April 30, 1945 - Adolph Hitler commits suicide.
May 2, 1945 - German troops in Italy surrender.
May 7, 1945 - Unconditional surrender of all German forces to Allies.
May 8, 1945 - V-E (Victory in Europe) Day.
The war is over. But there is no celebrating in the Fredericksen family. On April 4, 1945 Keith is killed in England in what today would be called a friendly fire accident. But it is many months before the dreaded news is confirmed.
At 9:15 a.m. on April 4, 1945 two B-17 bombers of the 8th Air Force, 548th Bomber Squadron, 385th Bomber Group collided over the North Sea off the coast of England. All aboard were killed. Harold Keith Fredericksen, the tail gunner on B-17 38210, was on his 35th and last mission.
24 May 1945 - Letter from E.A. Bradunas, Chief, Notification Branch
…Information has been received indicating that Sergeant Fredericksen was a tail gunner on a B-17 (Flying Fortress) bomber which participated in a combat mission on 4 April 1945. The report reveals that during this mission about 9:15 a.m., over the North Sea, northwest of Leeuwarden, Holland, your son's bomber collided in mid-air with another of our planes. Subsequently from four to six parachutes were observed, however it could not be determined from which bomber they emerged. This aircraft was last seen to fall into the sea. An Air Sea Rescue search was instituted but no other information has been received in this headquarters relative to Sergeant Fredericksen's whereabouts.
In April, July and November of 1945, the War Department wrote to report no additional information.
Beginning May 26th, Harriet begins receiving letters from the families of other crew members.
24 November 1945
THE SECRETARY OF WAR HAS ASKED ME TO EXPRESS HIS DEEP REGRET THAT YOUR SON S/SGT FREDERICKSEN HAROLD K WAS KILLED IN ACTION OVER THE NORTH SEA 04 APRIL 45 HE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING ACTION PERIOD I REGRET THAT UNAVOIDABLE CIRCUMSTANCES MADE NECESSARY THE UNUSUAL LOSS OF TIME IN REPORTING YOUR SONS DEATH TO CONFIRMING LETTER FOLLOWS
26 December 1945 - Letter from Edward F. Witsell, Acting The Adjutant General of the Army
…A report regarding the circumstances of his death now available in the War Department states that your son was the tail gunner on a B-17 bomber which participated in a combat mission on 4 April 1945 over the North Sea, northwest of Leeuwarden, Holland. Your son's bomber collided with another airplane in the formation and crashed in the north Sea.
A picture of the crew of Keith's last flight. Keith was a tagalong on this flight to get his last mission recorded. He is not in the picture.
January 5, 1946 - At the request of the President I write to inform you that the Purple Heart has been awarded posthumously to your son, Staff Sergeant Harold K. Fredericksen, Air Corps, who sacrificed his life in defense of his country.
7 March 1946 - I have the honor to inform you that, by direction of the President, four Oak-leaf Clusters, representing four additional awards of the Air Medal, have been posthumously awarded to your son, Staff Sergeant, then Sergeant, Harold K. Fredericksen, Air Corps….
Grandma Fred also exchanged letters with Keith's original pilot, Lt. Oscar B. Heintz. He offered her some comfort in this particular letter:
Considering what all Grandma Fred kept in her special box, it's a mystery that many of Keith's flight pictures and his medals are missing. We can only surmise who took them as a remembrance and unfortunately have no way to retrieve them now.
We've told this as a family story, but many of Keith's letters contained insights to military life, descriptions of the different places he was stationed, and more details on his training and his friends. Gary holds the two four-inch binders that contain this correspondence and read it all. Thanks so much, Gary, for sharing these details. Maybe another time we will delve into these letters and share again.
Join us tomorrow for the next installment of Harold Keith Fredericksen, the early years and some thoughts from family stories.
Sources:
“Two B-17’s Collide, Uncle Keith Died” by Gary Fredericksen, August 2009.
Family Archives and copies of official records
Harold Keith Fredericksen:
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Part VII
Part VIII
No comments:
Post a Comment