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Shot Down Over France

On May 29, 1943, 1st Lt. Theodore “Ted” Melvin Peterson was shot down near St. Quay-Portrieux in German-occupied France. He was rescued by brave villagers and the French resistance, spent two months making his way across France, and then hiked 11 days over the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain and freedom. In a remarkable twist of fate, Peterson and his rescuers would meet again in an emotional reunion 33 years later.

Theodore “Ted” Melvin Peterson

A member of the 8th Army Air Corps, 379th Bomb Group and 526th Bomb Squadron, Peterson was based out of Kimbolton Airbase near London. On the afternoon of May 29th, Peterson and his crew received mission orders. They were to fly their B-17 “Flying Fortress” and bomb the submarine pens at St. Nazaire. As they approached the French coastline, a volley of German anti-aircraft fire riddled Peterson’s plane, blowing a large hole in the wing. Several engines caught fire and they were losing altitude. Peterson ordered everyone to bail out.

As captain, Peterson was the last man out, and just 1,000 feet off the ground when he donned a parachute and jumped. “The ride to the ground took about 30 seconds. I landed by a small tree in an open field. I quickly pulled out my pocket knife and cut the shroud line. One of the procedures in attempting to escape from enemy territory is to destroy the evidence that you have landed,” said Peterson. The plane crashed into the bay moments after Peterson bailed out.

The Germans saw Peterson’s chute descending and were speeding towards his position when villagers quickly came to his rescue. They escorted him to a quiet, wooded ravine. “I had a few moments to contemplate my position. I remember being alone on my knees thanking my Father in Heaven for my life being spared,” he said. Villagers brought him a change of clothes and guided him to the center of a tall wheat field where they directed him to lie down and hide.

As darkness fell, Peterson heard the snapping twigs of someone approaching. To his surprise, a small boy about 2-years-old emerged from the wheat. He presented Peterson with a gift – a rose and a handkerchief. To the French, Peterson was a hero. The boy snuggled up next to Peterson and fell asleep.

Over the next two months, with the aid of the French underground, Peterson made his way to Paris and across France. By August, he arrived at the foothills of the Pyrenees. For 11 days, often without food or water, he was guided over the snow-packed mountains. Finally, on August 16, 1943, he made his way to Barcelona and hitched a ride on a Royal Air Force plane back to England. Peterson had become the 69th Allied aviator to escape occupied France.

Peterson’s French Identification Papers

The passing of time and the trauma of war dimmed some of Peterson’s memories. He’d returned home with the rose and the handkerchief as mementos from the war and kept them carefully stored, but had forgotten where he received them. In 1976, Peterson and his family returned to St. Quay-Portrieux. With the help of local people familiar with the Resistance, Peterson attempted to identify significant landmarks, specifically the field where he landed. Finally, at a loss, the Petersons’ pulled their car to the side of the road and got out to reevaluate. They hailed a passing truck to ask for assistance. The driver got out of the truck and immediately threw his arms around Ted in recognition, despite the many years. He said, “Do you remember my little brother, Gilbert? He came out to visit you in the field the day you were shot down. He fell asleep next to you and we searched frantically for him all night long! Did you get the rose and handkerchief my mother sent for you?” A sudden spark of memory flooded over Peterson as he remembered the boy presenting him with the gift. The two men embraced with tears streaming down both of their cheeks.

Peterson and his wife Ann in front of monument created from the propeller of his plane

As a tribute to young aviators like Peterson, the village of St. Quay-Portrieux salvaged the propeller of Peterson’s plane from the ocean floor and restored it to stand as a monument to Peterson and others who came to save France.

To learn more about WWII and aviators like Peterson, Search Fold3 today.

86 Comments

  1. Roland Martin says:

    What a wonderful story. A child, a rose and a delicate handkerchief… in enemy territory. Life is full of surprises. Lt. Peterson was in my same Bomb Group, the 379th, Kimbolton, England and our active duty in last half 1943, probably overlapped. We did not know one another.

    • Jim Thiessen says:

      Roland Martin, what an honor it is for me to thank you and your generation did for all of mankind. I was born Dec, 7, 1941 and was alive (albeit young) while you heroes performed a world shaking miracle and I’m grateful that I breathed air with the “Greatest Generation”!

    • D. Fuller says:

      Thank you for your service Mr. Martin!

    • Julia Nellis says:

      Thank you, Mr. Martin, for your service to America. I would love to hear your stories! I bet you have some good stories, some good, and some you most likely want to forget.

      God Bless you!

    • Bob Stoddard says:

      Roland thank you for your service. My Uncle Harold Stoddard was in the bomb group. He was shot down in France and saved by the resistance and shot down over Germany and rescued by the Russians. Any chance you might have crossed paths?

  2. Melinda says:

    Wow! Truly a great story! Thank you for your service, Lt. Peterson.

  3. Joyce Slatner says:

    I had tears thinking of that child and the horrors he and his family faced if caught helping the enemy. A wonderful story.

  4. L Eddleman says:

    As the widow of WW2 Air Force pilot 1st Lt Kirby Eddleman, I am grateful to God for your safe return to your family
    as well as the return of my dear husband. They say God looks after his favored sons, God bless you and keep
    you safe always and Thank you for your sacrifice for which we should all be at your feet and humbled.

  5. Linda says:

    Truly a tribute is deserved for all men and women who served and honored the USA and what America meant to so many and because of their dedication and perseverance we, too, can be proud. Heartfelt Thanks!

  6. Jeff says:

    My hearts and courage to our great country we stand for

  7. LaNell Barrett says:

    Wonderful.
    I’ve often thought that every single WWII veteran has individual stories, views of what they saw, experienced. Every one. Think about that.
    But I always think, too…how beyond sad it happened at all.

  8. Mike Willamette says:

    A great story and a rememberance of times past of real heroes, thoughtful men and women that gave so much for the survival of not only France, but the world. To those who served for freedom, thank you god our current and future lives.

  9. Patti Parravano Jakubs says:

    Thank you for your service and a wonderful story. God Bless

  10. Rob Grabenkort says:

    God’s hand can be seen in this and other examples. Bless you , sir.

  11. bryan keith earley says:

    Awesome to hear of such a reunion it reminds me of when the saved through Christ JESUS will be reunited on the other side of the Jordan in Heaven i have a request my father Walter Keith Earley SGT Major retired passed away when i was 11 years of age is there anyway i can get a record of His military History for my own I have wonderful memories of him as a child but would like to know more

    • A Kramer says:

      Hello Bryan: Yes, you can request copies of your deceased father’s military records as well as replacement medals. (I have done this for both my deceased father and my deceased husband.) You can request them online (eVetRecs), by mailing or faxing a form (SF-180), or by sending a letter. To make the request online or obtain the form, go to:
      http://www.archives.gov/veterans

    • Lt Stuart Anderson, SC, USN, Ret says:

      Dear Bryan,
      You have several avenues to get your fathers service record. You can contact your local VA office or hospital, an Army recruiter, Army Base, or even your US Senator and or Congressman.

  12. Lou Haenel says:

    Part of a great and dwindling generation.
    The whole free world owes them for the existence that we enjoy today. May God bless and reward each and every one of them.

    • Sandy Morrey says:

      Well said!!
      Perhaps the best said of the many comments and thanks for our brave men.
      Lt Peterson’s story certainly speaks highly of our men and women who have lost SO much and been through SO much. Hard to find a way to thank them for their service.

  13. I’m surprised that no one else asked the question, while the story of Lt Peterson escape to Spain and back to England is heroic, I always wonder when I read an account like Lt Peterson’s, what happened to the rest of the crew? Peterson was the last of the crew to bail out, did anyone else survive, even if they ended up as a POW? A friend of mine’s father survived the crash of his bomber and several of the crew survived as well. Unless you flew a single seat fighter, you didn’t fly alone.

    • Lt. Peterson is my grandfather. Yes, the entire crew survived, although all but 3 were captured and spent time as POW’s. The three not captured escaped through the underground. The French people who helped them escape are also truly hero’s!

  14. John Rasimas says:

    Great story. Thank you for your service.

  15. Tom McKean says:

    My cousin Gorman “Buck” Neel (1924-1969) was shot down behind Axis controlled Italian lines while in his P47 as a part of the 65th Fighter Squadron. He parachuted to the ground and was aided by locals to the safety of Allied lines.
    Also, I have a newspaper photo of him alongside a German fighter plane that mistakenly landed onto a US controlled air-field!

  16. Kevin says:

    Came to save France?

  17. Marc Strickland says:

    Nothing is random.❤️

  18. Brenda Ray says:

    A moving story indeed. But nobody ever mentions the Spaniards who also gave up so much to help the Allies after their own country had already been taken over by fascists and remained so for 37 years until Franco’s death. They too were killed or imprisoned for helping RAF and USAF airmen and others, yet we know next to nothing about them or the escape routes or how they operated. One bit of history that got swept under the carpet, alas.

  19. Another great Air Corps story. Wish it had continued a bit after the meet up on the highway. The little kid, then in the story timeline an adult. More on the photo of Peterson and his wife in that photo. Figuring his crew…9 men were captured and became POWs. Will have to do some research on Peterson and his ship and crew. My dad, Lt. Ernest Anders Erickson flew B-17s with the 95th Bomb Group out of Horham Airfield in England from February to August 1944. He often wondered what happened to buddies that flew on other ships that were shot down during missions that ended up POWs. They often got word if they did, or the sad news of MIA. My dad enjoyed films like the Great Escape, Stalag 13 etc, where he imagined that all his buddies, survived their time in POW camps and went home. Here’s some photos documents on my dad’s time in the Air Corps. http://markerickson.com/Family_History/Ernest_Erickson/

    • Lt. Peterson is my grandfather. Much more of his story including what happened to all the crew, everything we know about the French people who helped him and more is on our family website: petersonwendrichfamilylegacy.com

    • Hey Kristen, Nice family site there. I will read the rest of your grandfather’s story. It cut off just when it got interesting here on Fold 3. Thanks. Have a site dedicated to my dad, a B-17 pilot in 1944 and my grandfather, uncles in Lost Battalion / ww1. Take a look-see. Starts on row 3. Appreciate the note and best regards…Mark http://www.markerickson.com/home.html

  20. H. Bundy says:

    SIMILAR STORY; SAD ENDING. My husband’s first cousin, 2nd Lt. LINCOLN DELMAR BUNDY, was was born February 12, 1918, Arizona Strip, Mohave, Arizona. At 11:00 a.m. on June 10, 1944, after he and his squadron had just strafed a group of trucks. Lincoln’s P-51 Mustang was shot down by a German MIG 109, piloted by Ludwig-Wilhelm “Lutz” Burkhardt, German Luftwaffe fighter ace (credited with 66 aerial victories, 16 on the Western Front). Lincoln parachuted near the village of Crulai, (Mailleraye-sur-Seine), Normandy, France onto a field owned by Doctor de Goussencourt. After being patched up, Lincoln continued, per orders, to WALK to Spain. In south/central France, he was found by the son of a Resistance Fighter, 15-year old Serge Guillon, whose father soon “hiked” Lincoln by bicycle to rendezvous with 40 SAS British paratroopers. Long story short, the group was found out and executed that night, July 7, 1944, Forêt de Saint Sauvant, Poitiers, Poitou, France — AFTER being made to dig three large holes for their own corpses. In December of that year, dogs of a hunter “locked onto” the graves. All of these men are now buried in Rom Cemetery, Rom, Poitou, France. Lincoln’s whereabouts remained unknown for FIFTY YEARS, when the family was finally notified of his tragic demise.

    In 2002, my husband and I, with five other family members, as honored guests of the French government, went on a pilgrimage to the sites of the ROAD OF LIBERTY. We actually SAW the fuselage of Lincoln’s downed plane in l’Aigle, met with a man who had an entire binder of the event of Lincoln’s downing AND met with the now 70+ year old teenage boy, Serge, near Poitier, who shared a “compass, hidden in a button of Lincoln’s jacket” that Lincoln had given to him! What an honor… Google “Lincoln Bundy” or read FAR FROM CACTUS FLAT for more information. QUESTIONS: [email protected].

  21. I have just finished the book ” The Nightingale” which describes a French woman taking these men across the Pyrenees. It was quite a difficult journey. This book is going to be made into a movie and I can’t wait to see it. Many sacrificed so much!

    • Shirley Crampton says:

      I read it also. It was a very moving book.

    • Cherie Bombell says:

      Another interesting book you might like, Etta, is A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell. It’s about Virginia Hall, an American woman working for the British as a spy in France. She was considered by the Nazis as the most dangerous enemy spy. She set up many resistance cells, organised terrorist attacks and helped many to escape – some over the Pyrenees to Spain. And she had a prosthetic leg after losing one in an accident when she was a youth! Fascinating story.

    • Thank you for the suggestion.

    • Jan says:

      I also read it and was so touched!

  22. jim whitley says:

    For all you non believers out there……there are no coincidence in this world. I looked up coincidence I can’t spell 2 good. this was the example “like you and a kid from your class at school both visit the Grand Canyon on the same day”. Exactly I hadn’t seen her for 40+ years, Grand Canyon on the same day. sitting at the next table?

  23. Kathleen says:

    What an incredible story of bravery–1st Lt. Peterson, the French Resistance and that little 2-3 year-old boy whose mother sent those momemtos to give Peterson as a gift of gratitude while the Nazis were hunting him down! It’s so true that there are no coincidences- only miracles in them. When the human race is faced with such evil, it brings the best out in our humanity! Thanks to all who risked their lives so we can live FREE!

  24. Ken Coates says:

    My uncle, Tsgt. John Battaglia, was a right waist gunner on a B 24 named Didlin Dolly. While flying a mission to bomb a submarine base, they were shot down and he was wounded but survived the jump. He then spent 366 days in the infamous Stalag 3 prison camp ( scene of the Great Escape ). As the allies were approaching the camp, the Germans forced marched the prisoners, in the cold snowy weather, some without any winter clothing. My uncle and a P 47 pilot managed to escape and made it back to our lines. He spent a long time in the hospital before returning to the states. He was my hero and the main reason I made a career in the Air Force.

  25. Roger Chitty says:

    Thank you Lt. Peterson for your service – this indeed was a heroic story. I was just 8 years old when you flew the heroic mission and I greatly appreciate the effort you and others made to defend our country. Thanks to you and the French Resistance that made this possible.

  26. Judy Baker says:

    Thank you for this wonderful story. It’s a shame we don’t have more of these stories for the future generations to read. Thank you for your devoted service to these United States.

  27. Sue Winton says:

    As secretary for our church for twenty years I requested that the veterans in our congregation write stories of their experiences during their time of service. One of our gentlemen had a similar experience except he came down on a rock fence and his back was broken. He was taken to the home of a family who hid him for the three months of his recovery. Years later he visited the family and the lady who cared for him was able to visit him in the United States.

  28. bob galardi says:

    that was a time of consolidation .. when we loved each other and fought against the real tyranny .. I wasnt in that war but in the service before the Civil rights stationed with half my company with African Americans and we got along just fine without a single racial incident that i can remember as a fmr white sgt serving with 13 Black sgts and promoted to the rank by my Black Commanding officer who i will never forget …

  29. My best friend’s husband had a similar story. Louis DelGuidice is in a book “Their Deeds of Valor”. Absolutely facinating stories.

  30. Omer Divers says:

    Read this new book about the French resistance and you will know how they helped during the WW2. Madame Fourcade’s Secret War by Lynne Olson.

  31. Dale Warren says:

    What an incredibly beautiful story! I was born a few years after the end of WW II (1949) but the war and its stories were still very much alive.

    In my opinion it is important that we all preserve our memories of those times, whether we served or not.

    • Jan says:

      Dale I believe we should preserve all of history. That’s the problem today, they are erasing all of it.

  32. Elborn Mendenhall says:

    As a veteran to young to be in WWII. I was a junior in 1945 and 17 year when WWII. I have relatives in the The Revolution, the war of 1861-65 Union Side, father and two (2) uncles in WWI and one uncle in WWII I like stories like this Story. I am a Veteran of the War in Korea.

  33. Col LD Komara says:

    Incredible story more than likely never to be repeated in the times we live. I retired in 2006 from the ANG flying F-16C/Ds for 9 yrs. 127 combat sorties flying CAP and ground attack missions. Nothing like these guys. I can’t imagine the bravery and guts they had during that time. We rely on training and instinct to survive what we did but these guys were real heroes in a time when our country needed them. Honor and integrity meant something. Not so much any more. What an honor it is to meet these guys and there aren’t many left. Heroes every one.

  34. Sandra Brans says:

    Thank you for this lovely true story. My Dad was in the Navy in WWII and my late husband in the Koran War. I was not born until Jan 1944. So this story was before my time. Again thank you Fold3 for your many stories and for the great research that you do for all of us to read and know what happened back then. Keep up the good work.

  35. Jack Tanner says:

    Great read!
    One responder was a classmate of mine at Marion High School Illinois

    Jack T 1953

  36. James Reed says:

    Loved the story very interesting.

  37. Christopher Eve says:

    What a beautiful story, and thank you Roland Martin and others in America, for contributing to this article. As a Brit’, I grew up near Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire (it’s not that close to London!) in the 1970s and ’80s and heard many stories of the brave Yanks in the USAAF who came over to help save Britain from defeat by the Nazis. USAAF / RAF Chelveston was nearer me and Polebrook, Grafton Underwood and Hannington American air bases nearby too. They flew B17s and B24s. In 1944/45, my mother was dating some of your aircrew, so had she married one of them, I might have been born American! She told me numerous stories about her experiences of that time. Mum eventually married a former RAF bomber pilot. Thank you once again.

  38. Tracey Morgan-Lucas says:

    What a wonderful and poignant account , and with such a beautiful ending.A true hero Sir xx

  39. NADINE E WILEY says:

    Thank you Lt. Melvin Peterson for your service, and to all those who served. My Uncle David Edward Peterson also served and was one of the great Merrells Marauders. We honor all of you who served! Hero’s for sure!

  40. Margaret H. says:

    An incredible story. Several men in my extended family served in WWII. Some barely survived, some didn’t. My heart and spirit are crushed when I see these Nazi and white nationalist punks rallying in the United States. What was it all for?

    • Maddy says:

      They fought for these punks rights to do what they do. Everybody has the right to be wrong.

  41. Jay B Davis says:

    Ted –
    Thank you for your courage and determination to survive. As a “cold war” vet I practiced and rehearsed for war based on your experiences.
    My Dad wrote many letters about his life on the ground in the 2nd Army and everyone who was there deserves our heartfelt thanks!
    Jay Davis (LTC USA, ret)

  42. Michele Cabot says:

    God bless all who are now serving, all those who have served, all MIA, missing POWS, and KIA, REST IN PEACE. God bless everyone who helped these heroes survive because they also sacrificed their lives for freedom. The Greatest Generation ever!

  43. Lisa says:

    Thank you for your service and sharing this touching story. As the daughter-in-law of a 101st Airborne member who fought in WW2, our family is deeply moved by your and others’ sacrifices and risks for freedom.

  44. Tammy says:

    What a beautiful story! Brought tears to my eyes. Our Heavenly Father sure does work in mysterious ways. Thank you so very much for your service Mr. Peterson. You’re truly a hero in my eyes, and so are those brave young men you fought next to you. God Bless and be with you always. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

  45. William Samson says:

    Good stuff love it!

  46. Kathy says:

    Thank you to all the men & women around the world whether in the armed forces and/or civilians who have served our country to keep us living in freedom.
    My grandfather, Major Edward Louis Scherck, Houston, TX, served in the Air Corp during WW II. He flew B-29s. He was stationed in India & flew 12 successful missions over the Burma Hump. He was with Special Intelligence with the 40th Bomb Group, XX Bomber Command. They then located in China to help w/ building air bases and continue the fight against Japan.
    My grandfather would never talk about his experience during the War. Only after his death, did we learn information about that time. Each family member received a letter written by him.
    Let us not forget those caregivers who are taking care of those returning home from war now. God bless all who continue to keep us safe & free.

  47. Patrick Bonner says:

    My father, Lt. Roland Boyd Bonner, flew a B-26 Marauder with the 9th AF in the ETO. He told me once that in addition to being shot at during a mission the loss of friends was really tough. The men were quartered by crews and when the planes were lost the entire crew was gone. So your friends, a whole crew, who were here in the AM just never returned. Many times you first learned of their loss when the orderlies came to the quarters to collect their belongings to be sent to the next of kin. As with most WWII vets talking about the war was never easy. My wife spent the war in the Netherlands, and her family is the same way. They lived it so why bring it up again. My Uncle (mother’s brother) was MIA on a B-24 in the Pacific and a cousin was MIA on a B-17 in Europe. God Bless those who were there and made the ultimate sacrifice.

  48. Herb Friedman says:

    Very touching story. Thanks for posting

  49. rob newton says:

    Greetings, as a British/American citizen living in Austin Texas, my mother then living in Bristol with German Bombers pounding the port on a daily basis, my father being trained in the RAF flying Spitfires, I can only say this: yes it took a while for Churchill to receive support from the US, but after Pearl Habour, Roosevelt gave us all the resources that we needed to fight back.
    We cracked the Enigma code, that enabled us to survive the U-Boat attacks.
    But most of all the supreme strength of the US military came to bear down and support our British/Allied troops, and crush the opposition to enable us in Europe to have continuous peace for 74 years. I am appalled at our current US government in denigrating our NATO contacts, and fear the worst in years to come.
    I am for ever grateful for the US policies in former times. My younger son is a civil engineer in the Navy, and I am proud that he is serving our country.

  50. Anne Daley Wattman says:

    With the greatest respect and gratitude for those who served and for the citizens of other countries who at great risk to themselves and their families helped our fighters escape. Would you send your young child on such a mercy mission? Agonizing choice. There must be a special place in Heaven for all of them.

  51. Ann says:

    Thank you everyone past, present and figure for your service. I do concur about the current government. We all have to get along and respect each other.

  52. Cathy Torrance says:

    So excited to see this email! This is my son in laws grandfather! My youngest grandchild, born last year to my daughter and this son in law is named after one of those French rescuers!

    • Yes, Cathy, our dear Henri!! I just met him for the first time in person tonight when Allison and Rob came to visit. We are truly blessed to continue to bear the legacy of the remarkable French people!

  53. Ken Tarbox says:

    What a beautiful story. I wish that it had included information on what happened to the rest of his crew. In any case, this was a great story with a very happy ending.

    • Ken, my grandfather is Lt Paterson. For many reasons, the author was not able to include all the details of this story. If you are interested you can read more, including what happened to the rest of the crew on our family website petersonwendrichfamilylegacy.com.

  54. Lin Malt says:

    My Dad also glad an amazing story

    http://www.possumline.net/EscapersAndEvaders/gardiner/ownstory.htm

    Lin Malt

  55. Carol Ledford says:

    Wonderful story … brought tears to my eyes.

  56. G Meyer says:

    In Paris was he with the Comet group? He may have met Virginia d’albert- Lake

  57. Harold Nye says:

    Tail gunner Gideon August (Gus) Brown from Leavenworth, Kansas 1921-1986. Pictured in the group photo—front row, first on the left. What a story!

  58. Marty Winters says:

    What a wonderful story about one of the heroes of the war. And what respect the people of the voyage showed to a courageous hero.

  59. LTC Paul J. Zakur, Ret. says:

    Great story.
    My uncle one day in 1944, walked into the family living room as I sat on the floor.
    Noticing him I viewed him from his shoes to his chest noticing his Army Air Force uniform, pilot wings and the rows of service ribbons beneath He served in India and Burma keeping open The Burma Road, vital to containinging the Japanese at bay.

    He truly inspired me at 8 yrs of age to join the military as well as soon as I became of age.. He wore the U.S. Army and U. S. Air Force uniform for 25 years. I wore my Air Force uniform for 35 years.

    One never knows what SEEDS they plant in OTHERS. Seeds which flourish and blooms.

    My sincere THANKS to ALL WHO HAVE SERVED.

  60. Trudy says:

    What about the heroic Resistance men and women who saved him and so many others? Read The Nightingale, about the women who hid these pilots and then guided them across the Pyrenees to safety

  61. Theo van says:

    What a great story, we in the Netherlands are still thankful to those brave men. We just had a great Memorial Day ceremony at Margraten cemetery, the only US cemetery where since 75 years all graves are adopted by civilians.
    Our family adopted the grave of Glen Gilmore from Celina Ohio, we last visited his wife and daughter in 2015. His wife Hope passed away last year at the age of 101…. For an impression see “Margraten cemetery” adoption plan or “faces of Margraten” in the internet. The picture of Glen Gilmore we brought with us
    from our visit to Celina. Thanks to everybody.

  62. Because of navigator error, my friend, Don Olson and his unit parachuted at night into a wrong location and landed very close to a German unit. Under the hail of gunfire, he too was rescued by French villagers.

    My dad, James E. Feldmayer, flight surgeon in India, ran into a burning bomber taking off and pulled 3 crew members to safety. He was awarded the Soldiers Award for Heroism.

    They just may have been “The Greatest Generation”!

  63. Harry Chizeck says:

    how can I add a story??

  64. Carlos Gutierrez says:

    Viva le France…..!!

  65. Donna Sprague says:

    My father was 22 years old and a Master Sargent with the 13th Armored Division, 124th Armored Engineers and landed on Omaha Beach in 1941. He passed away in April 2010 just short of his 92nd birthday. He never spoke of that day except to say that he landed on the beach in the mud and the blood.