1/Lt. Kenneth Charles Griesel was the pilot of B-24 42-100424 ‘Roll Call’ that was hit by flak near Vechta, Germany, and eventually crashed near Hoogeveen on March 6, 1944. The whole crew bailed out in time and Griesel landed before the front door of a farm near Schuinesloot, Slagharen. He received coffee and was then brought to Hoogeveen, where he hid for nine days. Here he was joined by his bombardier, 2/Lt. A.D. Roberts (E0351). Here they were provided with false ID-papers that stated that they were deaf-mute.
Escorted by a certain ‘Helga’, the two airmen travelled from Hoogeveen to Meppel. From there they travelled onwards on their own with the instruction to get off the train at the eleventh stop, Breda. Paul Reybroek and Gerard Wassenberg picked them up there and escorted both Americans to Hanneke Verwegen in Boekel. On March 23, they were taken to the Otten family at the Kerkstraat 6 in Erp where they joined F/O. Joe De Luca (E0313) and T/Sgt. Bob Hannan (E0314). On March 25, they were joined at this hiding address by another American, Sgt. Vance R. Travelstead (E0407). On April 8, Hannan, De Luca and Travelstead left Erp by bicycle for Bakel and the next day, Roberts and Griesel followed them. Escorted by Harrie and Gerard Otten, they were taken to the house of Jan Nelemans, the local G.P. From here, they moved through some back gardens to the house of the Manders family where they were re-joined with Hannan, De Luca and Travelstead.
In Bakel, Griesel’s health took a turn for the worse when his belly wound from a piece of flak shrapnel inflamed. Doctor Nelemans took care of him, together with Mien Manders. When he had sufficiently recovered, the five airmen left Bakel on April 22. Butcher Martin van de Eijnden brought them by car to Helmond where Mien Manders had bought them tickets for Roermond. Escorted by Jef Ronden, the airmen travelled by train to Eindhoven and then further to Roermond. In Limburg the five men split up in two groups and went their separate ways. Griesel, Roberts and Travelstead probably ended up in Heerlen where they stayed, among others, with the Smit family. On May 2, they took the train to Maastricht and on May 6, they passed the Dutch-Belgian border. Thereafter they stayed at two hiding addresses in Liege for in all six weeks and then travelled southwards to France. Griesel, Roberts and Travelstead were liberated by Allied troops in the French town of Charleville on September 5, 1944. |
