Albert Zuidema (MIL-Downed In Austria-1b)
DOCUMENTS - ZUIDEMA 4b and also listed in Crew as 8-ZUIDEMA, ALBERT S. (PILOT) Athol, Mass. Wife Marion Letters: 1) March 28 1945 to Thelma Carson; newspaper article showing hs letter; etc. 2) from Marion Oct 1944 3) from Marion Aug 1944 4) news article showing letter ALBERT ZUIDEMA March 28, 1945; Two pages; U S Army letterhead Dear Mrs. [Thelma] Carson; Your Friend, Lt. Zuidema News Clipping - Albert Zuidema’s letter printed in reference to Orian Wynn Albert Zuidema-No Date Albert Zuidema-Obituary Article Legacy dot com Albert Zuidema https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/telegram/name/albert-zuidema-obituary?id=15485986 Mr. Zuidema attended Athol High School, Athol MA, and Northeastern University, Boston MA. While in Athol he lived with the Donelan family and worked in their grocery store. In 1942 after the start of World War II he started flight training as an aviation cadet in the Army Air Corps. In 1943 he earned his wings, was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, and completed further training as a B-17 pilot. He was posted to North Africa then Italy as a member of the 15th Air Force, 419th Bomb Squadron, 301st Bomb Group. In April 1944 on his 38th mission the B-17 he piloted was shot down by a German ME109 fighter aircraft over Styr Austria. The crew managed to bail out with the exception of then First Lieutenant Zuidema, his copilot, navigator and flight engineer. Miraculously all survived the crash except the Flight Engineer. First Lieutenant Zuidema was initially declared as missing in action for several months until reported as a prisoner of war. He was treated for his injuries in a German hospital, including amputation of his left leg, then placed in a prisoner of war camp. In 1945 he was repatriated at the war's end. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/telegram/name/albert-zuidema-obituary?id=15485986 extracted from internet on 9-21-2022 MARION ZUIDEMA 2 Oct 16 1944 from postmarked date on envelope; 5 pages + envelope note there might be a page missing need to check Marion Zuidema to Mrs. Anallene Wynn 3 August 20, 1944 two pages Marion Zuidemato Mrs. [Analene] Wynn first correspondence, Albert’s a wounded prisoner at Stalag 398 in Germany; navigator Bailey also wounded Marion Zuidema Photo was provided by Peter Zuidema. This was a photo from that time period. Updates: 2022/10/18; 2022/10/17 this page was started within week; today the Documents - Zuidema 4b section on same page is being set up, moving materials from other places in WW2 section to here
POW’s o Zuidema, Albert Pilot aka “Dutch” Died Jul 3 2017 in Falls Church, VA at age 98 Documents Photos o Zuidema with another crew - see 1c Crew Menu area Letters include -important input on plane’s attack by Germans and subsequent crash; -newspaper clipping showing a letter -Wife Marion’s Letters -Article Obituary o Mar 28 1945 o Oct 18 1944 o Aug 20 1944
COMMEMORATIVE WW2 STUDY OF AN APRIL 2, 1944 DOWNED US ARMY AIR FORCES PLANE AND CREW IN THE AUSTRIAN STEYR
Contacts with useful information Zuidema, Albert Dutch (here) Coppedge, Jess Pilot 4d/1d Silberman, Morris 4d/1d
Zuidema, Albert (“Dutch”) (Pilot on Orian's plane) See Documents-3b down below o Farmington Times Hustler circa 1945. Farmington, New Mexico earlier newspaper. o Printed via Orian’s mother’s adoption-based father, “Grandpa” Johnson o Explained what happened to Orian, the crew and himself. o Letter gives these names: Luft-Co-Pilot L: Zuidema wrote he had seen that he survived crash, sitting on ground near wreck with head between his hands Bailey: Navigator, apparently fallen from plane without a chute, had fractured vertebrae o Zuidema survived miraculously still inside plane that was bombed by Germans, it turned upside down and was swirling, lost control of gauges, crashed to snowy ground in southern Austria.[other sources indicate more northern Austria] Correspondence o Address: 53 Union St. Athol, Massachusettes o Marion (wife) wrote at first; then Dutch after he got back o Dates: 1945/03/28 see letters in 3b below Dutch said there were not 7 chutes bailing from Orian's plane - knows of three who bailed out maybe one more in doubt. About Orian's uniform: in general in this crash scenario, uniforms were confiscated by the Germans when Americans captured. "They gave it to an American pilot being trasnferred from the hospital in Wela (or Wila), Austria to a prison camp." Orian had printed his name inside the shirt and trousers (greens). "It was in no way damaged, no shell holes or burned places!" Pilot came to long enough to see and feel plane break up. Parts of nose broke ff and ammunition belts fell out. Navigator confirmed this. Pilot's notes are confusing here (on page 2 of letter): Both Orian and Bailey (Navigator) were in the nose. "I am certain he went out also." [italics added] I'm afraid he wasn't as lucky as Bailey because he landed on snow on his back - fractured verterbrae - but will be OK. [Note there is a jumbling of the two individuals in the sentence but it appears Bailey is the one with the injured back and verterbrae, not Orian; Zuidema might mean that Orian fell out of the plane] 1944/10/16 1944/08/20Wife correspondence on 1944/08/20-had learned her pilot husband Dutch and the navigator Bailey were POWs, both wounded, she mentions hearing from someone who saw what
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Topics Topics
DOWNED WW2 1-Crew, Pilots, Others o 1a-Bombardier OT Wynn o 1b-Pilot Albert Zuidema o 1c-Crew 1d-Key Others Squadron, Relations Input on Crash MACR 3707 o 2-Background Info 2a Austria, History 2b Downed, Found o 3-Nurse Corps o 4-Docs-all 4a-Orian 4aa-Orian Schooling 4b-Zuidema 4c-Crew Docs 4d-Key Others o 5-Comments o 6-Resources