Results

Input Aircraft
Aircraft	Database entry
Fokker G-1	G-1
Fokker D.21	D-XXI
Douglas D8	D8
Fokker C.5	C-V
Fokker T-8	T-8
Arado 66	Ar 66
Messerschmitt 109	Bf 109
Messerschmitt 262	Me 262
Dakota (RAF)	Dakota
C-47 (USAAF)	C-47
Fotress (RAF)	Fortress
B-17 (USAAF)	B-17
DeHavilland Moth	D.H.60
Fieseler Storch	Fi 156
Focke Wulf 200	Fw 200

Input Date
Date	Database entry
22nd June 43	22-06-43
15th October 42	15-10-42
5th March 43	05-03-43

Input Unit
Unit	Database entry
all on KG 4	/KG 4
all on JG 1	/JG 1
4FG/335FS	/335FS
all on 106 Sqdn	106 Sqdn
91BG/323BS	323BS
1 Lvr	1 Lvr

Evader chart: E0635
SGLO	Date crash	Aircraft
T3931	15-08-44	B-24 Liberator
MilRank	First Name(s)	Name
Sgt.	William Harold	Rye
Milregnr.	Nationality	Born
35679773	American	North Little Rock, Arizona, USA, 24 Mar 1921

Returned Y/N	Evader Fate	Date Captured/Liberated	Place Captured/Liberated	Escape Line
Yes	EVD	13 Apr 45	Steenwijk	-

Evader Story
Sgt. William Harold (Bill) Rye was the right waist gunner of B-24 Liberator 41-28932 ‘Ramblin Wreck I’. The bomber was shot down by German fighters on the return flight from a bombing mission to Vechta airfield. Rye managed to bail out and landed in a field at the Leiweg near Giethoorn. He started walking in southerly direction towards Giethoorn and eventually made contact with the resistance. He eventually ended up in the house of Willem Hol at Oosterhoek 81 in Steenwijkerwold. Here he met another member of 466 Bomb Group, but from a different aircraft: T/Sgt. Fred J. Gerritz (E0636). Rye and Gerritz would remain in hiding with the family Hol until the liberation of the Steenwijk area by Canadian troops on 13 April 1945. William Harold Rye passed away on 5 January 2012 at the age of 90. He is buried at Butler County Memorial Park, Trenton, Butler County, Ohio, USA.
* National Archives, Washington, EE-2974 and 2973.

Evader Story

						Sgt. William Harold (Bill) Rye was the right waist gunner of B-24 Liberator 41-28932 ‘Ramblin Wreck I’. The bomber was shot down by German fighters on the return flight from a bombing mission to Vechta airfield. Rye managed to bail out and landed in a field at the Leiweg near Giethoorn. He started walking in southerly direction towards Giethoorn and eventually made contact with the resistance. He eventually ended up in the house of Willem Hol at Oosterhoek 81 in Steenwijkerwold. Here he met another member of 466 Bomb Group, but from a different aircraft: T/Sgt. Fred J. Gerritz (E0636). Rye and Gerritz would remain in hiding with the family Hol until the liberation of the Steenwijk area by Canadian troops on 13 April 1945.

William Harold Rye passed away on 5 January 2012 at the age of 90. He is buried at Butler County Memorial Park, Trenton, Butler County, Ohio, USA.

Source(s)

* National Archives, Washington, EE-2974 and 2973.

Studiegroep Luchtoorlog 1939-1945