1st Lt Robert C. Smith took off from station 378, Fowlmere, UK on a mission over Rennes in his P-51 Mustang 42-103299. His section was caught up in a fierce aerial firefight over Montautour that had the inhabitants fearing for their lives as incendiary rounds and planes flew everywhere. Smith’s plane crashed and burned with him in it, shot down by a Fw-109 at 1730. However, the plane and its wreckage were at least 50 feet from any building, and given the trajectory of the crash, the locals knew Smith had tried his best to avoid hitting them. His body was preserved and a memorial erected with donations from grateful villagers.