Wilhelm Mohr

PART II – The Ground Crews’ Participation in the War on the Continent 1944/45
After their experiences at B16, the personnel were apprehensive about
eating fruit and vegetables.
After B57 at Lille, the situation improved significantly. The city itself
and the opportunity to meet its population were a source of encouragement.
The diet became more varied, even though the basis for it
remained. Everything influenced vitality and mood. At B60, which was
located at Grimbergen close to Brussels, the situation was the same, but
by then October had arrived with autumn rain and increasing cold.
I doubt that there was anyone who could match the Norwegian
ground crews in terms of initiative and inventiveness to improve the
situation. The eight-man tents came without flooring, leaks were inevitable,
and mud from outside soon became part of the mattresses. B60
Grimbergen was a mud pit, and laundry, drying and personal hygiene
became a problem of significant dimensions. Despite this, the strangest
washing arrangements were invented, some even with ingenious mechanisms
for heating. After a while the tents were furnished with various
formwork, such as wooden boards for flooring. Some types of oven were
constructed to be fuelled by waste oil, as this was the most natural and,
in some respects, the most accessible energy source.
The common slogan was ’those who help themselves …’, and the
approach worked. When one was able to shake off the cold at dawn,
a smile was not far away. On occasions, one was able to make a short
visit to Brussels. Regardless, the aircraft received the necessary maintenance,
rockets were fitted, and bombs and ammunition loaded. In a
sense, the difficulties were made up for by the results and advances.
Also, the aircraft could reach targets in Germany proper. This signified
that the war had to end soon, but it was not to go quite as smoothly as
everyone had hoped.
The German Ardennes offensive started on 16 December and they
advanced rapidly towards Brussels from the south. The German offensive
benefitted from poor weather that significantly limited Allied air
support for its own defence forces. Information about a large gathering
of German aircraft arrived, which required increased alertness. The
Allied leadership believed, however, that the Ardennes offensive could
be wound up and continued the pressure eastwards.
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