Turning What You Love into What You Do
By Patrick J. O’Connor
Bruce Schneider from Solon has been enjoying an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience recently. The experience gives him a firsthand look at turning what he loves into what he does.
He’s been an avid aviation fan all his life, including serving in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. He also has considerable memorabilia from his late Uncle George who piloted a B-24 bomber during WWII and was shot down over Belgium.
Bruce randomly learned that a small town in Belgium was hosting a celebration and dedication to the airmen, including his uncle, who were part of the liberation of Europe 80 years ago. The connection led to an invitation to attend a ceremony to honor Americans who helped in that liberation which the Belgium people hold so dear.
This two-part segment chronicles the mission Bruce’s uncle and crew flew (Part I) and the ceremony (Part II) honoring it.
The Mission – Part I
WWII was raging when Captain George L. Baatz flew on D-Day, bombing missions as a pilot in the Mighty 8th Air Corps. A few weeks later, the 24-year-old captain, his crew and the B- 24 H bomber (The Liberator) were shot down over Belgium (joining 26,000 air corps casualties).
One of the 10 crew members survived the crash. As the plane separated, tail gunner Gordon Adee parachuted into an orchard on the Van Hyfte farm. A young girl spotted him and alerted her parents. They tended to the wounded airman until the Nazis located him and spirited him off to a war camp (as one of 28,000 Air Corps prisoners). He endured a year in the camp and returned to the U.S. after imprisonment. Airman Adee passed away in 2003.
The Pilot and his Plane
Bruce never met his uncle George but felt like he had, since he heard many stories about him. He knew George had piloted a bomber that went down after D-Day. Bruce’s parents and grandparents shared many stories, and he had memorabilia related to him. Numerous photographs, medals and other war memorabilia contributed to his understanding of his uncle and his war experience.
George Baatz Jr. was born on March 20, 1920 in Cleveland, graduating from Collinwood High School. He entered the service in February 1942, reaching the rank of captain before being killed in action on June 24, 1944.
His flight logbook indicated this mission (his 27th) was to bomb a power plant in France. After the mission, the airmen were returning to England when they were shot down. George flew in the 453rd Bomb Group of Squadron 732 of the Mighty 8th Air Force, known for their unparalleled valor. Over the course of the war, the Eighth Air Force became the largest air armada in the world earning 17 Medals of Honor, 220 Distinguished Service Crosses, and more than 420,000 Air Medals. Additional information on the Mighty Eight can be found on the following website, mightyeight.org.
Captain Baatz flew a plane originally nicknamed Galloping Gertie, after his sister. He later changed the name to Vampin’ Vera, after his fiancée. On the fatal mission, Captain Baatz and crew led the squadron formation in a new plane, to be named Vampin Vera II, while Vampin Vera I flew with another crew in a secondary position.
Random Connection
Bruce found a group of military enthusiasts on the internet last November. He contacted them and learned they were interested in a plane crash in Belgium from 1944. Bruce’s uncle George was the pilot of the plane. Everything seemed to domino from there.
Soon, Bruce was talking with people in the U.S. and from Coxsyde, Belgium who were planning a memorial to the plane crash and the airmen who flew the B-24H. It turns out the people in this village have revered this event for many years, as they saw it as part of their liberation from the Nazis. Since the 80th anniversary of D-Day was coming up in June 2024, they decided to host a celebration and dedicate a plaque to the event and the crew. Bruce was invited to join them. Some events happen once in a lifetime and Bruce saw this as one of them. He started making plans for a trip to Belgium.
Memorial and Remembrance Ceremony
Bruce’s visit to Belgium would include stops at the crash site, visits to various cemeteries and the town where his uncle and the crew were originally buried. He was also excited to meet and learn from many of the people in Coxyde who were so invested in the crash, the crew and his uncle. He would meet with Marc Demolder, a professor and military historian. Marc and his dad (who saw the crash) co-authored a book about the event. The anticipation built as the trip progressed.
The Ceremony
Bruce left for Belgium on June 18 for a 12-day excursion. The ceremony was planned for June 23. Part II will provide details of the event and the people who celebrated it.
Photos courtesy of Bruce Schneider
