Inside the square.

A landing gear and some parts of the aircraft that are exhibited inside the square. There is an information board in front of the landing gear and another plaque behind the gear which pertains to the 60^th anniversary of the B-24. Contained in the information board are the history, photos of the crew, the crash site, and an article relating to the crash. Two more related memorials can be found here: www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=165&MemID=246 and www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=164&MemID=245.

Saturday, May 27, 1944. During the allied air operations planned to destroy the communication complexes of the occupiers in the south of France, the 3 groups of B-24 Liberator of the 49th Bomber Wing from the 15th Air Force (451st, 461st, and 484th BG) had the role of destroying the airfield of Salon de Provence, located in the south of the Rhone's valley.

If several four-engined planes of the three bombardment groups concerned were more or less damaged by the German air defenses during the overflight of the French territory, only one was shot down before its arrival on the target, that of S/Lt Gerald J Maroney.

The flak first hit elements of the 461st BG during the approach of the Key-Point, that is the Cap d’Antibes, to the east of Cannes.

B-24 # 42-52399, called Flak Finder by its crew, was mortally hit under its right-wing, two engines on fire.

The pilot immediately released the bombs at sea and turned to the north towards neutral Switzerland. But he is informed by the radio operator Donald E Ellis, that the flames had reached the tail of the plane.

Flying over the pre-Alps now, the order to evacuate was given. The ten men all successfully parachuted and hit the ground alive.

Waist machine gunner Leon Zinner was wounded upon landing (broken leg) and was captured, as were four of his companions.

Their plane crashed at the top of the mountain peak of Aiglo, by the village of Le Mas (north of Thorenc), in a big fire.

The five remaining aviators were be hidden by local families, and later recovered by the US troops of the Provence Invasion. They left Europe for the USA on September 11, 1944.

As for the five prisoners, they were not liberated until the end of April 1945 by the Army of General Patton.

Sgt Owen B Streeper and Alvin L Raines returned to the crash site of the B-24 Flak Finder on May 27, 1992.

Source of information: www.aero-relic.org

Source of photos: www.aerosteles.net