Albert Zuidema (MIL-Downed In Austria-1b)

• 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