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Answers Newspaper Ad For RAF
Work was very scarce as Mr. MacLean graduated from university in the spring of 1939. He recalls answering a newspaper advertisement that eventually took him into the Second World War.
Parents React To Overseas Posting
Basic training and a period as a pilot instructor in Canada behind him, Mr. MacLean recalls the reaction of his parents when he told them he had been posted overseas.
Bomber Raid Into Germany
Now a pilot with Bomber Command, Mr. MacLean has made six or seven bombing raids behind enemy lines, including one that sent a thousand planes to bomb Cologne in south Germany. Within a week of completing that mission, he is told that a smaller group of bombers would be sent to Essen. It would result in a dramatic chain of events for this young Canadian pilot.
Bailing Out Over Holland
Mr. MacLean continues his account of the bombing run to Essen, Germany that resulted in his plane being hit. He orders his men to bail out while he takes the plane several miles beyond their location and parachutes himself. It’s the beginning of his long and life-threatening journey back to England.
Injured in the Landing
Mr. MacLean, preceded by his crew, is the last to jump from his crippled plane. He lands in a field, some miles from where his crew would have come down. It was not an easy landing.
Discovered!
Mr. MacLean has slept most of the day, hidden in bushes at the edge of the field where he landed when he bailed out of his plane over occupied Holland. He awakes to see two young girls approaching.
Help from the Dutch
Mr. MacLean sleeps overnight under a blanket of grass in a nearby Dutch orchard. Morning comes.
A Close Call With the Germans
Now in civilian clothes, thanks to the efforts of friendly Dutch people who continue to risk their lives to help him, Mr. MacLean begins walking toward a bridge over a near-by river. Again, an unexpected development delivers him from certain discovery and capture by the Germans.
A Tribute to His Helpers in Holland
From the beginning of his journey through Holland, many Dutch citizens provided great assistance to Mr. MacLean, and others in similar situations. They did so at the risk of being caught by occupying German forces and being executed. He pays tribute to their courage and kindness.
In Hiding on a Dutch River Houseboat
His efforts to remain hidden from the occupying Germans in Holland is helped along through a chance meeting with an elderly woman, a member of a family who lives on a river houseboat.
The Journey to Freedom Continues
Mr. MacLean continues his account of his escape from Holland and on into Belgium.
First Contact in Belgium
Mr. MacLean is being taken by a young Belgian man named Mondo to the home of a couple in Brussels who were to help him to his next escape route destination.
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