William H MERRIAM
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Source : Clement Christophe Facebook.com/groupenationalrecheche.wwii | |||||||
NUMBER OF SERVICE | O-399678 | ||||||
AGE | 27 yo | ||||||
DATE OF BIRTH | May 12, 1917 in Lethbridge, CANADA | ||||||
ETAT | Fullerton, CALIFORNIA | ||||||
FAMILY | Married | ||||||
RANK | Colonel | ||||||
FONCTION | Pilot | ||||||
JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT | Student | ||||||
DATE of ENLISTEMENT | 1939 | ||||||
COMPANY | HeadQuarter Company | ||||||
GROUP | 406th Fighter Group | ||||||
ARMY | 9th US Air Corps | ||||||
DATE OF DEATH | 3 june 1944 |
Source : F Lavernhe | |||||
STATUS | KIA | ||||||
PLACE OF DEATH | La carrière St Christophe - St-Leu-d'Esserent | ||||||
DATA PLAN |
P-47 Thunderbolt - type D-10-RE - s/n 42-75083 Macr: 6189 Mission: Creil et Chantilly (60) Take Off: Station 417 Ashford, Kent UK Crash observed by 2Lt Bryant L CRAMER and 2Lt Bryce E. LONG Shot by the flak (direct hit in the fuel tank) Crash and explosion around 14:30 | ||||||
COMMUNAL CEMETERY |
Cemetery Communal of St Leu d'Esserent | ||||||
CEMETERY TEMPORARY |
Cemetery Temporary of Blosville N°3508 | ||||||
Story of Cemetery Temporary | |||||||
CEMETERY | NORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY of Colleville | ||||||
GRAVE |
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DECORATION |
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STORY | |||||||
William Horton MERRIAM (Bill) was born May 12, 1917 in Lethbridge, Canada. The Merriam family emigrated to the United States, and settled in Fullerton, California. William carried out brilliant scientific studies at the California University Campus of Berkley, His training goes through the bases of Hancok Field in Santa Maria, then Randolph and Kelly Field in Texas. In April 1941, when the U.S.A. was not at war, he was chosen with 11 other pilots to learn Luftwaffe combat techniques from the RAF. The group will be received at Buckingham Palace.
The Groupenationalrecherche Wwii association in 2013 worked on the crash in St leu Desserent (Oise)! his story and the following: Saturday June 3, 1944, at 2:30 p.m., an American P-47 landed at a place called "the St-Christophe quarry" near RD92 in Saint-Leu-d'Esserent, the pilot was Major William H. MERRIAM. On June 3, 1944 during a reconnaissance mission n ° 24 attacked the rail traffic on the sectors of Louvres (95) in Creil and Chantilly - Senlis, the P47 D 42-75083, and shot down by the Flak on a direct hit on the reservoir, the enemy air defense and positioned at the edge of the Oise, on the locality of St-Maximin. The body will be found inside the device, it will be taken to the town cemetery and buried! Despite the ban by the German authorities, a large part of the population of St-Leu attended the funeral of the young pilot and the coffin was covered with numerous bouquets. At the end of 1944 the body of the American colonel will be buried temporarily in the temporary cemetery of Blosville (Manche). William H. MERRIAM now rests in the American military cemetery ABMC Normandy: Plot D, Row 18, Grave 47 |
Source : Charles Lewis Beal |
SOURCE INFORMATION & PHOTO | Francecrashes39-45.net - Frédéric LAVERNHE - Findagrave.com - Groupenationalrecherche Wwii - Facebook |
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PROGRAMMER | Frédéric & Renaud |