2^nd August 2014

Fournival (Oise)

Tribute to 2^nd Lt. Gerald C. CHAPMAN

4^th Fighter Group

336^th Fighter Squadron

8^th Air Force 

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     It is 70 years to the day, on this Saturday 2^nd August 2014, at the initiative of the A3P (Association pour la Preservation et la Promotion du Patrimoine of Fournival) which was associated with the ASAA, that a tribute was paid to 2^nd Lt. Gerald C. Chapman, pilot of the P-51B "Mustang" # 43-6846, 4^th Fighter Group, 336^th Fighter Squadron of the 8^th Air Force.

    Under a hot summer sun, it was on the exact site of the crash that both History enthusiasts, Associations of veterans and the population from the nearby towns and villages gathered together. Mr. Desmedt, departmental Councillor, honoured this tribute with his presence.

     This ceremony, characterized by simplicity, was led by Mr. Revelin. First of all he did not fail to recall that exactly 100 years before, France decreed the general mobilization order for a war that would ultimately last four years before recalling the circumstances of the death of the young American pilot Gerald C. Chapman.

     He then left the floor to Dominique Lecomte, of the ASAA, who successively read the mission report of Captain Glass but also that written by the German officers serving the Flak battery who had shot down the aircraft.

     It was also stated that Captain Glass Jr was shot down in aerial combat on 18^th August 1944, 16 days later. He had managed to escape death by landing his "Mustang" in a field near Lannoy-Cuillere (Oise). Rescued by the population, he waited for the Liberation which occurred a few days later and joined the Allied lines.

     Mr. Desmedt also drew a parallel between the dates of 2^nd August 1914, when France was entering a war that was to be “the war to end all wars" and of 2^nd August 1944 which, 30 years later, saw a young American pilot being killed in action in a world that was still not pacified. He remembered how it is still important today to remember the sacrifice of all those young soldiers and Allied airmen killed on our soil, so far from their homes.

     Then followed the national anthems of the United States and France and a very reverential minute of silence in memory of 2^nd Lt. Chapman.

     Various documents were presented including a picture of the grave of 2^nd Lt. Chapman in the Epinal American Cemetery and small pieces of debris found recently at the very place of the crash.

     The whole assembly was then invited into the courtyard of the Fournival village hall for the traditional drink.

     A philatelic souvenir limited edition, especially in memory of 2^nd Lt. Chapman, was distributed to those interested.

     On 2 August 2019, a stele was unveiled near the crash site.

     The ASAA wishes to thank Mr. Revelin and his “A3P” Association for having shared with us this moving tribute in memory of 2^nd Lt. Gerald C. Chapman.