Studiegroep Luchtoorlog 1939-1945

						2/Lt. Frederick H Erdmann was the bombardier of B-24 42-51095 ‘Shoo Shoo Baby’ who bailed out with five other crewmembers near Vollenhove early in the afternoon of June 29, 1944. As soon as he had landed in a wheat field he met Sgt. Billy Davis (E0583), one of the waist gunners on their ship. They were approached by Dutch farmers who had witnessed their descent and took care of their gear. Somehow, they indicated Erdmann and Davis to stay put till collected. Shortly thereafter a Dutchman brought Sgt. Frank K. Peichoto (E0587) to where they were hiding in the wheat. In the evening they were all taken to Vollenhove where they were given civilian clothes and some food. Later that night they were joined by 2/Lt. John O. Fullerton (E0585). 
The next day they were brought to Meppel by car where the airmen stayed for another night. The were handed over by resistance leader Peter van der Hurk to two sisters, Froukje Trijntje and Tina Wilhelmina de Vries at Prins Hendrikstraat 3a at Meppel. After an unknown period (according to some sources only one night) they were handed over to Van der Hurk again and then travelled by train to Amsterdam.

They were taken to a hiding address in the eastern part of the Dutch capital where they were joined by their fellow crewmembers Sgt. Everett Allen (E0580) and Sgt. William Owens (E0586). At this address they were provided with false identity cards and shortly there after they all moved to Zaandam where they stayed for about a week. Food was in short supply here and next to that there were a lot of Germans around. Henk van Cleef and Ernst Smidt van Gelder took care of the six Americans and decided to move them. The group was split and Erdmann, Peichoto and Owens were the first to leave. Escorted by van Cleef and Smidt van Gelder, they travelled by train to Veghel on July 4. At the station there, they were handed over to members of the Otten family who took the airmen to their home at Kerkstraat 6 in Erp, the so called Pyama House. Fullerton, Allen and Davis followed on 7 July when they joined Peichoto in the safe house of the Otten family at Erp.

By that time, Erdmann and Owens had already left on their way to Belgium. On 5 July they were taken by bicycle to Cor van Laanen in Dinther and from there travelled via Schijndel to Tilburg. From Tilburg they were taken to Antwerp, probably by Piet Felix from Groep André, but unfortunately their Belgian guides worked for the German Gestapo. Both Erdmann and Owens were arrested in Antwerp on July 18 and became prisoners of war. Erdmann spent the remainder of the war in Stalag Luft 1 Barth and was liberated by the Russian army on April 30, 1945.