On the façade of the town hall.

A rectangular white plaque inscribed in French and English in black and printed lettering. Printed in color on the top of the plaque, are the crossed flags of France and the US flanking the image of the B-24 plane. The plaque tells that 2Lt Klemstine was hidden in the children’s school to avoid German capture after he landed by parachute. His plane crashed in the park to the east of Chambord castle. Then in August 1944, 2Lt Klemstine and 2Lt Kaplan (listed as Kalan) were helped by Norbert Cosson to join the American troops who had liberated the right bank of the Loire.

The monument to the crash of their plane can be found here:

https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=286&MemID=513&keyword=Chambord

Source of photos: Claude Dannau / www.aerosteles.net

MONTLIVAULT 1939-1944

Left column:

Dans cette école fut caché par la directrice Melle Marie-Thérèse PETIT et sa mère Ida PETIT, l'aviateur Kenneth KLEMSTINE, tombé en parachute du bombardier B24 Libérator qui s'est écrasé à 100m du Château de Chambord le 22 juin 1944. Tout l'équipage a réusi à se sauver en sautant en parachute.

En août 1944, Kenneth KLEMSTINE, le copilote, et William KALAN*, le pilote, aussi caché dans la région, ont traversé la Loire en bateau avec l'aide de Norbert COSSON pour rejoindre les troupes américaines qui avaient libéré la rive droite de la Loire.

A Chambord, se trouve la stèle érigée en 2004 près du château, au bord du Cosson.

Right column:

American aviator Kenneth KLEMSTINE was hidden in this school by headmistress Marie-Therese PETIT, and her mother Ida PETIT, following the June 22, 1944 crash of his American B-24 Liberator bomber 100 meters from the Château of Chambord. He and the other members of the crew, managed to parachute from the damaged plane.

In August 1944, Norbert COSSON helped copilot Kenneth KLEMSTINE and pilot William KALAN* who was also hidden in the area, cross the Loire river by boat to join the American troops who liberated the right bank of the Loire.

See the commemorative marker created in 2004 in Chambord near the Château de Chambord Cosson river crash site.

* William Kaplan's name is incorrectly listed as Kalan.