Can anyone help? I am trying to look for as much information on P51 pilot Oscar Lajeunesse including information on where he crashed on June 6th 1944. I have been told it is near Lyons La Forêt but have nothing else on him; Can anyone help? I don't even have his service number or squadron info unfortunately.
Cheers TD, that is brilliant!!!!! It does help. Does anyone know if the US Air Force had the equivalent of the RAF's loss cards. I would love to see if I could find out where it crashed exactly. From what I understand Oscar survived and I wonder if he filled in any reports about resistants that may have helped him and where this train was that they were attacking.
According to the Imperial War museum site he survived, retired from the air force in 1965 after serving in Korea at the rank of Major and died in 2007 in Worcester, Massachusettes USA. Reading Logan's report makes me want to learn more about him. I wonder if there is any way I can find out the names of the resistants that helped him as according to the IWM he stayed with them for three months.
Bonjour, C'est mon père, Marcel Paquot, qui a caché Oscar François Lajeunesse dans la village de Buchy pendant 3 mois, entre juin et septembre 1944. Il était résistant appartenant au BOA (Bureau des Opérations Aériennes) Mon père est décédé mais ma mère, toujours en vie, se souvient très bien de toute cette histoire et la famille Lajeunesse est venue à plusieurs reprise rendre visite à la mienne en France.
Hello, It was my father, Marcel Paquot, who hid Oscar François Lajeunesse in the village of Buchy for 3 months, between June and September 1944. He was resistant belonging to the BOA (Bureau of Air Operations) My father died, but my mother, still alive, remembers this whole story very well and the Lajeunesse family came to visit me several times in France. This is a simple Google translation but Google improves every year, but jog some memories. . Tommy where do you find such great stuff?
Sorry GT, I didn't think about doing a Google translate for others, I speak French fluently and did not think about doign a translation for others.
Thanks to all of you for the interesting insights. A few years ago a French farmer spotted some aluminum in his pasture, in a low boggy area. It led to the discovery of a P-51 buried in the soft earth. I still cannot fathom how it laid undiscovered for so long. The pilot's remains with dog tags still there. Not unlike the young Dane. Oldleg, I took French for 4 years, the last one in 1960 !. Since few Americans speak French and no French-speaking country is near I have just sadly lost my ability. I have no real excuse, I taught at a university with a French Department and at another, that had a beautiful French-styled building where they had to speak and read French as well as eat French cuisine! A number of years ago we needed rooms for the night it was late and we found ourselves near Tavigny, Belgium, a tiny village with a large Romanesque chateau under going renovation. . A truly stunning woman opened the door "Puis-je vous aider ?" I was very tired, she looked like Catherine Deneuve, and I tied to say "S'il vous plaît, avez-vous deux chambres pour la nuit. She smiled as she had me repeat it 3 or 4 times finally bursting out in laughter and said in near Oxford English " Would not this be easier in French " She said she had heard bad French before but never in a Southern US accent ! We had a great laugh. That evening we were eating in a fine cafe in the basement and she gave us a great bottle of wine for being "bad" Tiny Tavigny had had a few Wehrmacht pass by and Malmady is due North a few kilometers, Houfflize just to the NW and Bastogne the same to the SW, busy place in 44-.45! I highly recommend the Chateau Tigvigny, might be expensive now but hear it is up for sale Gaines
Incredible property, Gaines! Yours for the low low price of 2.5M GBP Houffalize I Château de Tavigny, Belgium For Sale | FT Property Listings
If only I had 2,505,446 quid in walkabout money handy. I would be that much poorer but would invite the forum members over for a free stay.. Unfortunately all the money in that particular lots I have tied up in acreage in Cognac, properties in the Royal Crescent, matched pairs of Purdeys and my vintage collection of early Ferrari's., none younger than a 250. The night we found it in 1978 it looked like an American Artillery Battalion of 155's shot it out with their Germann counterparts shooting, of course, only 88's, and the chateau being in line of direct fire. Two guest rooms, one bath and the roof missing over a good third.. But the beds were goose down, the food and drink sublime, The hostess proved to be a princess, so 2 rooms, dinner, dessert and a fine breakfast for the equivalent of 103b USD ! All because we got lost. The children got up and walked to Luxembourg to get their passports stamped. All in all a good day. My apologies for derailing this nice post. It is mainly a reminder that I wished I spoke French. I am glad the OP's pilot escaped. Gaines
Well I have a left over Muria SV, unrestored but pristinely original. Send me an address and I will have it sent over ...
Bonjour Je me demandais si c'est toujours un bon point de contact pour toi Marcel. I’d like to re-start the dialogue. Family and friends here in Massachusetts are very interested in Oscar.
