Manuel F. Van Eyck - Silent Heroes

VOLUME I

FEB. 22, 1944 - JULY 21, 1944

Manuel F. van Eyck

Copyright 1990 by Manuel F. van Eyck

TURNER PUBLISHING COMPANY

TURNER PUBLISHING COMPANY

Copyright 2002 - Manuel F. van Eyck

Publishing Rights: Turner Publishing Company

This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher.

Turner Publishing Company Staff:

Editor: Amy Sietsma

Designer: Peter Zuniga

Library of Congress Control No. 2002104277

ISBN: 978-1-56311-806-7

Additional copies may be purchased directly from the publisher. Limited Edition.

TO THE MEMORY OF THE FALLEN AMERICAN AIRMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN AIR OPERATIONS OVER OCCUPIED CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1944-1945

DEDICATED TO MY PARENTS

Back row, l-r: 1st Lt. G.M. Goddard Jr., 2nd Lt. H. Kandarian, 2nd Lt. C.F. Spickard, 2nd Lt. J.F. Altemus. Front Row, L-R: T/S gt. RA. Noury, S/Sgt. W.E. Nelson, S/Sgt. H.C. Carter, S/Sgt. Adams*, S/Sgt. R.E. Hughes. *S/Sgt. Adams not on mission to Regensburg.

The Silent Heroes is the culmination of over 10 years research. Needless to say, it would not have been possible without the support of many official agencies, former airmen of 8th, 9th and 15th AF and many people in USA, France, Belgium, Italy, England and Czechoslovakia.

At National Archives they were:

Amy Schmidt

Richard L. Boylan

Dewilda M. Williams

Rebecca A. Lentz

Elaine C. Everly

Wilna Uebrick-Pacheli

At Department of the Air Force they were:

Maj. Lester A. Sliter

Lt. Col. Jacobson

2nd Lt. Johnson

Harry Fletcher

Frederick J. Shaw Jr.

Capt. George Cully

Dr. Haulman

Lynn O. Gamma

Dr. James H. Kitchens

Bruce Ashcroft

Archie DiFante

Dr. Robert M. Johnson II

MSgt. Bailey

Cargill Hall

Dr. Timothy A. Warnock

Col. John Schenk

Maj. Branum

Nora Bledsoe

Carolyn Mandler

2nd Lt. Kyle R. Richard.

At Department of the Army there was John F. Manning and Thomas L. Sherlock.

At Veteran Administration they were:

Dennis E. Kuehl

Steve L. Muro

Jimmy S. Adamson

Robert St. Clair

Ralph E. Church

Gary D. Peak

Patricia K. Novak.

In Belgium they were Jacques R. Adelee and Bart Beckers.

In France they were Paul Bodot. In England there was Mrs. Follas.

In New Zealand there was Harry Widdup.

In Czechoslovakia they were:

Lubomir Caletka

Stefan Mikulcik

Peter Mazur

Bozena Pesatova

Dr. Milos Ruzicka

Josef Smejkal

Pavel Skodacek

Pavel Tresnak

Ruzena Pernikarova

Vladislav Kunes

Pavel Palecek

Antonin Kuchar

Bedrich Simanek

Otakar Vanecek

Ing. Jan Smejkal

Josef Lomoz

Vladimir Chocholousek

Ing. Ivan Hulka

Karel Stava

Jan Svamberg

Pavel Lachman

Peter Kames

Oldrich Hanka

Gerda Stulcova

Ervin Pospisil

Stanislav Mares

Roger Klima MD

Teodor Kujan

M. Kraftova

Zdenek Tafl

Josef Soucek

Magda Vodrazkova

J. Rychetsky

Frantisek Vesely

Ruzena Hosnova

Tomas Podlaha

Jan Sandera

Ing. Alois Vyhnalek

Jaroslav Raska.

In the USA the Police Departments that assisted me:

City/Town

Merrill, WI

Shelton, WA

Roxboro, NC

Davenport, IA

Maj. Ron Potter

Marshalltown, IA

Capt. Ronald L. Galloway

Union, OR

Chief William Hudson

Huntingdon, PA

Chief William J. Brkovich

North Richland Hills, TX

Chief Dr. J.L. McGlasson

Maquoketa, IA

Chief Ronald Evans

Findlay, OH

Chief David B.Clark

West Hartford, CT

Det. Sgt. Francis X. Gallagher

Chappell, NE

Hartford, CT

Chief Bernard R. Sullivan

Springfield, MO

Michael Batson

Jackson, MS

Sgt. M.L. Dill

Italy, TX

Chief R.W.Wilkinson

Scranton, PA

Daniel Ebersole

Twin City, MI

Sgt. Cindy M. Barrette

Needham, MA

Chief Louis Roman

Pulaski, TN

Chief Stanley E. Newton

Oostburg Fire Department, WI

Fire Chief Glen Bruggink

The following associations offered their help:

Louis Loevsky

466th BG

Floyd Mabee

2nd Air Div.

George Baroni

98th BG

Victor Meeker

450th BG

S/Sgt. R.H. Armstrong

455th BG

Norv Gage

456th BG

Thomas L. Thomas

96th BG

Pastor Eugene Parker

463rd BG

George R. Hilliard

398th BG

John Devney

459th BG

Jacob L. Grimm

483rd BG

Chester E. Konkolewski

485th BG

Bud Markel

461st BG

Edward J. Huntzinger

388th BG

Charles Konsler

4th FG

Jack T. Curtis

367th FG

Edwin Dalrymple

31st FG

Joseph DeShay

357th FG

Thomas S. Thomas III

464th BG

Tony Chardwlla

359th FG

My sincere thanks goes to these individual airmen:

Col. Jerome L. Loewenberg

Robert R. Kirsch

Robert A. Norvell

James T. Creekmore

LTC Albert J. Bischoff

Kenneth Faulk

Edgar A. Squires

Edward A. Kunssler

Charles A. Gahagan

Morris Goldberg

Donald E. Harder

Henry J. Kreiensieck

Rufus A. Ward

Robert P. Reynolds

Clifton J. Stewart

Francis W, Flynn

Bryce K. Johnson

Col. B.A. Strozier

Paul W. Pease

Cyril J. Carver

Richard Pemberton

Thomas Smith Jr.

R.W. Mazzacane

Andrew Kolenic

Paul E. Brenneman

LTC C.P. Huntington

R.C. Harris Jr.

Warren E.C. Wacker, M.D.

LTC Bill Haskins

Paul E. Sumner

LTC Stanley A. Hutchins

Charles G. Dreyer

BG John W. Baer

A.O. Tice

Wilbur R. Richardson

Thomas R. Monacelli

Marvin L. Jarchow

Thomas W. Qualman

Donald L. Gallagher

Irwin H. Glickman

BG O.T. Ridley

B.M. Morey

Walter F. Freeman

Dennis Brown

Walter R. Miller

William P. Brierty

G. Carney

R.H. Powell

Irving Welsted

Richard Wynn

Milton A. Klarsfeld

Col. R.D. Carlson

Wilfrid E. Hebert

Paul W. Capen

Louis Fliegelman

Katzenmeyer

John R. Johnson

William Ike Adamson

Raymond A. Noury

Ralph W. Kittle

Col. A.J. Diefendorf

Carl F. Runge

Hobart A. Jarvis

Charles W. Bratton

Lawrence M. Eidsmore

James Watson

Arnold Moselle

My sincere thanks goes to the relatives of men killed in action over occupied Czechoslovakia:

Gertrude Aylesworth

Karen Attanasio

R.L. and V.B. Cruthis