Saturday, May 23, 2009

Trip to Crulai, France


We had a great time meeting Charles Simonson and family at his home in 2007. He told us about his time in the second World War in the 354th Fighter Group.




Charles Simonson shows us the village of Crulai where he crashed in France in August 1944. Last week, I was lucky enough to visit the village of Crulai, France where Charles was pulled from the wreckage of his plane and was hidden from the Germans by the townspeople.





The Mayor Joel Buffard of Crulai, France, Jon Teboe, (Andre Briand ), Etienne Cohu. They are about to take me on a tour of the places where Charles Simonson stayed while being hidden from the enemy in 1944.





The Mayor of Crulai Joel Buffard, Jon Teboe and Etienne Cohu at the crash site of Charles Simonson's plane in August 1944.





Jon Teboe and Etienne Cohu at the site of the crash of pilot Charles Simonson in August 1944. Cohu was one of the townspeople who pulled Simonson from the wreckage and saved his life.




The building at the top in the middle of this photo is the barn where Simonson was first hidden.




Etienne Cohu and Mayor Joel Buffard show me where the townspeople first hid Simonson from the Germans in August 1944.





Jon Teboe, Etienne Cohu and the Mayor Joel Buffard stand in front of the barn where Simonson was first hidden from the Germans in August 1944





Etienne Cohu and Brigitte Briand in front of the barn where Simonson was hidden from the Germans in 1944. Much thanks goes to Brigitte who did much of the translating for me! She helped make the interviewing much easier!!! I was lucky she was around to help!

1 comment:

crfranki said...

Jon, these area amazing. I think it is great that a few of the people who were there are still living. They must have been quite young in 1944.