Battery Corporal
Willis S. Cole
Military Museum
A Non-Profit Corporation, Washington U.S.A.
A military history publishing museum!
The following hover buttons lead you to various pages in our
site that will give
you much more information about our published book and the many
interesting
events covered by the book.
Excerpts
From The Book About
The Dual Congressional Medals Of Honor
The
Last Flight Of The Lady Jeannette
(Click On The Picture And Go!)
Five Bombers Of World War
Two
Information
on the five bombers
researched
for eight years.
(Click
On The Picture And Go!)
Dual
Congressional Medals Of Honor
1st Lt.
Donald J. Gott, C.M.H., K.I.A.
2nd Lt. William E. Metzger, Jr., C.M.H., K.I.A,\
B-17G-35VE, SN: 42-97904
10
November, 1945
1st
Lt. Richard F. Noble, Executed
P.O.
Henri E. DUBE, Executed
On
8 August, 1944, two Allied airmen
were chained to the rain down spouts of
this church at Olizy, France, after being
captured by the Germans while evading.
Late that afternoon, the Germans took the
two men to the top of the hill to the southwest
if the village. Whey they were executed.
(Click On The Picture And Go!)
Learn The
Story Of
The Two Men
Killed
In
The Crash Of
'Where's
It At?'
And So Much More!
These People Did And They
Recommend The Book!
(Click On The Picture And Go!)
In March, 1998, the museum published Executive
Director/Curator,
Willis S. Cole, Jr.'s autobiographical definitive study of the events leading
to the crash of a B-17 bomber in France and to the events that happened
after the crash. The pilot and co-pilot were each awarded the
Congressional
Medal Of Honor
for their actions during their last mission aboard the B-17G-35VE bomber,
Serial Number: 42-97904, named the Lady Jeannette. The bomber has
been miss-named, the Lady Janet, in all known previous accounts of the
mission, except in the newspapers of the period.
One of only two dual awards of the medal to
personnel of the 8th United
States Army Air Force. A total of only 17 such medals were awarded
during the war, to the 8th U.S.A.A.F with its over 50,000 dead personnel.
The book includes a study of the crash of a B-26 bomber and the award
of two Soldiers Medals to the pilot and co-pilot. As well as, the beginning
of the research into the fate of a pilot, 1st Lt. Richard F. Noble, from
the
author's home town of New Concord, Ohio. Lt. Noble was later found
to
have been executed by the Germans, along with Pilot Officer (WAG) Henri
DUBE of New Brunswick, Canada, when they were captured on 8 August,
1944, while evading after having crashed in Europe.
The book was written with reader's of all types in
mind. Women, older
children and men who are interested in more than just military information
will find the irony of the situation at the crew's as they struggle with
what
happened to their family members during World War Two.
The largest chapter is devoted to showing just how the
people on the
'home front' felt when their loved ones were reported Missing In Action
or Killed In Action. Perhaps, for the first time the reader will
become
aquatinted with the full life of some of our country's World War Two
airmen.
Read letters written between the mother's of these two American heroes
and understand their heartfelt sorrow as they waited for any information
on Don and Bill.
You will come to understand why one crewman's father first wanted
his son's remains returned, even at his own expense if necessary, and what
happened to change his mind when the actual moment of decision came.
This deep study of the involved personnel, allows the reader to
know each
person aboard the bomber, with information from birth to death, or date of
publishing. Based on in-depth personal interviews with survivors, families
and on army records concerning the death of the crewmen killed in the crashes.
The reader will be astonished to learn there is a witnessed and
documented
case of American Soldiers recovering American Aviator's Remains from an
American bomber crash site and later hiding most of the remains they recovered
in a hidden grave along a road in France. The hidden remains were recovered
by the people of Cartigny, France, and buried in their village cemetery, for
over 50 years they were in a grave marked:
Aviator American
Unknown
Died For France - EN 1943
On Christmas Eve, 1991, Willis S. Cole, Jr., "Sam" was
asked to identify the
remains in the grave at Cartigny by a member of the Le
Souvenir Francais,
a French Souvenir/Remembrance Association dating back over 100 years. His
research into the identity of the remains in that grave lead to
an established
identity and to this book:
THE LAST FLIGHT OF THE LADY
JEANNETTE
ISBN O-9662728-0-3
(Click On
Picture And Go)
(Purchasing Book Information)
Proudly on display at the:
Airborne Museum, Ste-Mere-Eglise, Normandy,
France
A 288 page, 8 1/2" x 11" format, "600
copy, limited first edition" book with
two artist signed and numbered 'limited edition' prints. On the inside
front
cover is a print of the B-17 and on the inside rear cover is a print
of the B-26
researched. Each original was signed by the surviving crewmen
personally
interviewed for their personal accounts of the bomber's last mission.
Each book ordered through the museum is personally signed and
dedicated, as
the purchaser requests, by the author.
The book may be purchased at the Air Force Museum, Dayton, Ohio; Readers
Book Stores, Lima, Ohio; Oklahoma Air and Space Museum, Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma; Tinker Air Force Base Main Exchange, OK; Delville Wood South
African Memorial, Somme, France; Avril Williams Bed & Breakfast, Auchonvillers,
Somme, France and through our museum on our order form.
Books purchased elsewhere may be sent to the museum for the
author's signature
and dedication as desired, please enclose $ 4.00 to cover return shipment.
If Your Browser Does Not Support Fancy Stuff, Click
Below To Go!
Exerts From The Last Flight Of The Lady Jeannette: www.ww1.org/Excerpts.htm
Information of four of the bombers involved: www.ww1.org/bombers.htm
Congressional Medals Of Honor Information: www.ww1./Medal_Of_Honor.htm
Information on executed officers, 1st Lt. Noble & P.O. DUBE:
www.ww1.org/NobleDube.htm
Book Recommendations: www.ww1.org/bookrecommend.htm
Book Ordering Via Email: Just contact us via email, leave your
name, address and telephone number
and we will call you to verify your special dedication and collection, either
by check or credit card.
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Date Page Last Updated: 10 June, 2006 09:43:39 PM
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