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506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division NORMANDY, JUNE 6, 1944 |
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On
June 5, 1944, 1st
LT Thomas MEEHAN, III boarded a C-47 to be parachuted
in Normandy. Lieutenant Meehan had just been appointed
Commander of the "E" Company of the 506th
PIR. He was in plane 66, along with the company's
staff made up of 16 paratroopers. Lt. Harold Cappelluto
was flying the aircraft and leading the formation, followed by
Lt. Frank Deflita's plane. Deflita remembers: "As
we flew over Normandy, DCA's started shooting at us, and
Harold's plane got it several times. I could see Flak shrapnels
going straight through his plane. After maintaining its course
and speed for a while, the plane left the formation and slowly
initiated a right turn. I followed it with my eyes and noticed
its landing lights coming on, I thought it was going to be all
right. Then, suddenly, it came crashing down a hedgerow and instantly
exploded." Henry Margerie, Mayor of Beuzeville
au Plain, witnessed the accident. He also remembers:
"As we awakened to Flak shooting and planes flying over
the area, I saw a plane close to the village which seemed to
be trouble and attempted to land. I lost sight of it for a brief
moment and then heard a loud explosion. The plane had crashed
on a hedgerow bordering a field near the village. It burnt
for three days, and the heat created by the fire made it
impossible for us to approach".
47 years later, my friend Jean PIERRE from the Forced Landing Association and I met Mr. Marjorie during one of our investigating trips. Mr. Marjorie gave us an account of the June 6 forced landing and showed us precisely where it took place. After consulting the American archive "Missing Air Crew Report", we figured that these would be the remains of plane 66 which transported the "E" Company Commander and staff. While searching the site, we came to the conclusion we dreaded. As we dug the parachutes hooks out of the ashes, we noticed they were still locked. None of the occupants of the plane had managed to escape from the crash and jump. From the ashes that were piled on the hedge up to 80 cm, we pulled out dog tags, crickets, rings and a watch. The hands of the watch had stopped at 01:12, this only reinforced what we knew about the force of the impact. Among the debris, we also found a helmet which had been completely flattened. The scene had such an emotional power on us that we decided with Mr. Margerie to erect a stele (monument) in memory of the courageous crew whose destiny had been to die before the battle had even begun. Unfortunately, Mr. Margerie passed away and with him the promise we had made. The commune of Beuzeville au Plain is the only French commune without a war memorial. Beuzeville Municipal Council decided to help us remedy the situation by supporting our project. |
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 1SGT W. EVANS |
 1LT T. MEEHAN |
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 SGT E. MURRAY, Jr. |
 S/SGT M. ROBERTS |
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BEUZEVILLE AU PLAIN D-DAY -- June 6, 1944 IN MEMORY |
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439th Troop Carrier Group - 91th Troop Carrier Squadron |
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Pilot |
1st LT CAPELLUTO Harold Andrew | ||||
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Co-Pilot |
2nd LT FANELLI John Joseph | ||||
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Navigator |
SGT FRIEDMAN Bernard | ||||
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Engineer |
SGT TILLOTSON, Jr. Albert Ray | ||||
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Radio-Operator |
SGT THOMPSON Norman Elbert | ||||
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"E" Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division |
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| 1st LT MEEHAN, III Thomas | |||||
| 1st SGT EVANS William S. | |||||
| S/SGT ROBERTS Murray B. | |||||
| SGT MURRAY, Jr. Elmer L. | |||||
| SGT OWEN Richard E. | |||||
| SGT RIGGS Carl N. | |||||
| T/5 COLLINS Herman F. | |||||
| T/5 WIMER Ralph H. | |||||
| T/5 WENTZEL Jerry A. | |||||
| PFC ELLIOTT George L. | |||||
| PFC McGONIGAL, Jr. William T. | |||||
| PFC MILLER John N. | |||||
| PFC MOYA Sergio G. | |||||
| PFC SNIDER Gerald R. | |||||
| PFC TELSTAD Elmer L. | |||||
| PFC WARREN Thomas W. | |||||
| PVT OATS Earnest L. | |||||
| We also have started a fund in order to carry out our project. Your contribution will help us to honor the bravery of the young Americans who risked their lives to allow us to live in peace. Let us turn their ashes into a beautiful monument which forever, will be a testimony of our appreciation and gratitude. | |||||
| FORCED LANDING-Association
by law 1901 Bank Account SG Chartres : 30003-00590-00037262280 57 |
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French Office: |
Jean PIERRE 2, Hameau de Nivernais 28110 LUCE - France Tel : 33 2.37.35.20.52 |
Belgian Office: |
Guy LEPRETRE Route de Bizory B - 6600 Bastogne (Mageret) Belgium guy.lepretre@swing.be |
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| The pilot, 1LT Harold Capelluto, is the only
person from the crash of Plane#66 to be buried in the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer. The 17 Currahees are buried in a mass grave at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, MO. |
