Saving Lt. Palmer

Lt. Arthur J. Palmer who served in the 12^th Air Force, 79^th Fighter Group, 85^th Fighter Squadron was the pilot of a P47 Thunderbolt, which was shot down over France on September 5, 1944 after strafing a German convoy of motor transport. He sustained a head injury and broken collar bone and had little memory of the event until waking up in a tent in the woods with members of the French Résistance (Maquis).

In 2001 he came across a letter written to him in 1959 from Captain Pilleron of the Maquis, asking how he was doing. Palmer had replied to him, but never heard any more. He decided to try to contact Pilleron and wrote to him at an address in Pesmes, France. Pilleron was deceased, but the post office, noting that the letter was from an English speaking person, delivered the letter to an English woman living in Pesmes, Federica Carlyle-Price.  She read the letter and with her help and research on the Internet two men whose hobby is researching WWII crashes were contacted, Stephane Muret and Alain Thiebaut. They were able to trace the crash and piece together the story of what happened in 1944. Amazingly, nearly all the French people involved in Palmer’s rescue were still alive and living in the area of the crash site.

This is Palmer’s story.

Tuesday, September 5, 1944

Captain Maxwell and Lieutenants Palmer, Erck, and McHenry were seeking targets of opportunity in the Colmar region of France.  Although Palmer’s plane was hit in the initial strafing of a convoy of German motor transport, the flight was continued and attacked a troop train, an airfield, and additional motor transport before Palmer’s engine failed due to loss of oil. He nearly clipped the steeple of a church before making a crash landing in a potato field between La Résie-Saint-Martin and Ste. Cécile. Albert Bullot, Renée Bulllot, and Edouard Bari, who saw him land, managed to free him from the cockpit. Louis Poinsard took the unconscious pilot to his home in a horse drawn wagon. Poinsard’s daughter-in-law tried unsuccessfully to speak to him in English. Dr. Girardot, who was in the village, treated him for a broken collar bone and stitched his scalp. The Germans were nearby, so Palmer had to be hidden further away from the site of the crash.

Dr. Girardot took him to Chevigney in his car to the home of Thevenard, who was in charge of the Sauvigney Maquis. Nicole Thevenard, a 10 year-old, gave up her bed to Palmer. He was cared for by Mireille Gaunel, a nurse in the Maquis. When he left the house he gave Nicole’s mother his parachute to use in making clothing. He gave his binoculars to Nicole.

Friday, September 8, 1944

After two nights in Chevigney, Palmer was taken by Captain Pilleron to the new hiding place of the Maquis in the woods of Lieucourt to avoid German capture.  William McChesney, another American pilot whose plane was shot down over Dijon/Longvic airbase, and who had been hiding next door, went with them.

Sunday, September 10, 1944

The members of the Résistance learned that the Americans had freed Pesmes. They broke camp and arrived in Pesmes at 8:00 p.m. where Palmer met up with the 36^th Armored Division.

Monday, September 11, 1944

The town of Gray was liberated and Palmer left Pesmes with the American forces to make his way to an army hospital in Foggia, Italy.

April 2002: Palmer Returns to France

Arthur Palmer, along with his son and daughter (his wife was unable to travel), arrived in  Pesmes on April 4, 2002. They were guests at the Hotel de France, which has been owned by the Vielle family since the 1930s. Jean-Marie Vielle was a small boy when Pesmes was liberated in 1944, but he has always remembered the kindness and generosity of the American soldiers and has hosted many who have returned to the area where they once fought.

An emotional, surprise luncheon was held at the hotel, attended by nearly everyone who had aided in hiding and caring for Palmer in 1944. Albert Bullot, Renée Bullot, Edouard Bari, Nicole Thevenard, and Louis Poinsard. Dr. Girardot is deceased, but his widow, who still lives in Pesmes, attended. Mireille Gaunel, Palmer’s nurse, was unable to travel to the event but remembered Palmer and sent her regards. The warmth and gratitude of everyone were overwhelming. Federica Carlyle-Price served as an invaluable interpreter during Palmer’s stay.

The day after the luncheon, Palmer was again surprised and taken to the field where he had crashed in 1944. A large crowd was present, and the event was filmed and broadcast on television, as well as being written up in the local newspapers. From the field, Palmer was taken to the Poinsard’s farmhouse (where they still live), then to the house where the Thevenards had lived. The current owners of the house allowed Palmer to visit the room where he was hidden for two days.

The group then proceeded to the center of La Résie-Saint-Martin for a moving ceremony commemorating those who had fought for freedom, and a reception at the town hall. Palmer was presented with a bullet from his clip and the flotation device from his plane. With tears in her eyes, Nicole Thevenard Abbé presented Palmer with a piece of his parachute, which she had saved. She tried to give him back his binoculars, but he insisted she keep them. Nicole said that when Palmer was leaving her mother told her, “Say good-bye to our American soldier, you will never see him again.” She was thrilled that this was not the case.

The following day, a ceremony was held at the cemetery in Pesmes, and flowers were placed on the graves of Captain Pilleron and Dr. Girardot. A reception followed at the town hall with the mayors of Pesmes and La Résie-Saint-Martin.