Studiegroep Luchtoorlog 1939-1945

						Capt. Gerald Deutscher ('Jerry') Binks was the extra co-pilot of B-17 Flying Fortress 42-30280 ‘Crazy Horse’, a Pathfinder ship. After leaving the target area - the airfield of Diepholz in Germany - this radar aircraft fell out of the formation when trouble occurred with two engines. The crew was unable to feather the propellers. Later the bomber was attacked by FW190's. The B-17 eventually crashed in the IJsselmeer near Bunschoten. Near Apeldoorn the crew started to bail out. Twelve of the thirteen crew members managed to jump and survived. They all landed between Nunspeet and Ermelo. Except four men - Binks, Sgt. Harold M. Booth (E0305), 2/Lt. Joel D. Punches (E0307) and 1/Lt. Charles A. Haupt (E0306) - all were taken prisoner. Binks jumped over the Leuvenumse Bos and landed near the Eendenparkweg at Ermelo.  Soon after, he came in the hands of 'Uncle Joop'. This was Dr. Johannes P. Kruimel, an orthopedic surgeon who practiced at De Ruif country house in Garderen. Kruimel, who worked narrowly together with Jonkheer Dirk van Eysinga from Nunspeet, brought Binks to the house of Thijs Foppen in the hamlet of Staverden I C 1 near Elspeet. He remained here for about a week (according to other sources three days, from 25 until 28 February). From here he possibly moved to the Townsend family, who lived at 17 Groeneweg in Ermelo where he joined Booth. The two airmen were then escorted to Amersfoort where they sheltered in the house of resistance worker Gelius Leberthus (Gerrit) Ottens and his wife at Randenbroekerweg 5. Here they joined or were joined by Haupt. They remained in Amersfoort for four days. It's very well possible that Ottens handed the three over to Joke Folmer at Driebergen who brought Haupt, Booth and Binks to her parents' house at Homeruslaan 57 in Zeist. According to the Helper File of her father, Herman Folmer, Haupt remained here for seven days and Booth and Binks only one day.

From Zeist, Booth and Binks, escorted by Joke Folmer, moved to Roermond. Here Binks and 'about nine others' brought him to Mrs. Teuwen at Godsweerdersingel 23 at Roermond. Remko Roosjen and Frans Verbruggen escorted Binks from here to family Ruthgerus Puts in the Bisschop Boermansstraat 58 in Roermond. 'All the others' were 'distributed' as well in the Roermond area by Roosjen. Binks apparently hid here more than two months, from 7 March until 10 May 1944. On this date Frans Verbruggen picked him up again. He was now transferred to Maastricht. From here he crossed the Dutch-Belgian border. Paulus W.A. Landman in Mesch/Eysden handed Binks over to Jean Joseph Hans at 54 Grand Rue in Lanaye/Lanaken. Binks was transferred to Belgium through a disused tunnel in the Sint Pietersberg on 19 May, together with 1/Lt. Everett G. Ehrman (E0385), 2/Lt. Myrle J. Stinnett (E0428) and S/Sgt. Salvador Chavez (E0310) (and according to some sources also 2/Lt. Clyde J. Martin (E0347) was a member of the party). In the tunnel they were guided by Belgian Adolphe van Belleghem (Quai du Canal 1 at Petite Lanaye) and his wife. On Belgian soil they came in the hands of Eugene Maquet from Emael. Binks and the others now probably came in the hands of the resistance group of Joseph Francoi Adrien Drion. This Belgian resistance leader organized the transport of the group to Liege. But here it all went wrong. On 26 May Drion and 22 of his co-workers were arrested. Binks was captured the next day by 'Fieldpolice d 841' probably in a safe house in Liege. He was first taken to the headquarters of the SD in Liege. From here it went to Saint Léonard prison. On 6 June Binks and other airmen were transferred to the Citadel of Liège. They stayed here several weeks, until 21 July 1944, before they were handed over to the Luftwaffe in Brussels. From the Belgian capital it went to Dulag Luft, where he arrived on 3 August. From here he was taken to Stalag Luft I near Barth, Western Pomerania in Germany. He was liberated here by the Russians in 1945.

After the war Gerald Binks worked in the oil industry in Wyoming. He passed away on 27 November 2008 in Big Piney, WY at the age of 87.