Cosandier Paul Garfield

Monuments

B-17 #42-102585 ‘The Betty L’ Monument

Crash of the B-17 'The Betty L' Plaque

Name:

Paul Garfield Cosandier

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Serial Number:

37478335

Unit:

534th Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomb Group

Date of Death:

1944-06-21

State:

Nebraska

Cemetery:

Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-Sur-Mer, France

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Purple Heart

Comments:

Paul Garfield Cosandier was born on December 15, 1924, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was the son of Paul Amos Cosandier and Catherine Marie Garfield Cosandier.

Paul served in the 534th Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Radio Operator/Gunner on the B-17 #42-102585 'The Betty L' during World War II.

On June 24, 1944, his crew took off from Station 167 airfield in Ridgewell, England, for a bombing mission to La Riche - Tours, France. Around 08:30H, their plane was shot down by flak, taking a direct hit to the radio room and setting the engine no. 3 on fire. The plane crashed in the town of Valléres. This incident resulted in the deaths of four crew members, four were taken as prisoners, and one member evaded the German capture. SSgt Cosandier was one of those who were killed. He is now buried in the Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-Sur-Mer, France.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, francecrashes39-45.net