2nd Lt Walter F Perra took off from station 367 at Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, UK at the controls of Lt Irwin W. Fernandez’s P-38 Lightning 42-104067 "Little Chum" on an escort mission over Angers. He was shot down 1 km SW of Les Corvees. As one historian puts it, “2nd Lt. Walter F. Perra was lost near the village of Les Corvees, France on 15 June 1944. Perra was strafing flak positions near the village of Dreux when one of the engines on his P-38 was hit. As near as can be determined he stayed with his bird long enough to avoid hitting the village. He bailed out at about 100 ft off the deck and was killed instantly on impact. The Germans stripped the body and removed all markings from the aircraft. Initially the local German commander would not allow the villagers to bury Lt Perra, but, after pleading, permission was given but without a coffin. Again, they pleaded. The Mayor stated, ‘He is not a dog. You wouldn’t bury your soldier that way.’ The commander relented and a local villager built a coffin. Only children, with the exception of the Vicar, were allowed to attend the funeral. Local children were asked to gather flowers and meet at the church. A procession moved from the church to the grave about one hundred and fifty yards from the crash site at the edge of the woods. The villagers continued to maintain the grave of this unknown aviator until, on 11 November 1944, local villagers invited the commander of an American unit in the area to attend a ceremony at the grave in celebration of Armistice Day. After that US officials investigated the site and, after finding serial numbers on the aircraft’s engines, the identity of Lt. Perra was established.” An international ceremony of US and French military and civilian personnel was held in Perra’s memory.