This memorial page is dedicated to Harold Arthur Holtz, one of more than 725 war victims connected to the municipality of Deurne documented by Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers. The municipality of Deurne and the surrounding villages of Liessel, Vlierden, Helenaveen, Neerkant and Zeilberg were liberated in the autumn of 1944 during heavy fighting. Victims fell on all sides: Allied soldiers from countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and New Zealand, and German soldiers.

But the archive covers more than just the combat victims on Deurne soil. Residents of Deurne who lost their lives elsewhere are also commemorated: civilians who were murdered in concentration camps, forced labourers who died in Germany, people who were executed or succumbed to the effects of persecution and oppression. In addition, residents of Deurne who entered German military service and were killed elsewhere are also included.

Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers has been documenting the story of all these people since 1995, without distinction of nationality, side or background. The goal is to give every person a name and a face, and to keep their memory alive.

 

Name: Holtz
First names: Harold Arthur
Nickname: –
Date of birth: 11 January 1921
Place of birth: Dundee Township, Kane County, Illinois
Residence: –
Rank / Occupation: Sergeant
Identity tag: 36619672
Unit: USAAF, 533rd Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomber Group, Heavy
Date of death: 30 January 1944
Place of death: Deurne
Cause of death: as a result of an emergency landing
Cemetery: Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten
Memorial site: Kane County Veterans Memorial in Geneva, Illinois (USA)

Additional information

Grave location: Plot I, Row 8, Grave 3

Awarded the Purple Heart.

On the afternoon of Sunday 30 January 1944, a Boeing B-17 F bomber, nicknamed ‘Martha the II’ and bearing the serial number 42-29761 (VP-W), was forced to make an emergency landing in ‘de Rakt’ near Deurne. During a mission to Braunschweig (Germany), this bomber was shot down by several German Focke-Wulf 190 fighter aircraft before it reached its target. Harold Arthur Holtz, Wilbert Everett Eason, Harry Fong Lee and Peter Hlynsky lost their lives in the incident. Wilbert Everett Eason managed to jump from the aircraft in time, but his parachute failed to open. Peter Hlynsky had also jumped from the aircraft but broke his neck during the jump; he asked some civilians who had rushed to the scene for a priest, and before he died from his injuries, he was administered the last rites.

Staff Sergeant Perry E. Beach survived the emergency landing but was soon taken prisoner by the Germans whilst on the run. 1st Lieutenant Henri D. Steele, 2nd Lieutenant James R. Settle, 2nd Lieutenant Robert F. Anderson, 2nd Lieutenant Leopold L. Flores and Sergeant Paul Oakley Welch also survived this emergency landing but, after spending some time in hiding, were likewise taken prisoner by the Germans in Brussels on 19 and 20 March.

On the day of the emergency landing, the innocent Cornelis Nicolaas Schrama was shot in an ambush. The Germans most likely mistook him for a crew member.

A detailed dossier on ‘Martha the II’ may be available for inspection from the author.

For photographs of the actual aircraft, see also its nickname “Martha the II” and the tail number 229761.
Foto's van het daadwerkelijke toestel, zie ook haar bijnaam "Martha the II" en het staartnummer 229761.

Foto's van het daadwerkelijke toestel, zie ook haar bijnaam "Martha the II" en het staartnummer 229761.
Sergeant Paul Oakly Welch *3 September 1922 †27 February 2007, who survived the crash.
Sergeant Paul 0akly Welch *03-09-1922 †27-02-2007, welke de crash overleefde.
Jan van de Westerlo wearing Paul Oakly Welch’s pilot’s uniform, which was kept out of German hands by Peter van de Westerlo (Jan van de Westerlo’s father).
Sergeant Paul 0akly Welch *03-09-1922 †27-02-2007, welke de crash overleefde.

View all persons in the category: Allied soldiers killed in action