Commonwealth War Graves Hoogersmilde

On the general cemetery of Hoogersmilde (south south east of Groningen City) next to the headstone of a civilian-war-grave also five aircrew of the Commonwealth have been buried. On March 9th, 1942 a quarter of an hour after midnight their bomber, the Manchester R5779 of 83 Squadron took off from Scampton, with the target to attack Essen in Germany. This aircraft was one of eight of that mission that would not return.

Above the north of the Netherlands it all went wrong. The aircraft was hit in its lower fuselage and caught fire. Shortly afterwards the twin engine bomber was hit again. This time in the rear. Over Witten the bomber dropped its load (or simply lost the bombs as during the second hit also the bomb hatches were hit), which caused a farm house to go up in flames. Flying Officer R. Cooper ordered his crew to abandon ship. He himself and four other crew did however unfortunately not succeed and died in the following crash. Two crewmembers, George Rex and Alfred Key survived. They described the circumstances of this tragedy.

The flight crew that perished in the crash are:

Pilot: Robert Ward Cooper, 24 years of age.
Co-pilot: James Thomas Heggie, 18 years of age.
Observer: Michael John Carlton, 22 years of age.
Wop/Airgunner: George William Dalby, 21 years of age.
Mid Uppergunner: Charles Broad, 21 years of age.

Mister Pit was wrongly arrested (maybe a part of the resistance or for the black market) and transferred to the Schultehuis in Diever, which housed the ‘bloody team’. This so called ‘bloody team’ consisted of Sanner and his group of seven members of the Landwacht [Dutch Home Guard collaborating with the German occupying forces]. His group had a reputation of being extremely violent and to use amongst others the waterboarding method during interrogations. Many, taken prisoner by these men, were executed without any legal proceedings.

In spite of the fact that Mister Pit was innocent he has, probably because of the reputation of this group, made an effort to escape. After a short run through the center, he was shot dead by Sanner and Burgman, behind the City Hall.

Gerrit Sanner who was a construction worker from Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, front soldier in the Waffen-SS and commander of the Home Guard, goes underground after the war in The Hague. After a burglary he has been arrested and put into goal in Veenhuizen. There he was recognized as the leader of the ‘bloody team’. One year later he has been tried, receives the death penalty and is executed in 1947 in the city of Groningen.

Brother in crime Piet Burgman also was condemned to death, but that punishment was later on transferred to imprisonment for life.

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Source

• Text: Gerrit Hazenberg, Fred Bolle
• Photos: Gerrit Hazenberg
• Dick Breedijk, Balkbrug.
• 83 Squadron book.
• Roder Journaal - Bloedploeg Norg in beeld.
• SCHOON, S, De Knokploeg Noord Drenthe, Dijkhuizen en van Zanten, Groningen, 1970.