At the entrance hallway.

Plaque

A rectangular black plaque honoring Lieutenant Samuel Dougherty, who died on September 27, 1944, along with a message of gratitude for his family’s contributions to the local area. The inscription is written in French.

Lt Dougherty tragically died when his plane crashed near Zittersheim while attacking a German train, an explosion caused his plane to go down. Despite the risk at the time, the villagers of Zittersheim honored him with a respectful burial. He served in the 512th Fighter Squadron, 406th Fighter Group. After the war, when the village church was destroyed by fire in 1946, Samuel Dougherty's parents, out of gratitude to the villagers for the burial of their son, made a very substantial donation to the city to have the building rebuilt.

Source of information: www.cirkwi.com

Source of photo: www.dna.fr

A LA MEMOIRE DE 

SAMUEL DOUGHERTY 

TOMBÉ PRÉS DE ZITTERSHEIM 

LE 27 SEPTEMBRE 1944

 TÉMOIGNAGE

DE LA PROFONDE GRATITUDE 

A SES PARENTS 

MONS. ET MAD. F. M. DOUGHERTY 

DE DOUGHERTY TEXAS 

BIENFAITEURS DE LA COMMUNE 

ET DE LA PAROISSE.

English Translation:

IN MEMORY OF 

SAMUEL DOUGHERTY 

WHO FELL NEAR ZITTERSHEIM 

ON SEPTEMBER 27, 1944 

TESTIMONY OF

DEEP GRATITUDE 

TO HIS PARENTS 

MR. AND MRS. F. M. DOUGHERTY 

OF DOUGHERTY TEXAS 

BENEFACTORS OF THE COMMUNE 

AND THE PARISH.