Jan 3, 2024 at 4:03 PM Update: 22 minutes ago
Veteran André Hissink died on Monday at the age of 104, the Ministry of Defense reported on Wednesday. Hissink was the last living Dutch veteran to join the British Air Force during the Second World War.
Hissink was a pilot of the 320 Dutch Squadron during the Second World War. This consisted of Dutch people who had escaped from the German-occupied areas and who wanted to join the Allied troops.
Hissink was born in 1919 in Batavia, the capital of the then Dutch East Indies. At the age of eight he moved to the Netherlands. When Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, he was awaiting the start of his flying training in Rotterdam. Hissink managed to escape to England and joined the Dutch navy there.
After staying on Java for several years, Hissink completed his flight training in the United States. He was now married to a British woman. In the spring of 1943 he returned to the United Kingdom. Hissink was included in the Dutch unit of the Royal Air Force.
As a bomb aimer and navigator on a B-25 Mitchell bomber, he was involved in several bombing raids in the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Germany. Hissink carried out more than sixty war flights. He received the Airman’s Cross for his achievements.
After the Second World War, Hissink worked for KLM in Zurich and later for various aviation organizations in New Zealand and Canada. In 1953 he had to renounce his Dutch nationality because he became active in New Zealand aviation.
A few years ago he regained Dutch nationality. It was his wish to be able to die as a Dutchman. “I’m really satisfied now,” was his response at the time.
A B-25 Mitchell bomber in flight during World War II. Photo: Getty Images
Image: Ministry of Defense
Read more about:
World War IIInterior
2024-01-03 15:03:36
#Dutchman #flew #British #Air #Force #WWII #died #Domestic
