Station Y-44, Beek, The Netherlands

Station Y-44
Beek
The Netherlands
+50° 55' 0" North Latitude, - 5° 46' 10" East Longtitude

387th Bombardment Group (Medium)

The 387th Bombardment Group was stationed at Beek, Holland from 29 April 1944 until 24 May 1945.

Station Y-44 (Yankee-44) was located in the southern tip of the Netherlands, a few miles NNE of Maastricht, with Belgium to the west and south and Germany to the east. The field is at 50 degrees 55.0 minutes north latitude, 005 degrees 46.6 minutes east longtitude.

The airfield was constructed in the fall of 1944 by the 9th Engineering Command and consisted of a single pierced steel planking (PSP) runway and a hangar area for maintenance tasks. From between mid-October 1944 to the end of June 1945 it was home to several Ninth Air Force units that seldom stayed for more than a few weeks. These included the 125th Liaison Squadron (L-5), the 31st Tactical Reconaissance Squadron (F-6), the 39th Photographic Reconaissance Squadron (F-5), the 155th Photo Reconaissance Squadron (F-3A variants of the A-20 Havoc) and the 387th Bomb Group (B-26 Marauders).

The aerial photograph of Y-44 at left was taken on April 10, 1945, by an F6 flying at an altitude between 6000 and 8000 feet.

Most of the missions flown from Y-44 were reconnaissance missions. The 387th Bombardment Group (M) arrived from its previous base in Clastres, France, on May 4, 1945, but Germany was collapsing so quickly the Group didn't fly a single bombardment mission from this station.

Y-44 was the furthest destination of PLUTO, the Pipe Line Under The Ocean. PLUTO came ashore at Antwerp, Belgium and ran to Y-44.

TODAY (2000)

Y-44 has evolved into the present Maastricht-Aachen Airport. The main runway is located on the same location as the original steel-matted runway.

Hello,

                     On 6 January 2001 last, I posted a message on the bulletinboard with a request for photos of
                     Marauderplanes and men of the 387th Bombardtment Group taken in the spring of 1945 at the airstrip
                     Y-44 Beek The netherlands.

It has resulted in an emailmessage from a certain Mrs. Theresa B. Redmond who told me there is a book
of the 559th BS Association with a history and some pictures in it taken at Beek, The Netherlands.

By this I would like to thank Mrs Redmond for her kindly help!!

                     Greettings,
                     Peter Evrard
                     Stationsstraat 6B
                     6181 AJ Elsloo
                     The Netherlands
                     peter.everard@hetnet.nl

                     Peter Everard <peter.everard@hetnet.nl>
                     - Saturday, February 17, 2001 at 08:07:28 (CST)
Hello everybody of the veterans of the 387th Bomb Group,
                     To all of you a Happy new Year!!

                     I am still looking for photos taken from men and marauders of the 387th Bomb Group in the period
                     when they were stationed at the steelmatted runway of airstrip Y-44, Beek The Netherlands during the
                     period of April-May 1945.

Wh of the veterans of the 387th BG can help me with this??

Thanks in advance.

                     Peter Everard
                     Stationsstraat 6B
                     6181 AJ Elsloo
                     The Netherlands
                     peter.everard@hetnet.nl

Peter Everard <peter.everard@hetnet.nl>
- Saturday, January 06, 2001 at 07:36:07 (CST)
Hello Veterans of the 387th,

Thank you very much for your kind help for my request of 8 August last to give information about the
serialnumbers, squadronallocations of the Marauders of the 387th Bomb Group!!

                     I now want to request you for photographs taken from marauders and men of the 387th at airstrip Y-44
                     Beek, Holland during the period April-May 1945!!
                     Because I am very interested in the history of our airfield Maastricht Aachen airport.
                     Maastricht Aachen Airport is located on the same location as was the steelmatted runway Y-44 for more
                     than 50 years ago!!

                     Petr Everard
                     Stationsstraat 6B
                     6181 AJ Elsloo
                     The Netherlands
                     peter.everard@hetnet.nl

                     Peter Everard <peter.everard@hetnet.nl>
                     - Saturday, August 19, 2000 at 17:32:36 (CDT)
Hello,
                     With this message I would like to thank Two veterans of the 387th bomb Group William V. McBride and Jules A. Levy for sending information to me!

Because I don not have their e-mailadresses, I will thank them for their kindly help via this Guestbook!!

                     Peter Everard
                     Stationsstraat 6B
                     6181 AJ Elsloo
                     The Netherlands
                     peter.everard@hetnet.nl
                     Peter Everard <peter.everard@hetnet.nl>
                     - Sunday, June 25, 2000 at 10:28:37 (US/Central)

Hello,

                     I got an answer of Bob Sheidow who served with the 387th Bomb Group. I would like to thank him for his
                     message to me.
                     I tried to send him an email, but I guess the emailadress Bettywac@earthlink is wrong, because the
                     Postmaster of my provider send the mail back with the anouncement NON DELIVERABLE.

With best regards,

                     Peter Everard
                     Stationsstraat 6B
                     6181 AJ Elsloo
                     The Netherlands
                     Peter Everard <peter.everard@hetnet.nl>
                     - Sunday, June 11, 2000 at 10:16:32 (CDT)