Bio

My dad: George W. Holdefer, Pilot, 833rd: March 10, 2011 George was born in Baltimore and raised near Patterson Park. His father was an engineer for the American Can Co. His mother was a housewife and mother. George graduated from the Polytechnic Institute in 1942 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps and trained to be a pilot. On his 21st mission on January 21, 1945, his aircraft was damaged and George was forced to leave the formation. The German KU (Kriegsgefangene US) report was finished off by as many as three Bf109s. All crewmen successfully bailed out and were taken prisoner. George, and his copilot, Ted Odell, managed to nurse their plane long enough to complete their bombing run at the lead of the formation before leaving formation. The crew hid in a barn overnight. They were captured the following day and held by the Luftwaffe in Offenburg. They were imprisoned in STALAG Luft XIII near Langwasser-Nürnberg. ________________________________________