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C-47 (42-100954) Crash Memorial

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Details:

The plaque is attached to a stone building just at the corner, about top of the door height.

Plaque


The memorial is an inscribed marble plaque about 3 ft by 3ft held to the wall with inscribed metal frame holders.

Background: The Douglas C-47 Skytrain “Gooney Bird” (42-100954) was assigned to the 16th Troop Carrier Squadron, 64th Troop Transport Group, 12th Air Force.   During the night of February 22/23, 1945, the plane flying from the Rosignano-Airdrome (Livorno), Italy with an international crew of five Americans and two British (Royal Army Service Corps, 352 General Transport Company) were on a mission to resupply (known as Operation Peedunk) the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) Operation Pee Dee mission led by Captain Les Vanoncini and the Partisan forces he supported.  The mission of Operation Pee Dee was to cooperate with the British SOE to assist partisans in preventing passage of German troops retreating north through the Liguria region of Northern Italy. Sometime during the night of 22/23 February, after the air re-supply, the C-47 crashed on the slope of Monte Calenzone killing all seven crew members.  (Per Missing Aircraft Report {MACR}12987)

 

Another monument is located at the crash site near Monte Calenzone. See this website, Site: Zavattarello-Monte Calezone;  Memorial Garden (Giardino della Memoria)- C-47 (42 100954) Crash Site Memorial for more on this incident).

 

 

 

 

The C-47 Crew Members included:

 

ROBERT E. WALLIN, Pilot, 1LT

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

 

DONALD R. FAULL, Co-Pilot, 2LT

Angels Camp, California, U.S.A.

 

 

LLOYD C. POOLE, Navigator, 1LT

Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.

 

JOHN V. RUPNIK, Crew Chief, SGT

Ironwood, Michigan, U.S.A.

 

 

RICHARD J. PERSYK, Radio Operator, SGT

Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.

 

 

DAVID C. SAYNOR, Driver

Great Britain

 

EDWARD J. FORD, Driver

Great Britain

Monument Text:

The text on the plaque and metal frame reads:

 

22-23 FEB. 1945

ZAVATTARELLO

MONTE CALENZONE

VOLO USAF-C47-954

 

(Translation:  Airplane USAF C47-954)

 

ONORE

AI CADUTI

PER LA LIBERTA'

 

(Translation: Honor to the fallen for Liberty)

 

USA

1ST LT. LLOYD C. POOLE

1ST LT. ROBERT E. WALLIN 

2ND LT. DONALD R. FAULL

SGT. RICHARD J. PERSYK

SGT. JOHN RUPNIK

 

GB.

DAVID CHARLES SAYNOR

JOHN EDWARD FORD

Commemorates:

People:

Donald Rolston  Faull

Richard J Perzyk

Lloyd C. Poole

John V. Rupnik

Robert E. Wallin

Units:

12th Air Force

16th Troop Carrier Squadron, 64th Troop Transport Group

64th Troop Carrier Group

British Army

Italian Partisans

Office of Strategic Services (OSS)

OSS

OSS- Italian Operational Group

Partisans

SAS (British)

Wars:

WWII

Battles:

Italian Campaign

Po Valley

Other images :