Studiegroep Luchtoorlog 1939-1945

						Sgt. Royce (Max) Fidler was the rear gunner of Lancaster LM333. The bomber took off in the evening of 23 August 1943 for a bombing mission to Berlin. On the outward flight the Lancaster was hit by flak when it crossed the Dutch coast. One engine caught fire and soon after the pilot ordered to bail out. Fidler jumped without problems. 'The aircraft was still flying when I left.', he reported later. After five crew members had abandoned the aircraft north of Zwolle, the Lancaster returned and flew west. It eventually crashed between Bergen and Bergen aan Zee, killing the pilot and flight engineer. Fidler landed 'five or six miles' north of Ossenzijl at around 9 PM. Fidler: 'I hid my parachute, harness, mae west and flying clothes in a ditch, and began walking South, using the compass of my aids box. I came to a river [Linde River], which I could not cross, and slept the night in a haystack beside a farmhouse.' Here he was picked up by the farmer, Egbert Tietema. His brother, Popke Tietema, and butcher's son Albert Hoorn transferred Fidler by bicycle via Kalenberg and Oldemarkt to Belt-Schutsloot, a 25 kilometer long ride. Here he hid in the house of Klaas Stam at C 35a in Belt-Schutsloot for two days. From here he was brought to Peter van den Hurk at Prinses Beatrixplein 7 in Meppel. Also here he remained only for a short time. From 25 August Fidler hid for 51 days in the house of reverend Willem Nicolaas van Nooten at Zuideinde 53 in Meppel. He was joined here probably on 3 September by F/O. Herbert Arthur (Harry) Penny (E0133), the wireless operator/air gunner of Halifax HR878 and on 2 October by Sgt. Leslie Charles Woollard (E0138), the mid upper gunner of Lancaster JB144.

Early in the morning of 15 October, Peter van den Hurk, accompanied by another Dutchman, took Penny, Fidler and Woollard by bike to Zwolle in order to catch a train to Tilburg. The three men were joined here by a fourth airman, S/Sgt. Paul F. Shipe (E1066). The four crossed the border by bicycle escorted by the Dutch gendarme Karst Smit. In the afternoon, Smit guided them by bus to Turnhout, then by tram to Antwerp and finally by train to Brussels where he handed them over to Ernest Van Moorleghem, who took the four took them to the fish shop of Prosper Spilliaert at 394 Chaussée d'Anvers in Schaerbeek where they found a hiding place in an annex building. Here Penny was separated from Fidler and Woollard, who reached Paris together. From there it went to Quimper in Brittany. In this village a girl named Simone picked up Sgt. R. Fidler, Sgt. A.J.A. Reynolds, three Americans and Woollard and took them to a house were they remained until 31 October. On this date 'FanFan' ported them to another house. The plan to evacuate them by boat miscarried so that they left for Paris again on 5 November. At the end of January they gave it another try. Sgt. R. Fidler, W/O. R.A. Jones, 2/Lt. J.E. Armstrong, a second American and Woollard were taken by train from Paris by Robert Viroux and a young woman to as far south as Carcassone. Here they were unable to find the appointed guide and then travelled on to Quillan. But neither here they could find him. They then returned to Paris the next day. In the French capital they met Sgt. J.D.H. Carleton and several other airmen in a church. This party - four RAF and twelve Americans - were now handed over to the Burgundy escape line. At 24 December they left for Quimper and Douarnenez, which they reached on Christmas Day. On the same night the whole party, now numbering some forty persons, including several Frenchmen, walked to Tréboul. Here the crew of the boat that had evacuate them suddely announced that they weren't able to go. They then returned to Douarnenez and all stayed in a house for the night. The next day - 26 December - they had to spend large part of the day in a wood because the police was looking for them. 

Now the group was split up. Fidler, Carleton, Woollard, 1/Lt. D.A. Fisher and T/Sgt. T.R. Moore found a hiding place in the house of Madame Talec. Almost four weeks later Georges Broussine told the group - fourteen airmen and sixteen Frenchmen - that they would part that night. Once more it went to Tréboul harbour. Here they boarded the 'Breizh-Izel'. The skipper was Gabriel Cloarec, who let raise the anchor at 2.50 AM at 22 January. Although a German guard noticed the departure, the boat managed to get away because the post was attacked by the resistance. Outside the harbour the motor was started and after 36 hours the littele boat reached Falmouth in Cornwall, shortly after midday on 23 January 1944.