S/Sgt. R.A. Trombley was one of the waist gunners of B-17 43-37913. During the mission he was hit in his leg under the right knee. Shortly before he left the aircraft he was given a morphine injection. After bailing out he landed between Norg and Een, east of the Eenebrug and close to the farm ‘Okdenhof’. Another crewmember T/Sgt. Quilla D. Reed (E0902), landed close by. Soon they were surrounded by curious Dutchmen. Two of them, Wiebe Bron and Gosse Rozenboom, urged both men to come with him on his bicycle. They crossed the Norgerweg in the direction of the woods of Veenhuizen. Both airmen were left in a wood opposite the farm of widow Assies at the Zesde Wijk. When Rozenboom came inside to tell the widow that he had hid two pilots in the wood, he met Geert and Kees Veldman, two resistance men. Kees Veldman was the leader op KP Noord-Drenthe. His brother Geert was acquinted to KP Friesland. Kees Veldman cycled shortly after midday to Veenhuizen, to ask his relations to pick up the two American airmen.
After darkness, Hendrik (als known as Henny) Woering and Hendrik Egbers rode to the wood, but found in the end both airmen in the farm of widow Assies. With the wounded Trombley on the back of a bike and Reed on a bicycle himself they rode to the farm of the parents of Hendrik/Henny Woering: Koop and Jantina Woering at the Derde Wijk (now Esweg) in Veenhuizen. The farm belonged to the Rijkswerkinrichting Veenhuizen. In the following weeks Trombley and Reed hid on this farm. The injury of Trombley caused worries. Trombley was heled several times by the doctor of the asylum.
They stayed here until 13 December. Early in the morning that day the farm was raided by the SD, the socalled Bloedploeg and several Landwachters. They didn't find the hisding place of Trombley, Reed and Kobus Woering (one of the sons). The raiders left the farm but left a guard on the property. In the afternoon Kobus woering left the hiding place and surprised the guard. This gave them the opportunity to flee. They first hid in the so called Pastoorbosje behind the catholic church Then they two Americans found a hiding place on the attic of a little shed next to the house of padre Smits. Here they were joined by Hendrik Woering, Gerrit van Kleef and T/Sgt. M.D. (Don) Barker (E0900). Together they spent the night in a clothing room (kleedhokje korfbal) at the Hoofdweg.
Early next morning they left their hiding place. Hendrik Woering took Trombley, (who had fever because of the shotwound in his leg), Reed, Barker and Van Kleef in the direction of Ter Haule. After several adventures they ended up in the farm of Mindert de Boer. After spending the night here, Peet de Boer brought Trombley the next day -15 December - to the house of Widow Dijk at the Schansdijk near Beneden-Haulerwijk. With thelp of probably Gerrit van Kleef he also brought Reed and Barker on the same day to this address. In contrary to Reed and Barker, Trombley left this address still on the same day. Because of the seriousness of his wound, he needed medical care. He was taken to Donkerbroek where dr Winkel took care of him. When his wound was healed enough, Pier Dijkstra escorted him to the house of Jochum Alberda in Jubbega. After about three days he moved to the house of Hendrik Marcus de Jong in Bontebok. From here De Jong took him to a new address in Heerenveen: the house of sacristan Lammert Koopmans, next to Reformed (gereformeerd) Church. After two weeks (shortly before Christmas) he moved to the neighbors, the family of family Gooitzen Marten Peereboom at Gedempte Molenwijk 86 in Heerenveen. Here he joined two other American airmen: 2/Lt. Roy M. Bistline (E0479) and 2/Lt. Walter J. Tyson (E0481). They were liberated on 14 April 1945 by Canadian troops.
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