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80 years ago, an extraordinary but true story about the crew of a special aircraft, which continues to this day.   HISTORICAL  BACKGROUND Approaching Christmas 1944 and the Allies had made great advances across France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Holland. The huge logistical problems of supplying the troops 340 miles (540km) ahead from the landing beaches…

Resurgent Balkan interest in the RAF & Balkan Air Force of WW2 and pilots of the Battle of Britain.   A full translation in Serbian can be found at the end of this article. Verzija teksta na srpskom jeziku se nalazi pri kraju ovog članka.     The Royal Air Force in the Balkans 1941…

The compelling story of a French airman Henry Martin, who fell in love with “Pat” Pattimore, a British special agent.   The Story   Prior to the invasion of Jersey by the German Army on 1 July 1940 , Phyllis Joyce Pattimore, (aged 23) known as “Pat” to her friends, had left her family home…

A mission to secure the memory of 46th Royal Marine Commando on D-Day and the part played by his father. Monument to 46th Royal Commando, Luc sur Mer, Normandy The Mayor of Luc sur Mer, M. Philippe Chanu, June 2019 Three years before D-Day, a discrete landing took place at Luc-sur-Mer, named “Operation Chopper”, on…

  A Poet’s Tale. Through no other reason than by being born at a specific time and place, destiny called. André was born in the City of Limoges in west central France on 28th September 1920 and was schooled nearby in the small town of St Junien. As for many people born at that period,…

100th Anniversary of  l’Association Nationale pour le Souvenir des Dardanelles et Fronts d’Orient the French Gallipoli & Dardanelles Association. (Updated 04.2021)     On behalf of our colleagues at the Gallipoli & Dardanelles International based in UK, Ian Reed attended the ceremony at Port Maillot in Paris for the 100th anniversary of the formation of…

  Discovery of the private letters of a French airman in Britain.  One of the largest wartime collections in France. The Beginning   Prior to the fall of France on 22nd June 1940, French Air Force personnel and their serviceable aircraft had pulled back to Oran in Algeria in order to re-group for the fight…

A proposed new memorial for a classical French Château with a unique wartime past near the D-Day beaches of Normandy.   NB: Traduction en français à la fin de cette page………..   Château Lantheuil in Normandy has a significant historic past. French troops on parade   In the mid 17th century Jacques Turgot de St…

Surprise discovery in Düsseldorf in 2019 – plans for a unique memorial of reconciliation in Germany. The story goes on…. See “L for Love” Part I – https://afheritage.org/tha-man-who-fell-from-the-sky-l-for-love-part-i Note: Latest updated news about this project can be found at the end of this article……. Ian Reed.     November 2018 The Annual Service of Remembrance…