In the garden, on the east side of the road.

Marker

A headstone-style memorial commemorating allied aviators, who, according to research, were the crew members of the B-17 “Sunny” #42-30089 that crashed in Villecresnes on September 3, 1943. The B-17 was on a bombing mission. It took off from Thorpe Abbotts airfield for its first target, the Renault factories near Paris, but as this target was hidden by clouds, the second target, the Beaumont le Roger airfield between Evreux and Lisieux, was bombed. The bomber collided with the B-17 42-0035 before being attacked by two German fighters. The aircraft crashed in the commune of Villecresnes, where 5 airmen were killed, four were arrested by the Germans and one managed to escape. But, according to one of our sources, the B-17 #42-0035 crashed near Cerny and is often erroneously reported as having crashed at Villecresnes.

Source of information and photos: www.aerosteles.net, francecrashes39-45.net

1939    1945

ICI SONT TOMBES

DES AVIATEURS ALLIES

POUR LA LIBERATION

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LES HABITANTS

DE VILLECRESNES

RECONNAISSANTS

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English translation:

1939 1945

HERE LIE THE GRAVES

OF ALLIED AIRMEN

FOR THE LIBERATION

_________

THE INHABITANTS

OF VILLECRESNES

GRATEFUL

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