Studiegroep Luchtoorlog 1939-1945

Evaders


Evader chart: E0911
SGLO Date crash Aircraft
T4782 06-12-44 B-17 Flying Fortress
MilRank First Name(s) Name
Sgt. Loel Gladys Bishop
Milregnr. Nationality Born
38564926 American 29 Sep 1924
Returned Y/N Evader Fate Date Captured/Liberated Place Captured/Liberated Escape Line
No EVD-POW 18 Dec 44 Meppel -
Evader Story
						Sgt. Loel G. Bishop was the tail gunner of B-17 42-102658 ‘Blanco Diablo’. On 6 December 1944, this ‘Flying Fortress’ was hit by flak over the target area and eventually crashed at the Ronduite between the Beulakkerwiede and Belterwiede. Bishop bailed out just in time and landed on the edge of, most probably, Wanneperveen. He hit the ground quite hard, knocking himself unconscious besides injuring his right foot. When he came to, he was surrounded by curious Dutchmen. One of them stripped him of his parachute and Mae-West and led him out of the village to an old barn where Bishop stayed for the night. The next afternoon resistance member Peter van den Hurk arrived and took him on his bike to Staphorst to the house of a certain Roelof. Here Bishop was re-united with his captain, 2nd Lieutenant Hugh De Mallie (E0912). After spending the night in Staphorst, De Mallie and Bishop were taken by bike by Van den Hurk, his wife Mimi, Roelof’s wife and two other women (Mientje Nip and Jentien de Groot) to a safe house in Meppel. This house belonged to Ms De Groot. 

In the night of 18 December, the Sicherheitsdienst entered the house and arrested De Mallie, Bishop, Peter van den Hurk, Mimi van den Hurk, Mientje Nip and Ms De Groot. The Dutch resistance members were heavily beaten and were soon to be executed. At Christmas night though, the resistance group of 'Ome Hein' (Jan Gunnink) raided the police station and liberated the resistance members. Unfortunately, Bishop and De Mallie weren't at the police station anymore by then. They had been taken to the local jail on 19 December, where they stayed for about five days. From there they were taken to a new location, a German military installation, where they spent several days in a cell again. Next, they were taken to a warehouse in a small German city, which was used as a collection facility for Allied prisoners. From there Bishop and De Mallie were taken to Dulag Luft in Oberürsel near Frankfurt. After three days they were moved by train to a regular PoW-Camp, Stalag Luft I where they were liberated by Russian troops in late April 1945. 						
Source(s)
* H.R. DeMallie, Behind Enemy Lines: A Young Pilot's Story (New York 2007)
* NIOD, 896, Willemsen, W.J.M, inv.nr. 2, 'L.G. Bishop'
* W. Bakker, Bezetting en Verzet. 1940-1945 in Meppel en wijde omgeving (Meppel 1984), page 75-97
*