ARTHUR BROWN.
Interrogation 1945.
                                                    E & E REPORT No. I.S.9 (WEA) /6/750/2654                                   SECRET


(Applies to all BRITISH, CANADIAN, US and ALLIED PERSONNEL)
EVADED CAPTURE (Name of Country) In Holland

No: 35343610 Rank: Sgt  Name: BROWN, Arthur F.
No. of missions: 5th Mission.
Sqn: 570th Bomb Sqn, 390th Bomb Gp.
Job: Waist Gunner.
Date of birth: 2 October 1921.  Length of Service"2 yrs, 2 mos.
Peace time occupation: Auto Mechanic.
Private Address: Route No. 1, Wapakoneta, Ohio.
Post in crew: Right Waist Gunner.
PILOT: 2nd Lt. M.CRIBB, probably killed.
Co-PILOT: 2nd Lt. John BLICKENSDERFER, probably killed.
NAVIGATOR: 2nd Lt. J. OUDMAN, probably PW.
BOMBARDIER: 2nd Lt. Lester P. GLAZER, probably killed.
RADIO OPERATOR: S/Sgt. R. COFFEY, unknown.
TOP TURRET GUNNER: S/Sgt. Eugene GRIFFITH, Probably killed.
BALL TURRET GUNNER: S/Sgt. STANFORD, killed.
WAIST GUNNER (R): Narrator.
WAIST GUNNER (L): Sgt. H. GROVE, PW.
TAIL GUNNER: Sgt. C. BROWN, possibly safe in HOLLAND.
Type of aircraft: B-17, from FRAMINGHAM, on 7July 1994, at approximately 06:45.
Where did you come down? 1 mi north of HOORN, at 08:00 on 7 July 1944.
How did you dispose of your parachute: Hid them about 1 mi away under brush.
Secret papers and equipment destroyed? Probably not.
Had been briefed, had purse, aids box and photos. Used them all.


7 July: CRASH IN MID-AIR.
Our ship was hit by another B-17 while we were starting evasive action over HOLLAND on the way to our IP on 7 July, 1944. The other ship came down on us once, bounced off and then came back with a crash which cut off the tail section of our ship. There were no fighters around, and no flak. We were at about 25.000 ft attitude at the time.

BAILS OUT OVER HOLLAND.
The pilot, co-pilot and top turret gunner were probably killed at the time of the crash. Those of us in the tail had a chance to bail out. I saw 5 other chutes in the air as I came down and was told later by the Dutch that the navigator and bombardier came down safely at BERGEN, southwest of HOORN, but were caught by the Germans later on. The other waist gunner also came down OK but was picked up at once by the Nazi's. Our ship broke just where the ball turret is attached and I think the gunner there, Sgt. GRIFFITH, must have been killed instantly. Part of the plane fell in the town of HOORN. The rest, and the other plane, fell into the ZUIDERZEE, I was told.

HIDES IN AN ORCHARD.
I landed 1 Mile from HOORN, on the side of a road near a German training camp. I collapsed my chute and ran into some bushes. A Jerry came down the road looking for me but did not see me. I could see Sgt. GROVE's chute coming down in a field nearby and some Dutch and Germans waiting for him. After a while I went on for 200 yards or so, crossed a canal into an orchard and hid there in some carrots growing under the trees. I stayed there until after dark that night, trying to figure out where I was and eating some of the escape stuff in the kit.

8 July: WALKED EAST.
I knew I was near the ZUIDERZEE but did not know which side of it I was on. I wanted to get out of the coastal defence zone so thought I had better walk east. I started off and after a while came to a railroad (from MEDEMBLIK to HOORN). There was a lot of traffic on the roads, so I found another orchard and his there again until after dark next day. I began ti think it was too hard to walk across country in HOLLAND as there are so many canals, so I decided to follow the railroad tracks south. My general idea was to get to BELGIUM and FRANCE as we had been briefed not to trust the Dutch underground and had been told that may Dutch civilians were hostile.

9 July: HIDES IN FREIGHT TRAIN.
This time I got to within a mile of HOORN, where I hit another railroad. I still thought I was on the west side of the ZUIDERZEE, so I turned east again. For the third day I slept in an orchard. I was getting pretty hungry and began to realize it would take a long time to get to FRANCE at this rate. As it was getting light the next morning I reached some freight cars on a siding. They were marked LEIPZIG. I figured I could jump one and get a ride to the frontier and then get off. The doors were open and I climbed in without trouble.

WALKS ON AFTER SCARE.
About 10:00 hrs the train started. We stopped in the next town, HOOGKARSPEL, near some docks on the canal and loaded some potatoes. I stayed there until 18:00 hrs, when the car I was in (which had not been loaded) was uncoupled. So I moved to the other part of the train. I got in a sort of uncovered cattle car, I took the label which told where the car was going, but I did not the name of the town. I had begun to think the train was going to GERMANY and was not sure I wanted to stay on it. I had just taken the hacksaw out of my aid box and was peeling some potatoes with it when a man opened the door and looked in. He spoke to me. I held up my finger and said "Shhh!" He looked startled and went away at once. The train pulled out shortly after, taking me back where I had been that morning. The next time it slowed down I jumped out.

10 July: GETS BEARING.
I hid in some reeds by the track until it was dark, then went towards ENKHUIZEN. My escape map was not much good for this district and I still did not know where I was. For the first time I saw the sea early next morning and realized I must be west of the ZUIDERZEE. I hid again all that day, then walked on after dark. Two men on cycles came by and saw me. I ducked into the bushes and thy went away after a few minutes. I stayed there all that day, but started on again towards HOORN next evening, hoping to get from there to AMSTERDAM, where I could help. There were a lot of foxholes along the road and a lot of traffic. I walked until 04:00 hrs, then hid in a haystack, where I slept all day.

12 July: FINALLY GETS HELP.
I decided I had better move on. I sneaked down the road for a mile or so, crossed it and hid in another haystack, where I slept again the next day. About 08:30 some children who were playing there found me. One ran off yelling and brought back an older man. I had gotten out of the stack to hide in the field but the man spotted me. I motioned to his house and walked over to it. He let me go in but looked scared. I made them shut the door, took out my phrase card, and told them I needed help. The farmer (
Commandeur) said "Ja, Chicago piano" when I told him I was an aviator. He went and got a girl who was staying in the house. She spoke some English and was able to arrange for me to get in contact with the Dutch underground, through which I finally returned to our lines on 5 January 1945.


Steffie Tikotin.
One of the persons hiding in the Commandeur farm, was Jewish girl Steffi Tikotin. She was just as old as the farmer's childeren and had become one of the family. Steffi had fled to Holland from Dresden (Germany) with her father and mother after the Kristalnacht 9 November 1938. In 1942 they were in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam (on the premises of the Fokker aircraft factory in Amsterdam-north). It became clear deportation to 'work camps' was eminent. Steffi's father asked her to take off her yellow Jew star and travel by tram (forbidden for Jews) to resistance people who could help her further. This was the last time see saw her parents. First Steffi stayed a year in the attic of a house in Berkhout near Hoorn, but a razzia was planned and a policeman tipped them to leave. Her next stay was on the Commandeur farm. Post war Steffi married, name Steffi Robertson-Tikotin.
APPENDIX "B" TO E & E REPORT No. IS9WEA/1/268/2347

No. 3534610  Rank Sjt.   Name BROWN A.F.

HOLLAND 1:100.000 Sheets 4 and 5.

1. Evacuation of troops being carried out North at night by ferry boats:

WERKENDAM (Sheet 4  0461)
HARDINXVELD (Sheet 4  0362
SLEEUWIJK (Sheet 4  0762)
GORINCHEM (Sheet 4  0962)
BARKEL (Sheet 4  1761)
HERWIJNEN (Sheet 5  0261)


One division has already been evacuated from the BIESBOSCH area - 721 Div that had been brought up from the Balkans is trickling out. (Reliable Underground source)

2. AA guns and machine guns protect these ferry boats. (Personal observation)

3. 3 heavy guns camouflaged in a barn near the only bridge in the area (9757 - 9759 Sheet 4). Together with these
    guns are 4 AA guns and a few machine guns. (Reliable Underground source)

4. DUSSEN (Sheet 4  0951) and MUILKERK (Sheet 4  0753) were given orders on 4 Jan 45 to evacuate within one hour.
   (Reliable Underground source)



APPENDIX "C" TO E & E REPORT No. IS9WEA/1/268/2347

Map used: HOLLAND  1:100.000  Sheet 2A

The following are the names of helpers and members of the Underground who gave me assistance:

D. KINEBRA, farmer, address MIDDENMEER. (Sheet 2A  1571). I lived there on and off for one month.

Mr. NIEUHOUSER, farmer, address MIDDENMEER. I lived there 3 weeks.

Mr. SCHANKE, farmer, address MIDDENMEER. I lived there 1 week.

Mr. DIELEMAN, farmer, address MIDDENMEER. I lived there 1 week.

Mr. WIM, head of Underground, lives at ALKMAAR (Sheet 2A  9752) I stayed there for 2 months.

P. KOENING, farmer, address ALKMAAR. I stayed there 3 weeks.

P.G. VAN RIJN, DRIEBOOMLAAN 318, HOORN, took me to Amsterdam.
De 'North Star', dit is het tweede toestel dat op 7 Juli 1944 bij Hoorn neerstortte, de piloot was 1e Lt. L.J. Gregor.
Het staartstuk kwam met staartschutter terecht op een woning, Westersingel 6, Hoorn.
Pilot: 1st Lt. Lawrence J. Gregor, killed.
Co-Pilot: 1st Lt. James R. Wicker, POW
Navigator: 1st Lt. Harold F. Raab, killed.
Bombardier: 1st Lt. William J, Martin, killed.
Engineer: T/Sgt. Harlan B. Scholl, killed
Radio Officer: T/Sgt. Marion D. Wolfe, killed.
Left Waist Gunner: S/Sgt. Clayton M. Croft, killed
Richt Waist Gunner: S/Sgt. Clyde O. Matlock, POW
Turret Gunner: S/Sgt. Harry F. Sheman, killed.
Tail GUNNER John Di Trapani, killed.

Source: https://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/159.html
Reconstructie 1948

Siegfried Tikotin.
Geboren 25-07-1892 te Glogau, Duitsland.
Overleden 01-10-1944, Auschwitz.
Beroep: Koopman.
Vader: Julius Tikotin, geboren 01-02-1862, overleden 00-02-1923.
Moeder: Minna Pelz, geboren 22-01-1862 te Krotoschin, overleden 31-07-1940 Amsterdam.
Echtgenote: Dorothea Pauline Hermann, geboren 13-04-1900 Berlijn, overleden 28-02-1945, dodenmars.
Gehuwd 08-03-1920 Berlijn.

Adressen.
Bussum
28-08-1942, R. de …. 120HS, Amsterdam
30-12-1942, Westerbork Kamp.

Dochter: Stephanie Tikotin, 1924
Dochter Helene Tikotin, 1938
With the resistance.
Brown left the Commandeur farm in Venhuizen  at some point. He was brought by courier Ms. Kokkie Wittebrood to Alkmaar and was for two months with 'Mr. Wim', leader of the resistance in Alkmaar. Also he was in hiding with Mr. Piet Koning, farmer near Alkmaar (Stomptoren, later executed). Gradually Arthur became a member of the resistance. They were active in the wide area and often the armed groups stayed overnight in a remote safehouse or farm. Arthur Brown gave weapon-instruction lessons and also participated in the weapon droppings. Guns were dropped in containers by the British RAF at night on fields that lay at least 6 miles from German control posts.


Crossing the front line.
Mid December 1944 Brown requested to try to reach Allied lines in the South of Holland. This was granted. He was December 25 1944 in Medemblik . Mr. P.C. van Rijn with address Drieboomlaan 318 in Hoorn took Brown to Amsterdam. From there, with false papers, he was escorted in a train journey south to probably Rotterdam. Moving from safehouse to safehouse he reached Hardinxveld and became a 'Biesbos-crosser'. Via Werkendam and Dussen/Muilkerk on 4 January 1945 he crossed the frontline river and reached Allied held territory at Sprang-Kapelle on 5 January 1945. A week later, Brown was returned to England.    


Source: https://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/158.html
Arthur Brown met hond.
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