Bram van der Stok
| Bram van der Stok | |
|---|---|
Bram van der Stok
|
|
| Born |
13 October 1915 Pladju, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies |
| Died | 8 February 1993 (aged 77) Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of the Netherlands
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Netherlands Air Force
|
| Years of service | 1936 - 1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Officer Order of Orange-Nassau Bronze Lion Bronze Cross |
Bram van der Stok, MBE (13 October 1915 – 8 February 1993), also known as Bob van der Stok, was a World War II fighter-pilot, and is the most decorated aviator in Dutch history. He was one of the three men to successfully break out of imprisonment by the III Reich from the POW camp at Stalag Luft III, in what became known as "The Great Escape".
Van der Stok spent his childhood between Sumatra, the Netherlands, and the Dutch West Indies. After finishing his primary education at the Lyceum Alpinum in Switzerland, he studied Medicine at Leiden University with the intention of pursuing the career of a physician. Whilst at Leiden he was an enthusiastic sportsman, focusing on rowing and ice hockey. In 1937 he joined the Reserve of the Netherlands' Luchtvaartafdeeling (Army Aviation Group) - a precursor of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, training on a Fokker D.XXI, whilst continuing his medical studies at Utrecht University.
When the Netherlands was attacked and invaded by the Third Reich in May 1940, Van der Stok - now flying with the Netherlands' Air Force's renamed Luchtvaartbrigade (Army Aviation Brigade), scored his first victory when he shot down a Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109 whilst on patrol over De Kooy airfield. After the Netherlands' defeat and occupation by the Wehrmacht he decided not to accept the situation, and made three unsuccessful attempts to follow the Dutch Crown in its withdrawal across the North Sea to England. On the fourth attempt he managed to get across, landing in Scotland in June 1941 as a stowaway aboard the Swiss merchant ship Saint Cerque which had sailed out of Rotterdam, along with Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema and two others. He was awarded the Dutch Bronze Cross for his actions by Queen Wilhelmina. Following a refresher and conversion course with the Royal Air Force's No.57 Operational Training Unit, he was posted to its No.41 Squadron in December 1941, with which he went on to achieve six confirmed kills amongst Luftwaffe aircraft up to April 1942, therewith qualifying as a flying ace.
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