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But every once in a while, I ask God, why me? Why didn’t I die with the rest of my buddies? Why’d He let me live when every single one of my friends on board died? “Then one day, when I was lying in that bed at Bethesda, I felt as if God told me not to ask Him that any more.”
“I mean, it wasn’t like I heard Him say it out loud or anything. But I knew I’d heard it all the same. And that’s what I did. I stopped asking why and started asking what He wanted me to do with the rest of my life.
“Operation Market Garden” – the Allied assault on The Netherlands. British General Montgomery’s plan was for the Allies to drop paratroopers and supplies at Arnhem while at the same time marching a major force from Belgium in the south. When they met up, they would defeat the Germans, free The Netherlands, then have easy access to Germany through the Dutch border.
it all went horribly wrong. The Germans in Holland were much stronger than they’d expected, and the paratroopers dropped in Arnhem were quickly defeated. Not only was it a serious disappointment for the Allies, it had an extremely demoralizing effect on the people of The Netherlands.
they were assigned to the 390th Bomb Group housed at Framlingham near Ipswich, which was clear across the British Isles.
He had never doubted there was a God. But right there, at that particular moment in time, he wished he’d spent more time with the Lord. Mom had always been the praying one in the family, but he was smart enough to know he couldn’t very well ride her spiritual apron strings into battle.
Danny and his crew took part in the biggest mission the Eighth Air Force had ever flown. Across England, almost a thousand heavy bombers lined up in formation then headed east to Berlin where they would attack the Berlin Tempelhof marshaling yard, one of Germany’s biggest.
Then on April 12, they received word of President Roosevelt’s passing at “The Little White House” in Warm Springs, Georgia. News reports indicated that Roosevelt had complained of a terrific pain in the back of his head then immediately slumped over in a coma. He was carried into his bedroom where he died a short time later at 3:35 p.m.
His attending cardiologist diagnosed his death as a result of a massive cerebral hemorrhage.
“Several heavy bomber groups of the RAF will take part in these missions, primarily the Lancasters. They have dubbed this Operation Manna. As for the Eighth Air Force, the entire 3rd Air Division comprised of ten bomber units will participate. For our part, we have named this mission Operation Chowhound.
“Finally, gentlemen, I would ask you to understand this operation for what it is. The aircraft you fly were built as vehicles of destruction, a means to fight a war against unspeakable atrocities committed on innocent lives. Now you will have the opportunity to use these same vehicles to deliver a message of hope, good-will, and in some cases, life itself.
Tales of the Lancasters, some flying as low as fifty feet from the ground at drop points, spoke of the powerful British planes barely skimming tree tops before dropping their precious loads.
When the weather finally cooperated on May first, four hundred planes from the Eighth Air Force took part in Operation Chowhound,
He’d choked up reading her letter, remembering how often he’d thought of her praying for him. He knew those prayers were the reason he’d survived.
As they approached the coastline of Holland, they were flying no more than 500 feet above the ground as they headed for Vogelenzang, a village in Bloemendaal, in the northwest corner of Holland.
They felt the whoosh of air sweep through the craft as the bomb doors flew open releasing their 600-pound food gift to the Dutch people.
If the Chowhound mission they’d flown to Vogelenzang had been unforgettable, the return to the base had been nothing short of phenomenal. Everywhere, as crews disembarked from their planes, they whooped and hollered and celebrated as if ringing in the new year in Time’s Square back home.
But stranger still came a penetrating wave of silence that drifted across the 390th’s hardstands replacing the boisterous celebrations. One by one, the men fell silent, overcome by emotions too strong to fight. To a man, they wept. Every single one of them.
Then came the bear hugs as the tough airmen acknowledged the unity of their emotions and the incredible symbolism of what they’d done that day.
As the world began to learn what had been going on in the concentration camps, Allied commanders retaliated by requiring townspeople throughout Germany to tour the nearby camps and see for themselves what their silent indifference had allowed for so many years. Many wept and became ill. One mayor and his wife returned from such a tour and hung themselves.
For the history books, Operation Manna / Chowhound was the first mission of its kind flown by military aircraft to drop help instead of destruction on those below.
During the “Hunger Winter” the Dutch in those areas who had subsided on less than 600 calories a day, now had nothing. More than 16,000 men, women, and children died from hunger and the bitter cold.
On April 28, the German officers arrived at the conference. It became quickly apparent that the four men had been sent on a fact-gathering mission with no authority to sign an agreement. They were sent away with terse instructions to return with whatever authority was necessary.
They were also informed that General Eisenhower had ordered the food drops to begin the following day, April 29—with or without their approval. If a single plane was shot upon by the Germans, they were told “Germany will cease to exist.”
Between April 29 and May 8, English Lancasters and Mosquitos, and American B-17s flew almost 6,000 missions, dropping more than 12,000 tons of food and supplies to specific locations in western Holland. Some of these planes flew lower than 300 feet off the ground.
To Bob Penovich, for your tireless dedication to teach the next generation about Operation Chowhound and the many accomplishments of the 390th.
Thank you so much for loaning me your prized copy of Memories of a Miracle: Operation Manna/Chowhound by Hans Onderwater. Wow,
Iris’s husband Robert “Tag” Taggart flew with the 390th, and though Tag died several years ago, Iris has faithfully attended every reunion.
And finally, a special thanks to my dad, Glenn Hale.
Thank you for letting Danny share so many of your experiences. I hope you’re pleased with him.
Onderwater, Hans. Memories of a Miracle: Operation Manna/Chowhound, 29 April – 8 May 1945.Rotterdam: Ad. Donker, 1995.
Van der Rol, Rund, and Verhoeven, Rian. Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary. New York: The Penguin Group, 1993.
Wycoff, Johanna. Dancing in Bomb Shelters: My Diary of Holland in World War II. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, 2010.
Barris, Ted.(May 2005). Manna From Heaven. Legion Magazine. Retrieved from: http://www.legionmagazine.com/en/index.php/2005/05/manna-from-heaven/
Operation Chowhound/Manna: 8th Air Force B-17 Food Drop over Holland, April-May 1945. [Video file]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4utm_gB_zs0
Operation Manna – 65 Years of Canadian-Dutch Friendship [Video file]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHFWJ9GkNqE&feature=related
Chowhound Food Drops. Retrieved from: http://operationmanna.secondworldwar.nl/
