Harold W. Bonekat

16 Aug 1920 – ?

2nd Lt Harold Walter Bonekat (O-777298), bombardier, United States Army Air Forces

About: The bombardier of a Flying Fortress that came down at Nieuw-Milligen on 21 November 1944, one of the four Americans of its crew whom the historian Noordman puts in the barn at Harskamp with Murphy on 24–25 November. He was hidden by Dutch helpers until he reached the Allies at Appel on 18 April 1945.

Unit or role: USAAF; 2nd Lt, O-777298, bombardier, 338th Squadron, 96th Bomb Group (E&E 2977, pp. 1 and 3; MACR 10416, image 002).

Where: 7030 Greenwood Avenue, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, his home address in 1944–45 (E&E 2977, p. 3); in hiding around Stroe, Barneveld, Voorthuizen, Nijkerk and Appel from November 1944 to April 1945 (E&E 2976, Appendix C), and at Kootwijkerbroek and Nijkerkerveen by the helpers' forms (below).

Evidence: ✓ his own escape and evasion report, E&E 2977, 19 April 1945 (US National Archives 5557576), whose account of the evasion is the one he gave with Sidney Willig in E&E 2976, Appendix C; ✓ the Missing Air Crew Report of 24 November 1944 (MACR 10416); ✓ the forms of the Dutch helpers who hid him, US National Archives, RG 498 (below); ⚠︎ the barn rests on Noordman, p. 285, alone, who quotes Hardy and adds the barn's owner and the names, giving no source.

✓ His report has him born on 16 August 1920, an expediting clerk in peacetime, of 7030 Greenwood Avenue, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania (E&E 2977, pp. 3 and 6, read on the images). The Missing Air Crew Report gives his next of kin as "Mrs. Helen Bonekat (Mother)" at the same address (MACR 10416, image 006, read on the image).

✓ In April 1945 he gave his service as "29 months" on p. 3 and "27 months" on p. 6, with "9 missions" flown, a bombardier in the 338th Squadron of the 96th Bomb Group (E&E 2977, pp. 3 and 6).

• ✓ The aircraft. The Missing Air Crew Report has B-17G 42-102554, nicknamed "Jean O", of the 338th Squadron, 96th Group, left AAF Station 138 on 21 November 1944 for "Osnabruck, Germany" with nine aboard, Bonekat the bombardier; all nine are typed "MIA" (MACR 10416, image 002). Its remarks, of 24 November, report an aircraft "seen by a fighter to land in a woods approximately 10 miles SW of Apeldoorn", whose crew "are believed to be safe", and say it was "apparently either A/c #792 (Lt. Chrismon, 413th) or a/c #554 (Lt. Worden, 338th)" (image 003).
• ✓ His own account. He left Snetterton Heath on the morning of 21 November and came down at "MILLIGEN, HOLLAND. About 1330 hrs 21 NOV 44"; he "Discarded" his parachute "in forest", and his map folder was "not destroyed" (E&E 2977, p. 6, read on the image). The appendix he shared with Willig says the target was "MERSEBURG, GERMANY": "The plane was shot up by flak, and the pilot made a crash-landing at MILLINGEN, HOLLAND" (E&E 2976, Appendix C, p. 1, read on the image).
• ✓ The crew, as he gave it. The pilot, 2/Lt L. R. Worden, "Believed captured"; the co-pilot, Bob Blackburn, "Evading in Holland"; the navigator, Sidney Willig, typed "WILLIG S.H." (the G typed over another letter) ("See Report No: IS9WEA/1/391"), no first name given; the radio operator Torres, the ball-turret gunner Griesel, and the waist and tail gunners Herlihy and Wells, "Believed captured"; the top-turret gunner, Ray Haydel, "Evading in Holland" (E&E 2977, p. 6).
  • The German capture reports in the MACR are for Griesel, Wells, Torres and Worden, taken on 21 November near the landing place by the Apeldoorn–Amersfoort road (MACR 10416, images 009–012).

⚠︎ Noordman's barn at Harskamp, 24–25 November 1944. James Hardy's report is the eyewitness. On the night of 24 November he and Murphy were taken by "a member of the Dutch Underground (WILLEM's brother) to a barn somewhere in the OTTERLO area":

In the barn I met Pte. DAVISON, an R.A.F. Officer, and four U.S. Aircrew, none of whose names I know. I understand that the Americans were members of a Fortress crew and had been shot down on 21 Nov. We stayed there overnight and the following evening DAVISON, MURPHY and I were taken by DICK and another member of the Underground to a nearby farm.

— MI9 · Pte J. Hardy · escape report · Hardy's report

The names are Noordman's, who follows Hardy's words with the barn's owner and the men in it:

The barn was J. van Essen's, Westerhuisweg, Harskamp. The RAF officer was John Craven. The four American airmen were the co-pilot Bob Blackburn, the navigator Sidney H. Willig, the bomb-aimer Harry Bonekat and the flight engineer and gunner Ray Haydel. These men stayed in our country until the liberation.

Dutch originalDe schuur was van J. van Essen, Westerhuisweg, Harskamp. De RAF-officier was John Craven. De vier Amerikaanse vliegers waren copiloot Bob Blackburn, navigator Sidney H. Willig, bommenrichter Harry Bonekat en werktuigbouwkundige en schutter Ray Haydel. Deze mannen zijn tot aan de bevrijding in ons land gebleven.

— Noordman, Schuilplaats de Veluwe, p. 285

Noordman gives no source for the names. The barn and the men in it are on J. van Essen's and John Craven's pages; Leslie Davison was the British private Hardy met there.

◐ What his own report says of those days. Bonekat's and Willig's list of helpers mentions neither a barn nor British paratroopers. For the days around the barn it has "VAN EE, lived near STROE", who "Provided food and shelter 23 Nov 1944"; Teus Roskamp, described as a veterinarian, on a farm "on the outskirts of BARNAVELD", who "Furnished food and shelter 24 Nov 1944, and money for food to subsequent helpers"; and an unidentified man in a "small house off road from STROE, HOLLAND (Z6101) to HARSKAMP", who "Provided shelter and [struck-out word] meals 28 Nov – 2 Dec 1944" (E&E 2976, Appendix C, pp. 1–2, read on the images). It has Roskamp's shelter on a farm outside Barneveld on 24 November, the night Hardy has four American airmen of a Fortress crew in the barn with him and Murphy (the date is Hardy's; the names and the place, Harskamp, are Noordman's); it does not say whether they moved on that evening, and it names no barn, so whether he was in the barn rests on Noordman.

The report Bonekat and Willig gave on their return lists their helpers with dates (E&E 2976, Appendix C, pp. 1–2, read on the images). After Van Ee, Roskamp and the man off the Stroe road (above):

• ✓ "DICK" and his men.
  • "DICK" "Provided new civilian clothing, made arrangements for helpers and food. Furnished tobacco, transportation, and contacts." The report describes him as 25, "speaks High Holland Dutch and good English. Wore a British uniform. Was head of underground in area of BARNAVELD".
  • ◐ He is probably Dick Kragt, the British agent at Barneveld whose cover name was "Frans Hals" (Noordman, p. 294) and under whom, with Joop van Amstel, Boeree has the paratroopers gathered, from their base at Broekhuizen's in Kootwijkerbroek (Boeree, p. 199); the report gives no surname.
  • The same help is given for "ROSKAMP, JOHN", "He is 'DICK's' right-hand man"; for "EP", "One of 'DICK's' helpers"; and for Peter van Harn (below), "LOU" and "WILLEM".
• ◐ "LOU", Nijkerk. "6', 160 lbs., 26-27 yrs. old, lean. Looked like GARY COOPER. Spoke English well. Brother had been a Dutch flier who was killed in aerial action." Whether he is Huib de Jongh, the "Lou" of other helpers' forms, is open: see his page.
• ✓ "WILLEM", "known to residents of NIJKERK": "He was principal supplier of meat. Also furnished shaving equipment and books."
• ✓ Barneveld, 7 to 16 December. "OOSTERBROCK, J., WENCOPPERWEG 14, BARNAVELD": "Furnished shelter and [struck-out word] food 7 - 16 Dec 1944."
• ✓ Voorthuizen, 19 December to 9 February. "VANDER MUNT, CORNELIUS, LANGEZUIDERWEG 38, VOORTHUIZEN": "Provided food, shelter, tobacco, haircuts, 19 Dec 1944 - 9 Feb 1945."
• ✓ Nijkerk, 9 February to 17 March. "VAN DER KEMP, WOUTER, SCHOOLSTRAAT, NIJKERK": "Furnished food and shelter 9 Feb - 17 Mar 1945."
• ✓ Appel, 23 March to 18 April. "VEDDER, DIRK, APPEL": "Furnished food and shelter 23 Mar - 18 Apr 1945."

The helpers' own forms, written for the Americans in 1945–46, fill this in. Each is on the helper's file in the US National Archives, RG 498.

To Barneveld, the walk from Voorthuizen.

• ✓ Carl van Haeften's memo of his trips has "15th trip: 8 km. Moore, Mrs. S.H. Willis, Bonekat, Brock Christie, Fuller walking from P. Versteeg, Welgelegenweg 5, Voorthuizen to Oosterbroek, Wencopperweg 14, Voorthuizen" (his memo, p. 28).
  • ◐ "Mrs. S.H. Willis" is probably Willig: his list of names has "Mrs. S.H. Willis (naam vrouw.), 20 Dahl Court, Brooklyn, New York", the address the MACR gives for Willig's wife; "naam vrouw." is Dutch for "wife's name", so Van Haeften marks the entry as a wife's name standing in for the airman, though the memo on p. 28 does not say who she is. The same list gives "16 H.W. Bonekat, 7030 Greenwood Ave., Upper Darby, Pensylvania [sic]", the address of Bonekat's report (p. 31).
• ✓ Jan Oosterbroek of Wencopperweg 14, Barneveld, "Provided shelter for allied personnel for a period of 10 days each": "W.M. Moore", "S. H. Willig" and "H. W. Bonekat", USAAF, and "V. Brock Christie" and "F. E. Fuller", RAF (his file, p. 3, image-checked).
• ◐ G. W. van der Woerd's form of 24 August 1945 has the same five: "W.M.Moore", USA, shot down "Nov 44" at "Milligen", hidden "Dec. 44", received from "P. Versteeg, Stroe" and passed on to "Harskamp", with "S.H.Willis", "Bonekat", Brock Christie and Fuller on the lines below in ditto marks (his file, p. 18; the carbon is faint and was read from enhanced crops).

✓ Writing for David van Beetz on 28 May 1946, Van Haeften confirmed the same walk:

Second transport;Willy M.Moore,S.H.Willis,H.W.Bonekat, W.Brock Christie and Frank E.Fuller this was from P.Versteeg,Welgelegenweg 5 Voorthuizen to Oosterbroek,Wencopperweg 22 Voorthuizen.The distance was about six km and the transport on foot.

Both transports were as far as I remember in Nov.1944.

— C. F. van Haeften · letter for David van Beetz · 28 May 1946 · Van Beetz's file, p. 15

Kootwijkerbroek and Barneveld. Two of these forms give dates (F. W. de Ruyter van Steveninck, Ryk Hendriks); the others give none.

• ✓ Aalt van den Braak of Walhuisweg 10, Kootwijkerbroek, "Provided housing, food and clothing for allied personnel for periods of approximately 2 days", among them "2d Lt. Willig" and "2d Lt. Bonekat, O-777298, USAAF", with Capt. Pare of the Glider Pilot Regiment, 2nd Lt. G. Ferrell and Sgt David Desantis (his summary, p. 4; his table, p. 3; image-checked).
• ✓ E. Baatje of Laageinderweg 12, Kootwijkerbroek, lists "Lt. Sidney H. Willig, Brooklyn U.S.A." and "Lt. Harold W. [Bonekat], Derby Pa. U.S.A.", shot down at "Nw. Millingen", 7 days each, received from "Joop and Dick" (his table, p. 5; his summary, p. 3).
• ✓ F. W. de Ruyter van Steveninck sheltered "2 Am officers" for 10 days in December 1944; his table has two bare names, "Willig" and "Bonekat" (his file, pp. 3 and 5).
• ◐ Ryk Hendriks's table of the men he had from the underground of Kootwijkerbroek has "L.N. Bonekat USA, Radio Kootwyk, 15-3-45, 10 days" and "L.N. Willink USA" alike; the initials are not his (H.W.) and Willink is not Willig's spelling, so the two are probably the airmen (his table, p. 3).

◐ "Joop and Dick", from whom Baatje and Cornelis van de Munt (below) received them, are probably Joop Piller and Dick Kragt, the "Joop van Amstel" and "Frans Hals" under whom, by Boeree's chronicle of Ede, the paratroopers were gathered, from their base at Broekhuizen's in Kootwijkerbroek (Boeree, p. 199); neither form gives a surname.

✓ Peter van Harn, "HENNEY". The Barneveld helper's list of the men he helped includes "H. Bonekat Lt. U.S.A.", with "Fr. Mc. Naught", "J. Ferrel Lt. U.S.A." and "D.D. Snatis Sergt. U.S.A.", and the letter attached says "This man transported many pilots by bicycle" (his list, p. 3). Bonekat's and Willig's report has "VAN HARN, PETER, BARNAVELD", "Organization name was 'HENNEY.'", "Used to be a Dutch mounted policeman", and for his help "Same as for "DICK."" (E&E 2976, Appendix C, p. 2).

Voorthuizen, 19 December to February.

• ◐ Gerritje, "Wid. v.d. Munt" of Langezuiderweg 38, the address Cornelis van de Munt gives on his own form, wrote "I sheltered 3 USA pilots at the above address from 19 Dec 1944 till 10 Febr. 1945" (her form, p. 3, received by mail on 17-5-46). She named among the helpers "Roskam, Stroe, Gem. Barneveld" (same page), and Teunis Roskam of Stroe's own form lists "Wid. Kees van de Munt" of the Lange Zuiderweg, Voorthuizen, "3 airmen-6 weeks." (his form, p. 2); ◐ that Teunis is Willig's Teus Roskamp is not shown (Teus Roskamp).
  • Cornelis's own form of 17 July 1945 gives his next of kin as "Gerritje van Ee" (his p. 3, read on the image), so she was his wife in July 1945 and "Wid." makes her his widow ten months later; no record of his death is held.
  • Her table has "S.H. Willig", "Harold W. Bonekat" and "Wiley M. Moore", USA, shot down "Oct. 44" at Millingen, hidden "19.12.44", 54 days (her table, p. 4).
• ✓ Cornelis van de Munt's own table has "2nd Lt. William Bonekat, bomb. off." with Willig and "Willy Mae Moore T/Sgt. radio", hidden "19 Dec. 44", 50 days, received from "Joop and Dick" (his file, p. 4).

Nijkerkerveen and Appel.

✓ Wouter van de Kemp of Nijkerkerveen, on his form of 14 August 1945:

Second two: Bonnicat and Willig, who were Americans, one was a bomb aimer and the other a navigator. They came in the end of Februari 1945 and stayed untill about 10th April. Were brought by Willem Kuyt and collected by Willem and van de Kemp.

— Wouter van de Kemp · helper's questionnaire · 14 August 1945 · his form, p. 6

The Americans' summary of his file, dated 24 October 1945, types the name "Harold W.Bouchat" (p. 2, read on the image).

✓ Dirk Vedder of Schoenlapperweg, Nijkerk, has "H. Bonekat" and "S.H. Willic", USA, hidden "17.3.45", 30 days, received from "H. Bulthuis, Nijkerk", and "Was liberated on 17 Apr 45." (his table, p. 4).

✓ He "Rejoined Allied Forces, 18 April 1945", "At APPEL, HOLLAND", after 148 days as an evader by the certificate in his file (21 November 1944 to 18 April 1945), and I.S.9 (WEA) "briefly interrogated" him on 19 April 1945; the certificate says security reasons "do not" exist preventing his return to combat duty (E&E 2977, pp. 1, 2, 4 and 7, read on the images). His report refers the interrogation to Willig's: "Same as E&E Report No. 2976" (p. 1). A handwritten note on p. 2 reads "Interview at" a place, "22 Apr '45 #2": ◐ very probably "Trianon", the word written on Willig's certificate too (Sidney Willig).

◐ Four printed pages name a Harold W. Bonekat in Philadelphia after the war. They are matched to him by the full name with its middle initial, the surname and the city, his home address being Upper Darby, Pennsylvania; none of them mentions war service.

• The Wharton School's yearbook Closing Entries for 1950 has "Harold W. Bonekat" in the "Camera shy" list on a page headed "… of Accounts and Finance of 1950" (p. 69; text).
• Steel of 14 September 1953 reports that at "Conoflow Corp., Philadelphia" "Harold W. Bonekat was named purchasing agent" (p. 86; text).
• Purchasing of November 1953: "Harold W. Bonekat has been named Purchasing Agent of Conoflow Corporation, Philadelphia." and "Mr. Bonekat, who joined Conoflow in 1951 as a Buyer, was formerly employed as a Buyer at General Electric's Switchgear Division in Philadelphia." (p. 272; text).
• The Iron Age of 16 April 1959 has "Harold W. Bonekat, Conoflow Corp." on a panel of the Purchasing Agents' Association of Philadelphia, "What Are the Purchasing Problems in a Small Company?" (p. 79; text).

• The target. "Osnabruck, Germany" in the Missing Air Crew Report (image 002); "MERSEBURG, GERMANY" in the appendix to his and Willig's report (E&E 2976, Appendix C, p. 1). The MACR is dated 24 November 1944, the appendix written from what the two men said in April 1945.
• The time it came down. About 1330 in his report (E&E 2977, pp. 3 and 6); 0100 p.m. in the German capture reports and 0245 p.m. in the SS covering letter, as translated in the MACR (MACR 10416, images 008–012).
• ✓ When they were shot down. 21 November 1944 in his report and the MACR, and in the German capture reports of 22 November (MACR 10416, images 009–012), which settle it; "Oct. 44" is on Gerritje v.d. Munt's table alone (her table).
• His length of service. 29 months on p. 3, 27 on p. 6 (E&E 2977, pp. 3 and 6).
• The walk to Oosterbroek's. 8 km in Van Haeften's memo, about six km in his letter of 1946; Wencopperweg 14 in the memo and the report, "22" in the letter; "in Nov.1944" in the letter, "Dec. 44" on Van der Woerd's form, and Oosterbroek's shelter "7 - 16 Dec 1944" in the report (memo; letter; Van der Woerd; E&E 2976, Appendix C, p. 2).
• Nijkerkerveen. 9 February to 17 March 1945 in the report, with Vedder from 23 March; "the end of Februari" to "about 10th April" on Van de Kemp's form; Vedder's own table "17.3.45", 30 days, "liberated on 17 Apr 45", against the report's 18 April (E&E 2976; Van de Kemp; Vedder).
• Kootwijkerbroek in March. Hendriks has "L.N. Bonekat" and "L.N. Willink", probably the two men, from 15 March 1945 for 10 days, which falls across the report's move from Van de Kemp (17 March) to Vedder (23 March) (Hendriks).
• F. W. de Ruyter van Steveninck's ten days. "Sheltered in Dec. 1944 during 10 days 2 Am officers" on his file, where the report has Oosterbroek from 7 to 16 December and "VANDER MUNT" from 19 December (his file, p. 3; E&E 2976, Appendix C, p. 2); the report's dates leave no ten days in December for another house, and his form's two bare names are not dated, so whether it is these two is open.
• Van der Woerd's onward address. "Harskamp" on his form for the five (Moore, Willis, Bonekat, Brock Christie, Fuller), where the report has them go to Oosterbroek's (Van der Woerd; E&E 2976, Appendix C, p. 2).
• The helper's name. "van de Munt" on Cornelis's own form, "VANDER MUNT, CORNELIUS" in the report (E&E 2976, Appendix C, p. 2); this page writes "van de Munt" except inside quotations.
• His name.
  • "Harold Walter Bonekat" on his own report; "Harry Bonekat" only in Noordman, p. 285.
  • "William Bonekat" on Cornelis van de Munt's table, "L.N. Bonekat" on Hendriks's, "Bonnicat" on Van de Kemp's form and "Harold W.Bouchat" on the Americans' summary of it.
  • On Baatje's form the name is overtyped (first read "Bohckae"), and the Americans' summary of it has "Harold W. Onekat" (Baatje, p. 3).
• ⚠︎ The barn. Noordman alone puts him in the barn of 24–25 November with Murphy, quoting Hardy, and the names are Noordman's alone; Hardy names none of the Americans, and his own report names no barn (above). It has Roskamp's "food and shelter 24 Nov 1944" on a farm outside Barneveld, the same night (E&E 2976, Appendix C, p. 1).

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