John White
by John White, Jr.
John White was born February 21, 1924 in Waltham, Massachusetts. He grew up in the Boston area and enlisted in the Army Air Force on October 28, 1942. After attending Aerial Gunnery School and Army Air Force Technical School he was sent to Europe for World War II. In July 1943 he was stationed at Horham Air Force Base in England as part of the Eighth Air Force, 95th Bomb Group. At that time the Eighth Air Force was part of the Pointblank Directive. Operation Pointblank was the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive intended to cripple or destroy the German Aircraft fighter strength, thus drawing it away from frontline operations and ensuring it would not be an obstacle to the invasion of Northwest Europe on D-Day.
The Schweinfurt ball-bearing factory and the Messerschmitt factory in Regensburg Germany were designated as very high priority German targets. August 17, 1943 would see John White on one of the 367 B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers that left England for Germany as part of one of the most legendary air battles during WWII. This was the greatest air armada the world had ever seen.
Unfortunately, weather delays that day threw off some of the planned fighter support, leaving the rear boxes in the formation sitting ducks for the German fighters. John White’s position on the B-17, Our Bay-Bee, was the ball turret. This is the half dome on the bottom of the plane which contained 2 each 50 caliber machine guns.
The following was taken from John White’s Escape and Evasion Report:
“We left Horham at 0745 hours to bomb Regensburg, Germany. After making landfall over Belgium we were attacked by enemy fighters and one coming in low at 7:00 o’clock set our number two engine on fire. After that, I counted 4 ME 109E’s attacking and the tail gunner reported three JU 88’s. Our number four engine caught fire and the ball turret was covered with oil. One of them had come in low at 5:00 o’clock and when 600 yards off, I gave it a long burst and saw it go down burning. “
“The pilot gave an order to bail out but rescinded it before anyone jumped. As the fire from the engines spread the pilot called several times over the inter-phone for everyone to bail out. One of the waist gunner’s chutes had popped open and as I came out of the turret, he gathered it in his arms and jumped. There was no one else in the waist when I went to the door and fell out at 15,000 feet, delaying my chute to 10,000 feet. After my chute opened, I saw eight chutes, one was ripped and going down fast.”
“I landed at the edge of a wooded area. My chute was caught in the branches of a tree but I managed to drag it down and bury it. Just as I finished I heard people approaching on bicycles and I lay down in the weeds until they passed. A few minutes after this, a group of children saw me. Several of them spoke broken English. After showing them where I had hidden the chute, they told me two of my comrades were nearby. I joined the copilot and engineer who were having a conversation with a man who spoke English. The copilot was very badly burned around his eyes, wrist and neck.”
“The English-speaking man told us to swim to the other side of the canal because the weeds and brush were thicker, and hide there until he returned. Since I can’t swim I was to stay where I was. By accident, my escape kit and purse were tied to the copilot’s flight jacket and I did not see the engineer and co-pilot again. Our friend had left us saying he would return after dark. I tried to hide along the edge of the canal but was discovered by two Belgians who advised me to give myself up. One of them spoke some English and after an argument I persuaded them to row me across the canal and leave me. I tried to hide but too many people stayed around watching me. Finally two girls brought civilian clothes. There were two boys with them who had brought an extra bicycle. After putting on the clothes I rode off with them. One of the girls gave me Belgian money.”
“After we had cycled for a short distance one of the boys left us and I followed the other one to Turnhout where we went to a house and my journey was arranged”.
For the next 20 days, John White is traveling to various safe houses and getting forged documents prepared by the French resistance. He travels through German occupied France over the Pyrenees Mountains to Spain and freedom. All ten crew members of the Our Bay-Bee survived the war. John White, Hank Sarnow, and Martin Minnich were able to avoid capture through the efforts of the Belgium Comete Escape line. The other seven crew members were captured around Mol, Belgium by the Germans and spent the remainder of the war as prisoners of war.
In 1948, John White married Irene Jenkins in San Antonio Tx. He continued to serve in the Air Force and went on to serve as a military police officer. In 1955 he was stationed in Amarillo Texas where his daughter Paula Jo White was born. In 1959 while stationed in Châteauroux, France his son John William White was born. On November 1, 1962, Master Sergeant John White retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service. He lived the rest of his life around San Antonio and Austin. He passed away on October 11, 1999 at the age of 75 and is interned at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio TX.
Our Bay-Bee 75th Anniversary Memorial Service
August 17, 2018 Mol, Belgium
Click here to see the local newscast of the August 2018 commemoration.
Paul Vos, Family member of Marcel Coppin who helped crew member John White cross the ‘Congochanel’ in his fishing boat.
Rene Joris, son of Emil Joris who was the 15 year old boy who helped Sarnow and Minnich hide in the reeds of the Congo canal while the Germans searched the area. He lived in the farm near Lock 6. Sarnow gave a dog tag to him, to write home
Gisela Burkert daughter of Luftwaffe pilot Eric Burkert credited with shooting down the Our Bay-Bee. He died a half year later above Normandy, when he was shot down.
Willy Geboers, VVG-Ensign
Louise de Swart, wife of Dutch researcher Co de Swart
5.5. Jan Sannen VVG-Ensign He is hidden behind LouisBetty Binnebose, daughter of S/Sgt William Binnebose, gunner on the Our Bay-Bee, POW
Mireille Bousmanne daughter of Robert Bousmanne. When John White hit the trees near the Congocreek, Bousmanne and Coppin jumped in their boat to search for the crew. They saw John White and helped him. They also took him in their boat to the other side from the Congocreek.
William Binnebose, son of S/Sgt William Binnebose, gunner on the Our Bay-Bee, POW
Roger de Taevernier, son of Alfons de Taevernier, John White spent his first night of escape at his house in Turnhout. He worked at Shell in Brussels. He took John White to Brussels in his company car. (Alfons died in Dachau after 'Gerardine' betrayed the resistance).
Jane Binnebose, wife of Bill Jr., AFEES secretary
Frans Heurckmans VVG- ensign.
John White, son of S/Sgt John White, Our Bay-Bee ball turret gunner, E&E #95
Michelle White, wife of John Jr.
Francois Knaeps VVG- ensign
Wim Govers, Belgian Historian, Creator of the Our Bay-Bee memorial, VVG member and editor
Jacqeus Straks, VVG – Ensign
Derek Minnich, grandson of 2nd Lt. Martin Minnich, Our Bay-Bee Crew, E&E# 229
Doug Minnich, son of 2nd Lt. Martin Minnich, Our Bay-Bee Crew, E&E# 229
Dries Majewski VVG Mol mbr., guide, editor
Francois Van Baelen, VVG Vice President, spokesman, and chief editor.
Emmalee Greiner, granddaughter of 2nd Lt. Martin Minnich, Our Bay-Bee Crew, E&E# 229
Gil Geerings, VVG historian
Angelique Fruyhoff, daughter of Gus Fruyhoff who gave shelter to Sarnow and Minnich. He helped them to go to the 'Verbruggens place' at 'het Rondplein'. He was an important part in the Mol-Turnhout resistance group.
Anne Greiner, daughter of 2nd Lt. Martin Minnich, Our Bay-Bee Crew, E&E# 229
Josee Van Hoof Mol Resistance
Staf Bosch (SCK*CEN domain controller), they own the property where the Our Bay-Bee crashed
Eric Vandewalle (General Director SCK*CEN)
Hildebert Deckx, Mol Resistance, His father was Ward Deckx, the Ford-dealer. He gave shelter to Sarnow and Minnich for a day or 6 in his garage in Voogdijstraat 8. In the garage on the ground floor, under the private house, German vehicles were parked every day He also was taken political prisoner, but survived the concentration camps (only 4 from the 30 resistance men from the Mol-Turnhout group survived the camps). Son of Eduard Decks, He hid Sarnow and Minnich.
Lana Geerings, Gil's daughter
Julienne Joris, daughter of helper Emile Joris
Alice Coppin, daughter of Marcel Coppin who helped John White cross the ‘Congochanel’ in his fishing boat.
Co de Swart, Dutch Researcher Airwar WWII ETO, researched the career of Eric Burkert which led to the Our Bay-Bee family
Brigitte d’Oultremont, Comet Line Remembrance board member
Christine Huysmans - Vaes family member
Jozef Vaes Mol Resistance.
Vaes family