The sky cracks open

The constant hum of hundreds of planes in the sky had made for a restless morning for 24 year old Dorus Broeks, from Zwarteweg. Every time it was briefly dry outside he ran out to look, but hardly any gaps appeared in the dense clouds. He couldn’t possibly have known that high above the eastern Netherlands, an endless line of US bomber planes were heading for Braunschweig - supported by hundreds of fighter planes. He only hoped that later in the day there would be better visibility to see a plane. 

On the other side of the church, 27 year old Marten Bekedam, from Klein-Rekkelaar, kept an eye on the land along Oude Vechtsteeg: as long as they flew past, he did not need to worry immediately. What he did not realise at the time was that the Luftwaffe could not just let this happen: they sent hordes of fighter planes from various airfields to counter the American forces. Marten would soon become acquainted with one of them. 

Father Joseph, from Zenderen, was walking back to Dalfsen station after the church service, when suddenly, for a moment, he thought the sky was coming down. Although the fierce rattle of machine guns and the high-pitched whine of an engine had been a warning, the battle in the air turned out to be closer than he thought. Moments later, Father Joseph was lying flat on the ground. Suddenly a plane emerged from the clouds diagonally above him, crashing deep into the land beside him. 

Once he had recovered from the shock, he saw Marten and Dorus come running...

Text Hugo van den Ende 
Research Stefan Hendriks