On the road curve.

A square stele featuring a relief of a falling black P-47 Thunderbolt on black background. Beside this depiction, is a vertical plaque that tells the story of 1Lt Dian’s plane crash and also bears his photo. The text on the plaque is printed and written in French and English. The memorial was inaugurated on September 18, 2016. 

On August 18, 1944, Lieutenant William Dian was flying over the region at the controls of his plane, a P-47 Thunderbolt, along with seven other fighter bombers. Seeing an enemy tank on the road from Gasny to Fourges, William Dian succeeded in destroying it with machine-gun fire, but as his aircraft regained altitude, it was caught in the fire of the German flak 

William Dian,

tombé au-dessus de Gasny le 18 août 1944

crashed in Gasny, on  18th, 1944,

Avant même l'arrivée des libérateurs à

Gasny, plusieurs aviateurs alliés ont donné

leur vie.

Le 18 août 1944, le lieutenant William Dian

survolait la région aux commandes de son

avion, un « P-47 Thunderbolt », en

compagnie de sept autres chasseurs

bombardiers. Apercevant un char ennemi

sur la route qui relie Gasny à Fourges,

William Dian parvint à le détruire d'un tir de 

mitrailleuse, mais alors que son appareil

reprenait de l'altitude, il a été pris dans le

feu de la DCA allemande et s'est écrasé en

flammes dans les marais jouxtant l'Epte,

près de la société coopérative agricole.

La commune de Gasny n'oubliera pas ce

pilote qui se sacrifia pour épargner des

maisons et sauver ainsi de nombreuses vies.

Even before the first liberating soldiers arrived in Gasny,

several Allied Airmen had given their lives.

On August 18th, 1944, Lieutenant William Dian was

overflying the region in his P-47 Thunderbolt with seven

other fighter-bombers.

Noticing an enemy tank on the road between Gasny and

Fourges, William Dian attacked the tank with a machine

gun fire successfully destroying it.

He was subsequently hit by the German AAD

(Anti-Aircraft Defence) and crashed in flames in the

marshes bordering the Epte near agricultural

cooperative.

The Municipality of Gasny will never forget this pilot who

made the ultimate sacrifice to save homes and numerous

lives.

(-1Lt Dian’s photo here-)

Stéle inaugurée le 18 septembre 2016

par Pascal Jolly, Maire de Gasny

(Stele inaugurated on September 18, 2016

by Pascal Jolly, Mayor of Gasny)