Marker

The memorial commemorates the death of two Allied airmen in 1944. After several months of research (carried out by John Hey, Serge Blandin, Jérôme Leblanc, and Jean Robin), it is believed to be the American light bomber A-26 serial 41-39222 coded F-6 of the 669th BS - 416th BG that fell on February 8, 1945, resulting in the death of a single airman.

The A-26 light bomber was returning from a successful bombing mission over the Netherlands. On landing at Melun-Villaroche airfield, the pilot, 1st Lt George Hubert Steed Jr., realized he had run out of fuel. Losing speed, the aircraft crashed in the Sénart forest. The pilot was killed while Sergeant Carl E. Tranchina was seriously injured.

The stele appears to have been erected at the end of the war in memory of the two men, using pieces of iron rod and concrete by the local population. In 1997, an anonymous person erected the present unofficial stele in the shape of a half-cross of Lorraine, maintaining and flowering it regularly. The images presented below were captured in 2006.

Pending an official stele, every February 8 a temporary plaque is affixed to re-establish the true history of this cenotaph.

There is also a plaque commemorating the two aviators found in the Montgeron Cemetery. Here is the link: https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/site_details.php?SiteID=2641.

Source of information: www.aerosteles.net

Source of photos: ‘Tribute to the crew of the A-26 41-39222, fell on 08 February 1945’ Facebook page

On the plaque:

ICI en 1944

un A26 "Invader"

s'ecrase.

Les 2 aviateurs U.S.

sont (?) et

souvés par les

habitants de ce

secteur

  "VIGNEUX-MONTGERON"

English translation:

HERE in 1944

an A26 "Invader

crashed.

The 2 U.S. aviators

are (?)

remembered by

inhabitants of this

area

  "VIGNEUX-MONTGERON"

On the paper:

A la mémoire du

First Lieutenant George Hubert STEED

pilote américain du 669th Bomber Squadron,

mort le 08 février 1945

au commande de son bombardier Invader A-26

qui s'est écrasé à quelques mètres de cet endroit

et à son équipier le T/Sergent Carl E.TRANCHINA

qui a survécu à l'accident.

— Merci de respecter ce lieu de mémoire et de recueillement —

English translation:

In memory of

First Lieutenant George Hubert STEED

American pilot of the 669th Bomber Squadron,

who died on February 08, 1945

at the controls of his Invader A-26 bomber

which crashed a few meters from this spot

and his crewmate, T/Sergeant Carl E.TRANCHINA

who survived the crash.

— Thank you for respecting this place of remembrance and contemplation. —