Smit, Leendert 1944 - Crash Landing B-17 Near Dutch City Wijk bij Duurstede

Crew Goes into Hiding in the Netherlands

On February 22, 1944, a U.S. B-17 bomber executed an emergency landing in the river meadows near Wijk bij Duurstede. All ten crew members survived the crash. Following their training protocols, they immediately split up to evade capture. Some eventually fell into enemy hands and became prisoners of war, while others managed to go into hiding with the assistance of the Dutch Resistance. The pilot, First Lieutenant Charles D. Crook, sought refuge in a barn in nearby Langbroek. Through a local network, he was brought to safety by resistance fighter Kees Stoove, who arranged for both medical care and temporary hiding places. Crook later continued his escape across the Netherlands, spending months evading capture. This extraordinary wartime story was meticulously researched over a period of fifteen years by amateur historian Leendert Smit. His work draws upon extensive archival research, contact with surviving crew members, and correspondence with their families. His findings shed light not only on the fate of the crew but also on the courage and risks that Dutch civilians undertook to assist them. Even decades later, new details continued to emergeincluding the roles played by local figures such as the farmer Herman Imminkhuizen. Smit also established contact with the families of other crew members, reconstructing their individual journeys and experiences during the war. Richly illustrated with photographs, maps, and documents, this book offers a detailed and deeply human perspective on a single aircraft crash and its aftermath. It places themes such as survival, resistance, and international cooperation at the forefront, thereby preserving a remarkable local story within the broader historical context of the Second World War.