At the bottom part of the monument.

Here’s what happened on August 8 -12:

On 8 August 1944, the 3rd Battalion of the 8th US Infantry Division, under the command of Colonel Eyler, was surrounded at the entrance of the town of Pleurtuit, following a German counter-offensive.

On 9 August, the latter lacked plasma for its wounded, so it was decided to send it by airdrop, via two Piper L4 (coded 38) of the 56th Field Artillery Battalion observation group. At 19:30, the artillery barrage began, and companies F and G of the second battalion prepared themselves, G on the right, F on the left. The Piper aircraft arrived over the encirclement zone ten minutes ahead of schedule, dropping the medical containers a few meters above the ground without any problem. But once the surprise effect was over, the Germans pulled themselves together. The two planes, while trying to reach the American lines and zigzagging to avoid the German fire, collided and fell at the place called "Les Fourneaux", a few dozen meters from the new traffic circle at the old level crossing. The Germans opened a heavy fire on the carcasses preventing the approach of any help to the pilots and observers. 1st Lieutenants Gibb Charles, Schmidt Earl, Fanders Gordon, and Roberts Rufus of the 56th Artillery Battalion were killed in this action.  (All four men will be buried on August 14 at 12:30 p.m. in Saint James Cemetery).

A Piper of the 908th Artillery Battalion was sent to spot enemy artillery fire. It was mortally wounded by German anti-aircraft fire and crashed at 11.30 a.m. at Trébéfour, killing the 1st Lt Goettke and Reichert.

On August 10, in the early afternoon at 2 p.m., the Piper L-4, piloted by 1st Lt. Everett Whitfield Andrews and his observer, 1st Lt. Robert Lee Ravey, was hit by shells. Their Piper was on a mission over the Richardais battery which was pounding the US troops engaged on the Balue and Saint Servant and was trying to reach the field of his unit on the other side of the Rance river near Château Malo. A second Piper of the same unit was coming back from a liaison mission with General Montague and Macon at Carheil castle, this one went to the rescue of his colleague and because of a radio problem, the two planes approached each other in order to communicate by signs. The aircraft collided and fell into the estuary.

Also on 10 August, two Piper reconnaissance aircraft were sent over enemy lines to locate the positions of the medium and heavy artillery batteries that were pounding the American units. On their way back, the two aircraft were hit by enemy flak at 2 p.m. They were severely damaged and the crews were forced to make emergency landings near the encircled third battalion. The four airmen managed to reach their position in the battalion under German fire, safe and sound. It would appear that they belonged to the 965th FA BN which in a brief report of that day indicated two L4s lost and no casualties.

General Macon sent the 331st Infantry Regiment and the 908th Field Artillery Battalion as reinforcements to break the anti-tank defense line and free the surrounded unit. On 12 August, two more observation aircraft were shot down over the encirclement area.

Source of information: www.absa3945.com, www.aerosteles.net

Source of photos: www.aerosteles.net