CECIL KENNETH BELTON E&E REPORT.
SECRET
EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS
UNITED STATES ARMY
Military Intelligence Service
E & E Report SECRET
No. 2847 Auth: AC of S, G-2
Date: 9 March 1945 Init: W A H
Date: 9 Mar 1945
Prepared by
PW & X DET
Evader CECIL K. BELTON 2nd Lt. 0-778379
Unit: 728th Bomb Sq, 452nd Bomb Group
Missing in Action: 20 January 1945.
Rejoined Allied Forces: 6 March 1945.
At: TILBURG, HOLLAND.
INTEROGATOR
R.H.D
SECRET
E&E Report No. 2847 Prepared by PW & X, MIS
EVASION IN HOLLAND
MAPS USED:
GSGS 4042
Sheets 2A-3A, 3B
CECIL K. BELTON, 2nd Lt, 0-778379
PILOT
List of Crew Members
PILOT BELTON, Cecil K. 2nd Lt.
CO-PILOT SHANKS, Andrew B. 2nd Lt.
NAVIGATOR CHILLBERG, Carl E. 2nd Lt.
BOMBARDIER BOGERT, Claude H. F.O.
RADIO OPERATOR ROGAN, Thomas A. Sgt.
TOP TURRET GUNNER SALAMONE, Sylvester Sgt.
BALL TURRET GUMMER NEILSEN, Warren P. Sgt.
WAIST GUNNER MONROE, William L. Sgt.
TAIL GUNNER WILLIAMS, Melvin D. Sgt.
BALES OUT OVER HOLLAND.
Returning from a mission over the RUHR on 20 January 1945, the B-17 piloted by LT. BELTON developed engine trouble . First No. 3 engine went out, then No.2 started smoking, forcing the plane down into the clouds at 20.000 feet. There was an explosion and the order to bail out followed. Just as a second and bigger explosion tore the plane apart, BELTON bailed out.
IMMEDIATE HELP FROM DUTCH.
Considerably shaken after jumping with only one shute strap fastened, BELTON hit the ground about noon near MIDOUD, HOLLAND (Sheet 3A, Q-1259) . The Dutch came up to him as he lay in the snow and helped him to the nearest house. There they took his chute, harness and Maewest, gave him a bicycle and sent him off to a barn 2 miles away, with a guide pedalling on either side. In the barn BELTON changed into civilian clothes. Hearing that the Germans were only a few minutes behind in their pursuit, he bicycled on in two more stages of 5 and 7 miles. Evenually he reached a chicken house were the Dutch underground kept him for eight days. About 1 February BELTON moved to a nearby town where he met Sgt. HENRY K. RADCLIFFE, navigator of a British Beaufigter shot down 17 January 1945, with whom he eventually evaded to Allied lines. Together they moved on for three more days to a village further south.
NARROW ESCAPE.
It was very cold, with more than a foot of snow. Both flyers had frequent falls from their bicycles. They had to stop to rest often, although their helpers seemed tireless. Once they met fifty German soldiers on a bridge, but passed them without incident. Twice BELTON barely avoided capture. Once he knocked down a German with his bicyclebut got away by pretending to be deaf and dumb. A second time when he was being regarded suspiciously by the police, he averted suspicion by playing with a small dog. Although the Dutch themselves had very little food, and were eating cats and even tulip bulbs, the fyers received the best that could be procured from the Black Market.
UNDERGROUND ACTIVITIES.
The Dutch underground in North Holland was still active in late January. They were receiving food, arms and equipment dropped by Allied planes. They also raided the houses of the Black Market dealers for food to distribute among the needy. Often helpers, disguised themselves in German or police uniforms. Some posed as doctors, since no other civilians in North Holland were allowed to ride bicycles in daytime. Germans in this area were very easily bluffed by these ruses. BELTON himself once wore a German uniform. The underground also had plenty of arms. They issued BELTON a Colt.45, a Smith & Wesson, a Winchester rifle and a small British MG to use when on guard.
ESCAPE BY BOAT ACROSS THE MAAS.
Moving south again, BELTON and RADCLIFFE spent two weeks in another underground center, and were finally taken to the north bank of the RIVER MAAS. On 19 February they attempted a crossing bu boat, with four British paratroopers and five helpers, but failed becauseof the fog. After being moved several times, the same six evaders left again at 20.00 hrs 6 March by rowboat with two guides. During a dark and rainy night they managed to pass the German sentries and watch towers, travelling a circuitous course and finally arriving safely eight hours later South of the MAAS. Here they were met by some French Canadians and escorted to TILBURG (Sheet 2A, 3A, E-1632). From there they continued on to BRUSSELS and PARIS.
DISTRIBUTION:
G-2, Com Z
I.S. 9 AB (British)
M.I. 9
PW & X
File
SECRET
APPENDIX "C"
HELPERS
LT. BELTON was shot down about noon 20 January 1945 at MIDWOUD, HOLLAND (Sheet 3A, Q-1259). He was at once given help by the Dutch and moved off by bicycle to a chicken house within 10-15 miles of MIDWOUD. here he was given food, civilian clothes and kept hidden until 28 January.
At this chicken house sixteen members of the underground were hiding. They worked at picking up supplies dropped by Allied planes, sabotage and raids for food on Black Market dealers. Their leader was BILLY (45), blond, baldish, stocky, 5' 10", arecent bullet woundin his right calf. Under him BELTON recalls (spelling phonetic):
GLASS (CHARLES) - 40, dark short, heavy.
SCHOCK (JACK) - 20-25, dark, 6' 3".
DICK - 21, dark, medium build, parents in Sumatra.
FLIP - 27, blond, 6 Ft. schoolteacher.
YOOPE (JOEP) - 19, dark, 5' 8".
STEPHEN - 25, blond, 6Ft, thin.
BOP and TED - 25, brown hair, medium build (description uncertain).
About 28 February, TED and BOP took BELTON to MIDWOUD, and the next day JACK and FLIP took him to SPANBROEK (Sheet 3B, Q-1259), where he met Sgt. HENRY RADCLIFFE, British airman. The next day the two flyerswere taken to ZAANDAM (Sheet 2A-3A, Z-0232) by two guides JANISH (25, short, blond, some upper teeth missing) and another guide (22, 5' 8", dark). Here they stayed three days with a woman, name unknown (30, brownhair, 5' 4", husband in Germany, 2 small children) who was also hiding a doctor who had aided a wounded helper, (40, dark, baldish, thin).
Both flyers were taken to AMSTERDAM by JANISH and another guide, and here they stayed from 2-14 February. They stayed at an underground HQ where there was a small switchboard to which information was relayed and then passed on to a radio transmitter elsewhere. This HQ was run by HANS (25, dark, 6ft, slim, dressed often as doctor with black hat, RAF black boots, dark suit and stethoscope, spoke English and had been trained in England). Four girls worked here at decoding and transmitting messages.
They were:
LOLI - 21 dark, heavy, Russian (Louise de Vries).
GERALDO - 21, brown hair, short, glasses (Gerda Meijer).
JOSEPHINE - 26, brown hair, 5' 7", dropped by plane with 5 other girls, resulting broken leg still in cast (Frankie Hamilton).
American girl - 21 dark, 5' 6" heavy (Madeline van Geuns).
BELTON also recalls here:
YAT - 24 blond, 5' 10" medium build (Gerard du Celliee-Muller).
CARL - 28, blond high foreehead, sabotage chief. (Jaap Carels).
From AMSTERDAM, BELTON and RADCLIFFE were moved to ALPHEN (Sheet 2A-3A, D-9096) for one night and on to ROTTERDAM the next day (approx. 15 February) by two guides BLACK BILL (26, black hair 5' 8") and WHITE BILL (26, light hair, bald 5' 8").
From ROTTERDAM the two flyers left in three hours for ZWIJNDRECHT (Sheet 2A-3A, D-8663) guided by PIERRE (25, dark, 5' 6") and there stayed until 19 February with a policeman called FRINK (40, brown hair, 5' 8", wife very large, 300 lbs, mother-in-law and boys 12 and 14 in house).
On 19 February, FRINK and PIERRE movedthe two flyers to SLIEDRECHT (Sheet 2A-3A, D-9763), where an attempt was made that night to cross the MAAS by boat. BELTON and RADCLIFFE, four British paratroopers, PIERRE, two other helpers and two guidesmade the trip, but they were forced back by fog.
The guides were:
LOFTY - 22, blond, verytall, 6' 4" or 5".
PETE - 24, dark, baldish, small.
They had hoped to meet a CAPT HEEPS who ran a Canadian patrol boat up the river, but he was not there.
For the next few days BELTON was frequently moved from house to house in SLIEDRECHT, but can only recall one place where he spent three days with a couple and six girls, ages 8 to 20.
On 6 March the flyers went to a house next to the river, the regular starting place for boating operations. It was owned by HANS (a girl, 26, dark 5' 5"). At 20.00 hrs the two flyers , four paratroopers, LOFTY and another guide (30, dark 6' 2", small moustache), left in a rowboat and made their way through the German sentries by a very circuitous route on a dark and rainy night to a point South of the MAAS (Sheet 2A-3A, approx B-1632). There they were met by French Canadians and taken to TILBURG (Sheet 2A-3A, B-1632).
DISTRIBUTION.
I.S.9, AB (British) 1.
M.I.9 1.
File (4 to PW & X) 1.