About this Episode
A very special Happy Hour tonight pays tribute to the pilot and crew of the Wolfel’s Bear and its ten-man crew , piloted by Commander James Dimel. At the age of just 23, Dimel safely made an emergency landing of a giant, heavy, Flying Fortress in a field in Belgium after getting hit by flak above Weisbaden. His entire crew survived – some of them parachuting out just before the landing, the injured who were unable to jump had been secured to withstand the landing, and even the town’s historic church tower survived a close call. Hear the full story about what happened on 9 November 1944 and the commemoration ceremony held on 10 November 2025, less than an hour’s drive from Luxembourg. It’s a story of bravery, kindness, strength, and friendship between two nations.
Many thanks to the Syndicat d’Initiative de Jamoigne, the Ville de Chiny, the pilot’s daughter Mary Dimel, the other crewmen’s daughters and great-grandchildren, and Marianne Hubert for their role in presenting this story.
