13th September 2025
Ceremony in memory of the crew of B-17G # 42-31388
306th Bomb. Group, 423rd Bomb. Squadron, 8th Air Force
Campremy (Oise)
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En français 
On the initiative of the Hauts-de-France Region and the Communauté de Communes de l'Oise Picarde, two ceremonies were held in the commune of Campremy in memory of two American bomber crews shot down during the Second World War. The first tribute took place on the very spot where, on February 11, 1944, Boeing B-17G # 42-31388 of the 306th Bomb. Group crashed while returning from a bombing mission over Frankfurt, Germany.
Of the 10 crew members, 6 managed to escape thanks to the French Resistance, while 3 were taken prisoner. Only S/Sgt. James Coleman lost his life. He is still missing in action to this day.
S/Sgt. Leonard Bergeron, left waist gunner, was one of the survivors. He was taken in by the Resistance and then by the Shelburn escape network. He managed to reach England by sea 5 weeks later, after having been sheltered in Clermont and Creil in the Oise region, then in Paris, and finally in Brittany.
During the ceremony, we were honored to welcome his descendants from Connecticut and Florida : Stephen, his son, Thomas and Kate, his grandson and granddaughter, accompanied by their respective wives and husbands. Also among us was Jean-Marc, representing his grandmother Odette Sauvage. She had hosted S/Sgt. Leonard Bergeron in Clermont for a week.
The Bergeron family
The ceremony began with a speech by Mr. Commelin, mayor of the village. After warmly thanking the Bergeron family for their presence, he declared:
"It's not without a certain emotion that I welcome you to our land, to retrace a page in our history, and above all to pay tribute to those who came to fight alongside us to defend our values, our freedom... We owe it to ourselves to pay tribute to all these young soldiers who came to fight alongside us to defend our freedom, which, today more than ever, is very dear to us.
We also have a duty to pass on this history to the young, to bring home to them the reality of war, to remind them of the suffering endured, but also to show them the strength of courage and hope. It is through this living memory that we can build a future of peace and fraternity.
This mission of transmission is all the more essential as the world continues to experience conflicts. Particularly on Europe's doorstep, between Ukraine and Russia, and in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians. People are still suffering the pain of war. These tragedies remind us that peace remains fragile and must be defended every day.
I'd like to conclude by saying that it's important to know one's past, not to forget it, and to pass it on, so as to avoid making the same mistakes again".
Thomas and his sister Kate then unveiled the stele commemorating the crew on which their grandfather served.
The mission of February 11, 1944 and the fate of the crew were then recounted by our Association. The names of local families who came to the aid of the escapees were listed.
Thomas Bergeron then took his turn to speak:
"Thank you for all being here today to honor the airmen of the Allied forces who fell from the sky here so many ago. Their bravery and sacrifice have in pursuit of liberty and freedom for the people of France is matched only by the citizens of Oise who risked their lives to liberate the liberators. I am living proof of the bravery and kindness of the French people. Leonard Bergeron, my grandfather, was shot down and taken in with open arms by Odette sauvage and this communauty. He was then hidden from the germans for several weeks and ultimately reunited with US forces in Britain.
After the war, my grandfather went on to have 8 children, 10 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren while living a full and happy life. That is 34 lives that never would have been if it was’nt for the bravery shown by your community.
My family is forever grateful to the people of France and all of you here today for preserving this piece of history, as it would never be forgotten.
Thank you, my Gof bless America and vive la France".
This was followed by the laying of wreaths at the stele, the Last Post and a minute of silence...
......... followed by the American and French national anthems.
At the end of the ceremony, the entire audience moved on to the crash site of another Boeing B-17 shot down over Campremy territory on December 30, 1943.
To conclude the day's events, which included the unveiling of three steles in Thieux and Campremy, everyone gathered in the village hall in Campremy for a convivial moment. Elected representatives from the Département and the Région took turns to speak, reminding us of the importance of the duty of remembrance, of remembering the Allied airmen from distant countries who fought far from home, often at the price of the greatest sacrifice, so that we could live in a free country.
