Texel Island, The Netherlands
Texel Lancaster Dike World War II Memorial
Plaque to S/Sgt. Eugene F. Darter, Lt. Fred A. Delbern, and Lt. Don Neff
Dedicated May 7, 2007
Photo by Naomi Singh
On December 16, 1943, the crew of the Lonesome Polecat II became casualties of war on their very first mission together as a crew, returning from a dangerous mission to Bremen, Germany. Texel Island, the largest of the Frisian Islands on the coast of The Netherlands, is due west of Bremen and was directly on the route back to base in Horham. Three of the crew perished just off Texel Island. The brother of one of these men, upon discovering where his brother died, added a small plaque sixty-four years later to the existing Texel Island World War II Memorial to honor him and the other two crewmen who were lost that day on Texel.
Bremen, an important German port on the North Sea, had shipbuilding facilities as well as a concentration of submarine pens, marking it as a significant target for the Allies. Consequently, it was well defended by perhaps the largest flak batteries in the Third Reich. Lonesome Polecat II was hit hard during the bomb run, dropping out of formation but managing to drop its bombs. Limping away from Bremen, the damaged aircraft continued on course but fell behind and below the bomber stream.
German fighters soon saw the damaged plane and moved in for the kill. A savage attack further damaged the aircraft and severely wounded many of the crew, including a fatal wound to the co- pilot, Lt. Don P. Neff. The gunners of Lonesome Polecat II took down several of the 12-15 German planes before some P-51 fighters found the embattled plane and drove away the remaining German fighters. It was clear, however, that Lonesome Polecat II was in serious trouble, so the pilot/aircraft commander Lt. Fred A. Delbern ordered a bailout. Since the communication lines were cut, only three of the crew closest to the cockpit got the message and bailed out, landing in Germany and becoming POWs.
After a time, Delbern realized the communication lines were out and came out of the cockpit to assess the condition of his aircraft. He discovered five men still aboard, one of them—radio operator/gunner Eugene F. Darter—severely injured. He ordered another immediate bailout. Darter was assisted out first with his parachute opening, but as observed by a 17 year old Dutch boy, he landed in the Wadden Sea just off the Texel coast (between the Dutch coast and Texel Island). His injuries prevented his disengaging from his parachute and a strong storm pulled him out to sea until he vanished. The other four gunners fortunately landed across Texel Island, also becoming POWs. Lt. Delbern, badly injured and trying mightily to fly the stricken plane alone, bravely tried to ditch close to Texel Island’s beach but hit the North Sea water hard and never got out of the Lonesome Polecat II as it sunk into the sea.
The story of the demise of Lonesome Polecat II and the fate of its brand-new crew starkly illustrates the many dangers the men of the 95 th Bomb Group (H) faced daily on their missions. Despite the crew’s horrific experience, a crew member, S/Sgt. Charles J. Schreiner, recalled their response:
“When the showdown came, we gave our best. . . . Our ten men fought splendidly as a team and I am proud to say I had the privilege to fight side-by-side with such swell guys. Under desperate combat conditions you find exactly what men are made of—and that is why I feel as strongly as I do about my crewmates.”