I went to Blois last Wednesday. I met some very nice people and visited people who helped American airmen during the war. I also visited the Local museum and was absolutely amazed by the quality of the displayed material. Our English and Norwegian friend swould love the place. Our American friend shave a honor place too: there is a shell for the 493BG , a lot of material from the 3rd Army.
The museum is still rules by former Resistants who give first hand accounts.
The material exhibited is the one thye used (Stenguns, radios , parachutes etc..)

A lot of material dedicated to the SOE , the Lysanders, 161 Squadron

places featured are BLOIS VENDOME VALENCAY FRETEVAL

There are several Prizes (captured German material) including Swastika flags taken by the Resitance and the one Captured by LECLERC at Landsberg.

Many guns, aircraft pieces etc...

On the way back I saw a bridge west of Blois that was destroyed and never rebuilt. I asked locals and found out it was destroyed by P-38s on June 11th 1944 . I will open a thread for this later.



DB605 engine from a JG27 me109 shot down on June 25th 1944




MG from the same Messerchmitt




Hispano Suza engine from a French Dewoitine 520 flown by German LG1 pilots. It crashed after it ran out of petrol in 1942.





One of the dropped containers for the resistance. This one had a radio to get in touch with the Lysander pilots .

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Superb!

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Regards,

Gordon
http://www.freewebs.com/thehistoryvault/
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

Thanks Gordon, more pictures to come soon. I will also write a little something about the crashed aircrafts involved.

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Very impressive items!

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Eine Lichtung im Walde wo die Sonne scheint.
Eingeschlossen durch Bäume sind wir gefangen,
in dieser Lichtung Gottes...

some of the collection:

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Nice pics; my mouth is watering beyond belief!

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Regards,

Gordon
http://www.freewebs.com/thehistoryvault/
http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

Skipper .......photos of resistance members under that ugly flag ??

June 25, 1944 :

IV./JG 27 lost 1 Bf 109G-6 pilot and place of crash unknown

III./JG 27 lost 2 Bf 109G-6, first one Uffz. Günther Fritzsche unknown area but in closeness to Caen/Lisieux. Second 109G-6 no pilot or location given

II./JG 27 lost 0

I./JG 27 and Stab. lost 6 Bf 109G-6's, pilots and crash locations unknown. Stab./JG 27 lost 0.

Great stuff Skipper!
I really like the picture of the cannister with the radio inside!
thanks!! looking forward to seeing more!

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...this army made up of ex-resistence men and named by the Prince Himself, became known as the STOOTTROEPEN(Stormtroopers).
Nulli Cedo = I'll give way to no one.

Scott

Erich three of these crashed (confirmed= locations known) near Blois after a fight with P-38s. I'll let you fumble a bit fur the fun before I give you more details.

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Skip well I have the diaries of all 4 gruppen of JG 27 in the German, but sad to say too many gaps in those, I am not doubting you at all to clarify, it is just that it or they per-se are almost MIA both pilot and craft and niether officially listed in German docs or Archiv's. most likely II./JG 27 due to the many downings I am presuming

add more please

Well I'm glad to help you out to fill three of your gaps.

There was a bombing mission to Bourges (MISSION 129). P-38s were escorting the B-24s and intercepted Me109s from JG27. 3 ME109 went down near Blois. the three places have been identified.
-The engine and the MG both come from a field in Neuvy. They belonged to a G6 and the pilot evaded. Downed by P-38s from 364FG and 384FG.
-The second G6 went down at CROUY SUR COSSON. PILOT +
-The third G6 went down at Chambord (II/JG27) PILOT +
Hope this helps . I am still trying to find the names of the pilots.

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oh and I forgot to say my ugly flag was deleted , so you won't see it again, however the men who wer eon it were the ones who took it as prize in combat. I believe they were local resistants and two americans.

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as I thought most likley all 3 from the II. gruppe. Dr. Prien in his new series of JG histories may cover whom perished/evaded and just plain took part on this op in the years ahead. Am not real sure right now what years he is covering in his latest work.

E ~

Some sources say 1/JG27, others 2/JG27. One could be from 10/JG27 because I have a name for Chambord for the next day from this unit (probably the same crash but the pilot died from his wounds a few hours later ) because there was no crash there on June 26th besides. The pilot is Ofhr. siegfried Schneider 10/JG27. Heard this name before? He is the guy from the third crash in the forest of the Chambord castle park.

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Here is a picture of the propeller blades of the same ME109 from Jg27. One blade is in fairly good condition, the other one is rolled up like a dry leaf. Incredible to see how it could get such a shape.

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I have to make a re-traction as I was mentioning the 6 109 losses to II. gruppe but in fact it was I. gruppe. I have the following:

6 Bf 109G-6's from I. gruppe. No staffel indication or names of pilots and as I said earlier no crash location(s)

I think the first Gruppe seems more than correct for at least two losses , those are the indications I have too.
The other one should be Schneider. from 10/JG27

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Herr Kommodore S. Schneider is listed as KIA on the 26th of June 44 over the forest of Chambord near Blois. 3 other Bf 109G-6's lost on the 26th of June as well from III. gruppe.

do I understand correctly it should read the 25th of June ?

Yes you are correct. The June 26th Kia is also recorded on June 25th. It is in fact one crash. As I said the man death must have been recorded the following day. One thing is certain there was one crash in this forest not two and certainly not two crashes at the same place withing 24 hours.


Something else that brings another mystery. I have just received these great pictures. It is a buffing wheel from a local woodworker. But have a close look! I will give you a few hints before I tell you where thye come from. They are relics from a 1944 aircraft , they are Amercan.

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I must throw a big fat 0 clue, no idea, it appears to be a rotor or ?

French ingenuity

Bingo! Actually it is the rotor of the turbo compressor of a P-38 engine. This P-38 crashed near Chateaudun in 1944. There is a number on the frame It starts with 43. I wonder if it's the serial number. The craziest thing is that it still works!

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