[Larry Hickey]

Pieter,

Even though as a child in school we were always taught that the country was "Holland" rather than the Netherlands. I'll attempt to reform my verbiage, as I have many good friends in "the Netherlands" and don't want to offer offense. If you asked an American, probably most would name the country as Holland rather than the Netherlands, as that's the way it is taught in world geography classes here in primary school. And in school history classes, the Dutch who settled New York came from "Holland," where they grow lots of tulips. There is even a famous passenger ship line called "Holland-America Lines." Enough. I get the point, something about Dutch historical sensitivities. I guess as a Coloradoan, I wouldn't want to be referred to as a New Yorker (heaven forbid). They have big buildings but we have big, beautiful mountains. Let's move on.

Pieter, no the location is not Berkelaar in southern Limburg, but near Wons. I don't have a 109 listed as down on 12.5.40 near Berkelaar. I do have a 2./JG26 aircraft that came down on the 12th, but which has been variously reported as having set down at both Waalhaven and Dordrect. I'm trying to confirm that the photos that I have of an overturned Bf109E from that unit is that same incident, and determine precisely where it set down and flipped over. The photos should indicate a badly injured or killed pilot, but that isn't indicated in the 2./JG26 loss reported at Waalhaven, which I think is also the Dordrect incident. Tell me more.

Did you get my list of crashes in "the Netherlands" for 10.5.40 that I sent you today?

Regards,