THE SQUADRON

Aircrafts' position in squadron, serial number, and pilot's name were
gathered from THIS PAGE at www.6Juin1944.com.
It's also available at THIS PAGE at DDay-Overlord.com (in French).

THE CREW

THE PARATROOPERS - Company F - 507th PIR - 82nd Airborne

Report Page 5 listed their initials, last name, serial number, and ultimate fate. I got their first names (and corrected illegible spellings) from info on THIS PAGE at DDay-Overlord.com.
(It's in French).

THE MISSION

Click on Grantham AFB below to see it today. Or Click Here for a current street view.

Cherbourg Peninsula

1. Last sighting of Stan's plane entering clouds at 1°49'W 49°28'N, about 0220 6 June 1944, reported by 1st Lt. Berlin Middlebrooks who was flying on their left wing. (Pages 5-8)
2. Reports by Hitztaler (Page 3) and Hendry (Page 4), both dated 21 June, give the "approximate location of plane crash" as "NW of Valognes" at 0315 hours. Casualty Questionnaire (AFPPA-12) by Vezina (Page 12) says it struck the ground "near the little town St. Joseph". Casualty Questionnaire (AFPPA-12) by Hendry (Page 14) says "Edwards and Vezina bailed out together at about 0245 or 0250 near Valognes, Normandy. I bailed out next and then Hitztaler went out the escape hatch on top of the plane. Montgomery was lying in the aisle of the aircraft just behind the pilot's and co-pilot's seats wounded and probably unconscious."
3. The map on Page 10 shows "A/C 42-32638"[sic] was "ABANDONED IN THIS AREA". The coordinates along the bottom indicate 2° West - they should be 1° West.
4. THIS PAGE at DDay-Overlord.com, when translated, reveals the following: "US Unit Design registration C-47 42-23638 piloted by 1st Lt. William R. Hitztaler and belonging to the 14th Troop Carrier Squadron, 61st Troop Carrier Group, 52nd Troop Carrier Wing of the 9th Troop Carrier Command, shot by anti Defence German aérienne 6 June 1944 over Négreville in Normandy while transporting paratroopers of Company F of the 507th Parachute Infantry Division, 82nd Airborne Division. Hitztaler has time to give the order to jump 19 paratroopers planned to be released above the drop zone coded "T" to more than 12 kilometers south-east. But the paratroopers Donn W. Commings and Charles George Stout were injured by the explosions and the radio, the S / Sgt Orlo A. Montgomery, was fatally wounded. And other crew members have just enough time to jump before the crash: Douglas C-47 crashed at a place called Clos Neuf, Hamlet Rouville, northwest of Negreville. The remains of two bodies were found in the wreckage of the aircraft: the remains of Charles George Stout is identified but Orlo A. Montgomery is missing".

A Google Map search for various combinations of Clos Neuf, Hameau Rouville, etc was unrevealing, but here's a Google Map link to Négreville.

Nice to know for sure the final resting place of
C-47-a #42-23638.

I'm sure Stan already got the details on April 4, 2004 when he was reunited with "Ring" Montgomery and the others.

This memorial plaque was placed at the crash site by grateful French citizens on June 7, 1999.

REGARDING THE CONDITION OF THE AIRCRAFT

HITZTALER (Page 3): Shot up a lot; it was on fire; left engine and trail edge of left wing near fuselage was burning.

HENDRY (Page 4): Left engine burning; right engine unknown; many flak holes in plane. Tail section shot up.

Supplemental Missing Air Crew Report (Page 9) by Maj. Lewis S. Frederick, Jr., Air Corps, Commanding (dated 29 July): All control cables were shot out of aircraft.