EN

A fierce air battle

On 3 May 1943, a squadron of New Zealand aircraft attempted to bomb the Westergasfabriek. That went fairly wrong.

Event

May 3, 1943

52.381209 N 4.86866 E

Van Bossestraat

Amsterdam

Nederland

Stadsarchief Amsterdam. Archief Gemeentepolitie Amsterdam

Melding luchtgevecht op posthuis Centraal Station

Stadsarchief Amsterdam. Archief Gemeentepolitie Amsterdam Copyright: Publiek domein

"I witnessed a terrific air battle between German and British planes", Anne wrote in het diary.[1] She was not the only one who mistook the New Zealanders for British. That misunderstanding made no difference for what happened next.

In the late afternoon, the squadron of the 487th Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force flew in from England. By an unfortunate coincidence, the Luftwaffe was able to attack them as early as the coast, knocking fighters and bombers out of formation.[2] Shot down by German fighters, planes crashed in the Grote IJpolder, the Kometensingel and in the Van Bossestraat, barely a kilometer from the Secret Annexe.[3] Several others exploded in mid-flight and wing sections, exploded and unexploded shells, cockpit turrets and other debris landed in various parts of the city.[4] Outside Amsterdam, planes crashed in Haarlem, Bennebroek, Vijfhuizen and in the North Sea.[3] There were many victims among the New Zealanders, twelve were buried in Amsterdam. Some Amsterdam citizens were also killed.

Various police stations and post offices reported the crash, explosions, casualties and debris in various ways.[4] But the policeman in the post office at Central Station was the first to use the same word as Anne: an air battle.[5]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Anne Frank, Diary Version B, 18 May 1943, in: The Collected Works, transl. from the Dutch by Susan Massotty, London [etc.]: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019. In her diary, this entry was dated 4 May and later for unknown reasons changed to 18 May.
  2. ^ The London Gazette, supplement 37486, 1 maart 1946, p. 1179 (thegazette.co.uk).
  3. a, b Studiegroep Luchtoorlog 1939 - 1945, Verliesregister 1939 - 1945. Alle militaire vliegtuigverliezen in Nederland tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog, Den Haag, 2008, p. 72 (online raadpleegbaar).
  4. a, b Onder andere: Stadsarchief Amsterdam (SAA), Gemeentepolitie Amsterdam (toegang 5225), inv. nr. 6489: Rapporten 3-4 mei 1943 Mosplein (Adelaarsweg), mut. 21.00; SAA, Gemeentepolitie Amsterdam, inv. nr. 5878: 3-4 mei 1943, Admiraal de Ruyterweg, mut. 20.00.
  5. ^ SAA, Gemeentepolitie Amsterdam, inv. nr. 1991, rapport posthuis Centraal Station, 3 mei 1943, mut. 19.00.