ortmanns on his map.
- Just before Veterans Day 2016 René Francotte - he adopted Mr. Henlin’s grave at Margraten - made a FB-page on Donald Paul Breeden and his crew.
- After the article in the Aachener Zeitung on October 8th 2016 Mrs JoAnn Linrud contacted me. She and Mrs Martina Offermanns living in Würselen have common ancestors. I added Mrs. Linrud’s information.
- On October 19 there was an article in 1Lokaal - a local paper - by Martin van der Weerden. See at the bottom of this page.
- On October 8 the article of Mrs. Beatrix Oprée on Donald Paul Breeden was in the Aachener Zeitung.
The same day Jack Huntjens from Eygelshoven reacted to this article and told me some details like where the left wing fell down.
Shortly afterwards Mrs Martina Offermanns from Würselen contacted me. She is a relative of Arthur Linrud and she sent me his personal ‘military history’.
- On October 2 Mrs Deborah Henlin sent me copies of letters to Roy Henlin’s mother - also the one by Mr. Roberts.
- On 29th September I met Mr. Charles Russell the present owner of the land where the nose part of 42-3436 / WF-R crashed in 1943. The top-layer and more below is gone - it is now a sand-quarry some 40 meters deep. Mr Russell told that while the soil of the top-layer was removed they found Roman arte facts and many remnants of WWII like ammunition of the artillery barrages and fighting in October 1944 at the start of the battle for Aachen - the first German city to be occupied or liberated as many Aachener people remember it. But no plane parts. Mr Russel allowed me to search on his land along the fence of the quarry. And Michel Beckers promised to help me with a detector.
- On 24th September I received IDPF ‘s via Robert Rumsby. From that I could see Breeden’s training-route. But no reports of the investigation in December 1948 and the review in 1951 as mentioned in Mr George Kuhls’ book.
- On 22-9 Mrs Beatrix Oprée from the Aachener Zeitung and I had an interview for an article on this crash. This newspaper serves the villages where the nose part fell down. Hopefully eye witnesses and stories will pop up. It was published on October 8 2016.
- On 22-9 I received an email from Mrs Deborah Henlin in which she mentioned how her uncle had died and she presented a photo of her ‘Uncle Roy’.
- On 2-9 Mrs Marilyn Walton corrected me on the place where Mr McDarby was a POW and in what camp he was liberated. She also had information on Mr McDarby. Her father Mr Jeffers was a ‘room mate‘ of Mr McDarby in Stalag Luft III.
- On 26-8 there was an article in DPA Press in Kootenai County about Mr Breeden written by Devin Heilman.
- On 26-8 I added a most intriguing text I found in the book of Mr George C. Kuhl ‘Wrong Place! Wrong time! - The 305th Bomb Group and the 2nd Schweinfurt Raid October 14, 1943’. From that text it may be possible that the remains of Donald Paul Breeden were first interred in Merkstein and are now interred at Margraten - both times in the graves of Mr Martin and/or Mr Manley.
Can you or somebody you know add anything to this B17-crew?
Please contact me via the FB-page on Donald Paul Breeden.
People involved in this project - according to date of 1st contact.
In the USA
Mike Patrick - Managing Editor at Coeur d'Alene Press - Hillary Main - Richard Phenneger
Jeanne Venturino - researcher of the Kootenai County Genealogical Society
Eric Manten - friend from Eygelshoven who now lives in South Carolina
Sue Fox Moyer - 305 BombGroup/FB - Second Schweinfurt Memorial Association/FB
Christopher Coffman - 305 BombGroup/FB
Dean Crawford - son of crew member Hosea Crawford - 305 BombGroup/FB
Ben Roberts - last survivor of the McDarby crew / on 305 BombGroup/FB
Donna Reichelsdorf, Beth Long and Charlotte Reichelsdorf - daughter resp. grand children of Donald P Breeden and his wife Margarette.
Daniel Bon - 305 BombGroup/FB
Cynthia Kennedy - San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society
Corinne Barber - Rhode Island Historical Society
Jim Ignasher - historian and writer form Smithfield - Rhode Island
Devin Heilman - Staff writer at Coeur d'Alene Press/CDA Press
Kate Wells - Rhode Island Collection Librarian - Providence Public Library
Julee McDonald - SSMA Secretary
Marilyn Walton - writer of many books - also on her father B-24 bombardier Mr Jeffers as a POW in camp Stalag Luft III
Deborah Henlin - niece of Roy Henlin - Kentucky
Robert Rumsby - member of SSMA on FB and with knowledge on MIA-cases/IDPF’s
Vincent Balasco - friend of Mrs Shirley Henlin in Cranston RI and helpfull to contact her
JoAnn Linrud - daughter of flight engineer Arthur Linrud
Dennis Lepore - son of tail-gunner Dominic Lepore
Teresa Hirsch - researcher for Fields Of Honor Margraten
Bruce Harper - he had a propeller bushing of the B-17 42-3436
Cynde and Vin Balasco’s cake presented to Mrs Shirley Henlin.
In the Netherlands and Germany
Jan Nieuwenhuis - Luchtvaart en Oorlogsmuseum Texel / WWII Allied Aircraft Crashes In The Netherlands
Michel Beckers - ww2crashsiteresearch
Raf Dyckmans - Astrid van Erp - Fields of Honor at Margraten
Nicole Sproncken - Stichting Adoptie Graven Margraten
Al Brull - Stichting Eygelshoven door de eeuwen heen
Jo Engels - from Eygelshoven and on Second Schweinfurt Memorial Association/FB
Marleen Jennissen - Stichting Berging Stirling W7630 in Echt
Martin van der Weerden - teacher, historian and writer from Heerlen
Marcel Hogenhuis - historian from Venlo (Fliegerhorst)
Lilian Doensen - adopted Mr Breeden’s grave at Margraten Cemetery
Guido Corten - historian and ex-collegue from APG
Sjir Handels - writer of a (not yet published) book about Eygelshoven in WWII from a collection of 5 diaries
Manfred Zankl - Archiv Stadt Herzogenrath (G)
Roy Göttgens - researched the crash of the Cole crew in RO-F/42-29971 in Beek
Willi Derichs - Haupt- und Personalamt Stadt Baesweiler
Beatrix Oprée - reporter / Redakteurin Zeitungsverlag Aachen (G)
Charles Russell - owner Nivelsteiner Sandwerke (G)
Jack Huntjens - information reseacher - historian from Eygelshoven
Martina Offermanns - relative of Arthur E Linrud - from Würselen (G)
René en Sandra Francotte - adopted Roy Henlin’s grave at Margraten
Wolfgang Quest - WDR Aachen (G)
Hubert Wilms - eye witness from Wurm-Wildnis (G)
Hubert Walmanns - eye witness from Hofstad (G)
Helmuth Frenken - researcher from Oberbruch (G) who made a memorial for B-17F #42-5828
Eduard Foitzik - eye witness from Merkstein (G)
Birgit Riewe - Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) from Berlin (G)
Karin Viol - Abteilung Archiv und Stadtgeschichte der Hansestadt Stade (G)
Patrick Beelen - from Rimburg who adopted William James Martin’s grave at Margraten
Frank Ramakers - the City of Kerkrade
Sjef Scholtes - teacher in Eygelshoven
Jo Cremers - Chairman of the ‘Oranje Comité’ in Eygelshoven
Jos van den Camp - representative of the Church Council in Eygelshoven; owner of the RC Cemetery
Wilco Ramakers - Officer of the Guard at the US Base in Eygelshoven
LTC Dyon Reijnen - Dutch base commander of the US Army Base in Eygelshoven
Rita Hoefnagels - Dutch official at USAG Schinnen
Chet Witkowski - US official at USAG Schinnen
Rogier Lemmens - stonemason in Kerkrade; sponsor of the stone plate behind the text plaque
John Roland - who helped me with the sound at the cemetery
Back to the story I started to find out why and how Donald Paul Breeden could get missing.
