On the façade of the town hall.

A bronze rectangular plaque inscribed in English and French in gold and raised lettering which commemorates 1Lt Harold E. Goettler and 2Lt Erwin R. Bleckley. The plaque also mentions the location of the Remicourt aerodrome as well as Lts. Anderson and Rogers. The plaque was inaugurated on October 7, 2009.

The observation squadrons flying from Remicourt were the ‘eyes and ears’ of the generals directing the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Here, more than a million U.S. and French troops actively engaged the still-powerful German army in a desperate struggle that would finally bring an end to the war. During these operations, Allied airmen repeatedly flew into hostile territory in the worst possible weather conditions to support the troops on the ground. 

On 6 October 1918, one of these missions was assigned to 50th Aero Squadron Lieutenant Harold E. Goettler and his observer, Lieutenant Erwin R. Bleckley. They and the other airmen of the 50th were tasked with locating and dropping supplies to the men of the 77th Division’s so-called « Lost Battalion. » This ill-fated group of doughboys had advanced deep into the Argonne Forest ahead of their flanking units and become surrounded by an aggressive and well-armed enemy. They were trapped on the steep northern slope of a deep ravine 2 km northeast of Binarville. Here, they were being slowly annihilated.

In the late afternoon of 6 October, Lieutenants Goettler and Bleckley took off from Remicourt in DeHavilland DH-4 Liberty Plane No. 32517, bearing a big red « 6. » It was their second sortie of the day in support of the Lost Battalion. Determined to accomplish their objective, they flew repeatedly down into the ravine where the men were trapped, trying to pinpoint their location so they could drop bags of vital supplies to them. All the while, their airplane was being shot to pieces by enemy groundfire coming from all directions—including from above, on the bluff that towered over the ravine. Undeterred, the two airmen continued their methodical search for 20 minutes.

Inevitably, the valiant attempt ended in tragedy when pilot Goettler received a fatal bullet wound to the head. The big biplane crashed about 200 meters southwest of Binarville. Goettler was already dead, while Bleckley died soon after being violently thrown clear of the crash. For their heroic efforts, they were accorded America’s highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor.

Source of information: www.anciens-aerodromes.com

Source of photos: Paul Berson / www.aerosteles.net

REMICOURT

AERODROME

LOCATED 2.4 KM W. OF HERE IS THE SITE OF AMERICAN 50" AERO SQUADRON OPERATIONS DURING THE MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE, SEPT 26 - OCT 28, 1918.

ON OCT 6, LTS. GOETTLER AND BLECKLEY TOOK OFF FROM REMICOURT IN DH-4 AIRCRAFT #6 TO LOCATE AND SUPPLY THE 77Th DIVISION "LOST BATTALION" NEAR CHARLEVAUX MILL, ARGONNE FOREST.

WHILE FLYING LOW OVER ENEMY LINES NEAR BINARVILLE, THEY WERE SHOT DOWN. FOR THEIR BRAVERY, THEY WERE AWARDED AMERICA'S HIGHEST MILITARY AWARD, THE MEDAL OF HONOR.

ON OCT 7, LTS. ANDERSON AND ROGERS, FLYING DH-4 AIRCRAFT #16 FROM REMICOURT, LOCATED THE "LOST BATTALION".

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A 2.4 KM À L'OUEST DE CE LIEU ÉTAIT INSTALLÉ LE 50EME ESCADRON AÉRIEN AMÉRICAIN DURANT L'OFFENSIVE MEUSE-ARGONNE, ENTRE LE 26 SEPTEMBRE ET LE 28 OCTOBRE 1918.

LE 6 OCTOBRE, LES LIEUTENANTS GOETTLER ET BLECKLEY DÉCOLLÈRENT DE REMICOURT À BORD DE L'AVION DH-4 N°6, POUR TENTER DE LOCALISER ET DE RAVITAILLER LE 77EME "BATAILLON PERDU"  PRÈS DU MOULIN DE CHARLEVAUX EN FORÊT D'ARGONNE.

DURANT LEUR VOL AU-DESSUS DES LIGNES ENNEMIES, ILS FURENT TOUCHÉS ET TUÉS PRÈS DE BINARVILLE, ILS REÇURENT LA MÉDAILLE D'HONNEUR, LA PLUS PRESTIGIEUSE DÉCORATION MILITAIRE AMÉRICAINE, POUR LEUR BRAVOURE.

LE 7 OCTOBRE, LES LIEUTENANTS ANDERSON ET ROGERS DÉCOLLÈRENT DE REMICOURT À BORD DE L'AVION DH-4 N°16 ET LOCALISÈRENT LE "BATAILLON PERDU".