Anceaux, Willem Frederik.

Anceaux, Willem Frederik, born 27-11-1912, in Ridderkerk, Nederland. After being appointed Reserve Lieutenant of the Infantry on 01-01-1933, he reported to the Weapons of Military Aviation more than a year later. He proved to be a diligent student and on 03-05-1935, Anceaux was awarded his military pilot’s license and was transferred to civil aviation. Anceaux married Antje Pieters in Amsterdam in 1939, lived in the Haarlemmermeer and probably found rented accommodation at the time of the mobilization in the Johannes Verhulstlaan 26 building, next to the home of KLM airline pilot Jan Jacobus “Koos” Abspoel, who lived at number 24. Together they – Abspoel as captain and Anceaux as co-pilot – made three mail flights to the Dutch East Indies in 1937 and 1938; previously Anceaux did so as second pilot with Koen Dirk. Parmentier as captain. After the outbreak of the Second World War, Parmentier left for England on 13-05-1940 with the DC-3 Egret (PH-ARZ). There he led the KLM crews who had fled to England with a number of DC-3s and one DC-2 and were deployed by BOAC on the Bristol-Lisbon scheduled service. On 19-04-1943 the DC-3 Ibis (PH-ALI), with captain Parmentier, on its way from Lisbon to Bristol was shot at by six Luftwaffe fighters. Parmentier and his crew managed to escape, they managed to land the damaged plane with uninjured passengers in England. Parmentier died 21-10-1948, age 44, in Tarbolton, Scotland. Johannes Jacobus (Koos) Abspoel was born on 04-12-1907 in The Hague as the son of Cornelis Adrianus Abspoel (1871-1949) and Angenita Cornelia Claea Frerichs (born 1875) He was married on 01-03-1933 to Cornelia Wilhelmina van Os and lived from 1934 to 1949 in Heemstede. Abspoel was known to KLM as an excellent captain, who also earned his spurs in the post-war reform of the Association of Airline Pilots. later called Cityhopper). Abspoel on 20-07-1974, died at the age of 66, in the Academic Hospital in Leiden after an operation, which ended a long and versatile career.

Death and burial ground of Anceaux, Willem Frederik.

Lieutenant Anceaux was the co pilot of Bernard Swagerman  of the last flyworthy Fokker T-V air cruiser/bomber no. 856 on 13-05-1940. The crew had orders to use two mine bombs of 300 kg to try to destroy or severely damage the Moerdijk traffic bridge.  They were escorted in their flight by two G-1 fighter cruisers. The bombing failed because both bombs landed next to the target. On the way back the small bandage was attacked and the T-V and one of the G-1’s were shot down around Ridderkerk. The entire crew of both aircraft was killed. Anceaux, Willem Frederik, from Dordrecht a cousin of Anceaux, age 27, who died 75 years ago in the failed bombing of the Moerdijk bridge.

The T-5 takes direct hits and catches fire. The aircraft crashes into the pilot whales of the Gorzen along the North near Ridderkerk (now Crezéepolder, named after Mr. J.H. Crezée, mayor of Ridderkerk in 1940).Three of the five crew members are killed instantly. Two other crew members (Douwes Dekker and Wijnstra)  manage to jump out of the aircraft. Their clothes are on fire which they try to extinguish in the water. They are machine-gunned by the flying Messerschmitts and still die.

Hauptmann Karl Ebbighausen of the fifth Staffel of the Jagdgeschwader 26 of the German Luftwaffe states in his combat report that he shot down the T-5 and the G-1 at 05.38 and 05.40 A.T. respectively with his Me-109. Ebbighausen himself on 16-08-1940 (age 26) was shot down by RAF fighter and crashed in the Channel 6 miles off Dover, Kent.

Anceaux was honored with the Dutch Flying cross (VK): “Distinguished himself against the enemy by acts of initiative, courage and perseverance during one or more sorties in aircraft, serving on 10 and 13 May 1940 as pilot of the only surviving TV aircraft, protected only by two fighters, under attack to carry out a bombing raid on the Moerdijk bridge by overpowered enemy fighter planes, was killed in the execution of this assignment. “469th Grant Royal Decree No.9, dd. May 6, 1946. Awarded posthumously.”

Anceaux, Willem Frederik is buried at:Dutch Military Field of Honor Grebbeberg. Row: 10. Grave: 33.

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