(Important Note from Doc Snafu, the publisher)
It took me nearly six years to truly grasp the depth of what happened. Not just the facts, but the weight of them. I made five trips to Hattonville, France — each one bringing me closer to the crash site, and yet each time I felt further from any kind of understanding. It was a story buried under silence, confusion, and something far darker. With the authorization of the Mayor of Hattonville, I was finally able to conduct a proper investigation. I brought in a ground-penetrating radar unit — not because I wanted to disturb the past, but because the past refused to rest. I needed to see for myself what was beneath the surface, both literally and historically.
And then it happened! Among the grass — exposed and unguarded by time — I found a piece of human skull. Roughly the size of a cigarette pack. A fragment of someone’s life, someone’s death. One of the crew members who never left that field in 1944. That moment shattered any illusion I had that this was just another forgotten crash site. I began to form my own opinion, rooted not in theory, but in the physical reality before me. What had once seemed unthinkable became undeniable. Something went horribly wrong here. This wasn’t just about a plane going down — this was about what happened afterward.
I pushed Willis Sam Cole, the author, for what I believed was the only moral course of action: full exhumation of the buried crewmen of the Lady Jeannette in their final rest places. The disinterment of the remains of all the crew members; a DNA testing; Cross-referencing with living family members. We needed proof. Not speculation. Not stories. Proof. Because what GHQ SHAEF Europe ordered in 1944… it’s beyond troubling. You’ll read it for yourself. And when you do, you’ll understand why this story is more than historical — it’s human. It’s shameful. And it demands to be told, no matter how disgusting the truth may be.
In early June 2000, after the author and his wife had delivered the newly found the missing ID tag of 1/Lt Donald J. Gott, MOH, at the crash site in the Bois de Hattonville-France it became the definitive proved fact beyond any doubt, that 1/Lt Donald J. Gott, MOH, could not have died in the crash described in the medal Citation, in Saarbrücken (Germany). They were told by the person in charge of the Mortuary Affairs, Europe, that the site would have to be given a full Search and Recovery to find the unaccounted for remains. In late 2000, the author was told, a full Search and Recovery was schedule in February, 2001. The author had tickets to be there when a week before leaving he was informed that the team had to be sent to an emergency recovery.
It was then, that we realized that the Mortuary Affairs, then in the process of becoming a new caring organization was full of liars who would never allow the truth to be known if there was any way they could prevent. The emergency crash site was one we had been to in 1999 and we were told by the men who had located the site they had placed a request over a year earlier for the Mortuary Affairs to conduct a full Search and Recovery. They had found a P-51 buried about 15 feet in the soft dirt of the area, they had found the pilot sitting in his seat and stopped. They were waiting and continued to wait for around two years before it suddenly became an emergency. If anyone wants to check, you can find the newspaper articles stating about their new find and then, you will find it took them some years before the newspaper articles were claiming they had just been able to identify the pilot.
Funny, he was found sitting inside his P-51 with all its serial number and the machine gun serial numbers listed on his MACR, Missing Aircrew/Aircraft Report. In addition, the pilot’s ID tags were found around the neck of the body. All of which provided instant, one hundred percent identification during and after World War Two until it was realized by the new organizations that fast identification does not build big budgets. Holding the remains for years and conducting extensive DNA testing builds large budgets, with new labs and fancy offices and of course in our government it is the size of the budget and the people you are in charge of that is the foundation for your base pay. And, the best part is that no one will dare question us as we take care of our military dead. Perhaps, it was that way twenty years ago when the men were mostly retired veterans, the organizations are now run by civilians who have little or no service except for civil service and they do know exactly how to build a budget to over a hundred millions dollars, while identifying only 80 or so unknowns a year.
Since, he was first involved, the Colonel sometimes accompanied by Sgt Tiff, his driver, made several trips to England and was remembered at the 452nd Bomb Group, 36th Bomb Squadron (RCM) and obviously led the 729th Bomb Squadron and 452nd Bomb Group Commanders through the Congressional Medal of Honor applications. The best witness to his existence is 2/Lt Harms, the required ‘eye witness officer‘ for an application to go forth. Lt Harms had returned from the rest camp, but neither he nor Lt Collins met during that time. One day in December, Lt Harms was called to the Group Commanders office and the Group Commander told him they had been reviewing what had happened to him and his application to be taken off flying status.
The Group Commander asked Lt Harms to go for a walk with him and while they were walking he told Lt Harms, the normal thing that happened to men who did not want to fly was an immediate assignment to front line infantry unit, however, he told Harms as they came to the Group Finance offices that he knew Lt Harms was only a quarter short of graduating from college with an accounting degree and if everything went right for Lt Harms in the next day or two, instead of his being assigned as a front line infantry second lieutenant, he would be retained at the group as a Finance Officer. The Commander took Harms on a tour of the finance office, introduced him to everyone and reminded him when they left, that the next couple of days were very important and he hoped Lt Harms did the right thing.
Lt Collins had been called in and they told him that he could leave for home knowing that his actions were responsible for Gott and Metzger being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. And, he was given his orders to report to a ship for return to the states. Fifty some years later, T/Sgt Gustafson and the author visited Lt Collins at his home in Washington, D.C, and Collins told us, that knowing he was responsible for their getting the Congressional Medal of Honor was the best memory of his life. This visit took place before the author knew the truth and Collins completed his final transfer before the truth was known. Still, Lt Collins did it for the truth, not to hide the truth of what was done, which was done by Gen Eisenhower and all those he supported, especially those who read, approved and signed the applications, knowing the information contained within was false.
S/Sgt Robbin, upon return from the rest camp, was asked to go his Squadron Commander’s office on November 22, 1944, and interviewed about what happened. When the description of the men’s death was read, he said that was not what happened as they were extremely low when he bailed out and there was no way his B-17 had crashed that way. He was told, if he did not sign the statement the way it was worded, he would be responsible for the two pilots not receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor. Plus, as soon as he signed it he was to go to his barracks and pack, as he was being assigned to the 70th Repl Depot, par 5 SO#328, Hq 3rd Bomb Division, on the 23rd. He had been put in for a promotion ot T/Sgt, but since he was on orders, it was refused. As Robbins told the author when we visited his at his home, fifty years later, he liked Gott and had no reason that should prevent him getting the award, so he signed the statement. Then, he was given his travel orders to start on his way home to his wife, Shirley, back home in the states. They had been married on the 29th of May and he had left for England on the 8th of June, 1944, and he was ready to get on with his marriage to Shirley.
Lt Harland had finally returned to the base and immediately sent off to a rest camp where he greatly enjoyed himself. He never met anyone from the group again, though there were some letters after the war, however, he did not maintain the communications. Harland arrived back in the United States, one of the first to arrive back home and was home for Christmas in Chicago where he lived for the rest of his life. Harland had died six weeks before the author found his address, however, his family gave the author full access to all his papers, including copies of the letters. Among the documents, there was a reference of how he helped get the men the Congressional Medal of Honor and his children told the author that he carried a newspaper clipping in his wallet all his life and often showed it to them and told them, those two men were really responsible for their lives, if not for them, they would never had been born. For a while Harland did communicate with S/Sgt Krimminger’s widow. Thanks to Mrs. Ida Krimminger’s efforts to contact all the crew survivors to find out what had happened to her husband, the author was finally able to locate all the families of those who died and all the survivors. She was some gal, she refused the G.I. Insurance payment of $10.000 and insisted S/Sgt Krimminger’s mother and family receive the insurance money. Ida finished college, became a micro-biologist and married a lawyer from San Francisco and she has a field house in a San Francisco park named after her.
S/Sgt Fross, never returned to the base, he was happy at the base hospital he had been sent to and he remembered he was visited one time by an officer from the base and he had to sign something important, however, as it was over fifty years later when the author interviewed him, and he was well into Alzheimer’s, he could not remember what it was he signed.
T/Sgt Gustafson remembered very well the officer who came from the Group to interview him as a witness to the Congressional Medal of Honor applications. When the officer read the description of the crash and the men’s death, he told the officer there was no way that was true. Then, again the person being interviewed was told, if you do not sign this document exactly as written, you will be responsible for Lts Gott and Metzger not receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor. Hell, Sam, Gustafson told me, I believed they deserved the medal even if the description was false, so I signed the damn thing and the officer left. In February, 1944, he was flown back to the states and spent a year in military hospitals until he could walk and was discharged.
Lt Harms was informed that he was to be present at the Group Commanders office early the next morning. When he arrived, he was told to go into the Commander’s office and there he found two rows of documents lying on the Commander’s desk and standing behind the desk was his Squadron and Group Commander. Standing a short distance behind them was a young Colonel that he did not recognize. His Group Commander told him to look over the documents and that he was to sign the two applications as the required ‘Eye Witness Officer‘. Lt Harms quickly read the two documents and then he had a problem, he told his Commander that he could not sign the documents as the description of the crash and the death of the men was not true. He had watched his bomber crash into a woods and come to a stop right in front of him. Then, he had visited the crash site and he was positive, the bomber had broken into four large pieces and it had not disintegrated as stated. He added, that both his Squadron and Group Commander has seen his medical record that proved his B-17 had not crashed as described in the two applications!
The Commander looked over his shoulder at the young Colonel who stepped up between his two Commanders and told him very directly, ‘Lt you will sign these documents exactly as written, salute, and march out of this office, or I will not be responsible for what will happen to you‘. Fifty years later, Lt Harms told the author, I was not a damn fool then and I am not a damn fool now, I signed the documents, saluted, turned and marched out of that office. The next day, I became a Group Finance Officer. Sam, I was married and I had a pregnant wife at home, there was no way I was going to the front lines. Then, in February, 1945, he was the only survivor, other than Gustafson to fly home.
Lt Collins arrived aboard a ship in Boston on Christmas Day, 1944. When leaving the terminal, he ran into S/Sgt Robbins who was surprised to see him. They talked for a few minutes and Robbins asked to borrow ten dollars as he had lost all his money playing craps on the way back. Collins never expected to see that ten dollars again, but some months later, a card arrived with the ten dollars. Robbins did get home that Christmas night, thanks to Collins, he rejoined his wife, Shirley, whom he had married just before he left. Before Robbins was discharged, he was assigned to be a teacher at a machine gunners school in Texas. He knew Fross lived in McAllen (Texas), and when he called Fross’s home, he found Fross was home on leave, so he got a short leave and Robbins and Fross visited. Before too long, Fross and Robbins lost contact with each other. Both were discharged and Robbins and Shirley moved back home to Massachusetts. Once, Shirley and Robbins found out about the 452nd Bomb Group Association, they attended most of the reunions before Shirley died. Sometime after Shirley died in the mid-2000’s, during a conversation with the author, Robbins told the author he was just waiting to die, so he could join Shirley.
S/Sgt Fross, stayed at the base hospital in England and finally boarded a ship for home on Christmas Day, 1944. Later, he heard from Robbins, that Gustafson was in a hospital in New Jersey and he sent Gustafson a crate of grapefruit. Gustafson remembered this as he had been given a home leave and he received the package after moving to another hospital. It had taken so long to catch up with him, the grapefruits had rotted. He met Fross one last time when he and the author visited Fross’s home in McAllen, fifty-one years later. Fross had gone into Alzheimer’s and his wife, Mary had called the author and told him if you ever want to talk to him you must come soon. The next week, the author and Gustafson arrived at his home. Due to the author knowing the names of all the men involved and exactly what happened they carried on a conversation for some time which greatly surprised Mary as he had not been talking to anyone. Later, they tried to get him into a Veteran’s Hospital and he was refused as they did not have any record of the metal in his head. The author supplied the information about the metal in Fross’s head and how it got there. The VA did an x-Ray series and admitted him, where he lived until he completed his final transfer.
In the late 1990’s the author was contacted by an officer who served in the 452nd Bomb Group. He wrote to inform the author that he had written both of the application’s citation and they were approved exactly as he had written them, except for the description of the crash! The Group Commander had given him a sheet of paper with two descriptions of the crash written on it and the Group Commander told the awards officer, that all the rest of the two applications were to be his. However, (basically an order) he was to use the supplied description for both men’s applications exactly as written with no change what so ever!
By the end of December, the applications were making their way up the Chain of Command. Lt Harms’ medical records, which he did furnish a copy to the author, supports his claim that he was forced to sign the applications under the threat of punishment of being sent to the front lines as an Infantry Second Lieutenant with no training, where such officers had a life expectancy of less than a month. Especially, as both Commanders and the Colonel knew that Lt Harms had a pregnant wife at home.
One would have to believe, that the Colonel from Eisenhower’s staff who had such power large unit commanders did whatever they were told to do, was using Eisenhower’s name, without Gen Eisenhower’s knowledge to even believe a little, that Gen Eisenhower had not approved of all that was done. Gen Eisenhower owed his Command in Europe to Gen Marshall and does any reader think, that Gen Eisenhower would have sent two falsified Congressional Medal of Honor applications up the Chain of Command without fully informing all the men involved that what he has requested them to do, involved false statements?
The applications were created and forwarded, when men such as the Commanders of the XIX Tactical Air Command knew the truth of both crash sites. Another man, one who was the overall Commander of the Third Army in Eastern France, knew of the shoot down of a Top Secret B-24 in his area of Command, by a night fighter under the Command of the Ninth AF. The Commander of the Ninth AF was a drinking buddy of the overall Commander and both spent a lot of time together. Gen George S. Patton, the Commander of the Third Army, the overall Commander of the US Army in Eastern France, had a reputation of knowing everything that happened in his area of command.
The author is certain, that Gen Patton was aware of the shoot down of the top secret B-24 ‘226’ and the crash of the ‘Lady Jeannette’ in the Woods of Hattonville. For one week before the shoot down of both of these bombers and for one week after both had crashed, no other American bomber crashed in France. As the cover up did not begin until nearly a day after the ‘Lady Jeannette’ had crashed, the information of the B-17 crash was already in the daily reports, as was the shoot down of a B-24 by a night fighter. For Gen Patton, not be aware of both crashes, one would have to believe he was not being briefed on the daily combat reports of the units under his command. Yes, there no such reports in any existing documents from this period. Expected documents are either missing or have obviously been modified after the date of their origin.
A prime example of this is the most forward USAAF unit on that date. It was a P-51 photo recon unit and its report for the November 9, states all the pilots were out on the runway, looking for a P-51 that was overdue. It also states, they had been notified by a forward observer in the front line, that a P-51 had been seen going down inside the German lines. At that exact time, the ‘Lady Jeannette’ had flown almost overhead of that unit at an altitude of no more than 1500 feet with fire torching back past the tail on one side and smoke leading back into the German lines from the other. The forward observer was assigned to the 563rd SAW Bn and his report had to have been forwarded by the 563rd to the photo unit headquarters and we know, he also reported the B-17 passing overhead. However, there is no existing document in the photo recon’s records that they ever saw the B-17, which crashed a few miles from their base. One would think, the first thing a Ninth AF unit would do, would be to send an ambulance to follow the B-17 to its crash site to see if they could aid the bomber crew from the Eighth AF. And, certainly to help insure other aviation men who might have died, they would have noted the sighting in their daily combat report.
The application moved up the Chain of Command and in due time, would have made it to the office of the President. By that time, Roosevelt may have already died and the author believes, that he would have been informed about the cover-up false Congressional Medal of Honor applications. As everyone in that Chain of Command now knew that officially recovered remains at both crash sites had been hidden and all the official records as required by Army Regulations had been falsified to hide this fact from the families of the men who died at both crash sites! And, all of them knew the American public would not stand for any military person from Private to Gen Eisenhower hiding the remains of American military dead! If, what had been done ever became known to the American public, with all the tens of thousands of dead and Missing In Action personnel, the mothers, the fathers, the siblings, the wives of all those dead, either accounted for or still Missing In Action would demand that everyone involved in any way be brought up on charges and their careers destroyed!
Based on the facts, that President Truman was not told about the atomic bomb research and the fact that one would soon exist for some time after he became President, the author believes, when President Truman approved the award of the Congressional Medal of Honor on General Order 38, 16 May, 1945, to 1/Lt Donald J. Gott and 2/Lt William E. Metzger Jr, that he had no idea of what had been done. The author believes, that Truman was a man who if he had known he would not have approved the applications and he would have corrected the situation of the hidden remains, where possible.
The war had ended before the awards were approved and Gen Patton had arranged to return to the United States for a Victory Tour. He was honored at many large cities with ticker tape parades and tens of thousands in attendance. In Boston, over 700.000 people turned out to line the streets, more people than lived in Boston. The same occurred in Los Angeles and Denver, plus his other stops. While on the tour, the newspapers all had articles in them of two Eighth AF pilots being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Gen Patton had to know what had been done and had gone along with it. It was so important that the top secrets contained in the top secret B-24 were kept from the Germans. He agreed with Eisenhower that if the Germans had learned what the B-24 was capable of doing and had gotten a relic from the crash that would allow them to duplicate the top secret equipment and use it against the Allies Air Forces. The war would not be lost but it could be extended with thousands of possible Allied aircraft losses and thousands of additional Allied air crew casualties. It was possible tens of thousands of civilians on both sides would become casualties and so, he agreed with what Gen Eisenhower had ordered to be done and basically, it had been out of his mind for some time.
Now, he realized that Gen Eisenhower had used the highest American military medal not to honor the dead pilots but to hide what Gen Eisenhower had personally ordered to be done. In fact, ordering American military leaders down to the lowest enlisted man involved, that they would illegally hide the remains of American military dead! It was obvious to Gen Patton, that Gen Eisenhower had also personally ordered the falsification of two Congressional Medal of Honor awards. It is noted in books concerning Gen Patton’s return to Europe after the tour, that he was worried about something and in fact he had told close friends that he now had information that would destroy the men who were trying to destroy him. However, if he used what he knew it would cause great problems in the Chain of Command and he did not want to follow through.
Then, Gen Eisenhower reduced Gen Patton from being the Commander of the Third Army to commander of the Fifteenth Army, a paper army that had less than 2000 personnel assigned to it. It is recorded in October 1945, he was known to be extremely troubled and drove around Germany and Europe and when he returned, he again stated, he was not ready to destroy the Chain of Command of the Army he loved. Then, on Saturday night, December 8, 1945, Gen Patton held a staff dinner and he told the assembled men that he had made up his mind. He could not continue as he had, he was leaving for England on Monday, to board the Navy cruiser, the USS Augusta. The Captain of the Augusta was a long-time friend of his, he would be home for Christmas with his wife and then, after Christmas, he was going to quit the Army. He was not going to retire, because, if he retired they could still control him. Then, in the New Year, after he was no longer in the Army, he was going to tell the American public, the truth as he knew it.
It is also recorded, that Gen Gay, assigned to him by Gen Eisenhower, was immediately upset and after some time, he told Gen Patton that they should go pheasant hunting tomorrow, as he knew fields where no German had hunted since the war began and they would find many pheasants for Patton to try out the new shotgun he had been given. Gen Patton agreed and told Gen Gay to get it set up and they would enjoy a good day of hunting.
Nearly everyone knows what happened to Gen Patton the next day. On the way to the hunt, an American 6X6 GMC truck had pulled in front of Patton’s staff car and he was badly injured in the accident. There are a number of books based on this being a planned accident that was used to kill Gen Patton. In the latest joke to the author, a book based on their version of history, titled ‘Killing General Patton’, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, ISBN-13: 978-0-8050-9668-2 was recently published. The book consists of rehashed information that had been written over the years by many authors, such as laying out why the Russians wanted Patton dead or an OSS man was paid to kill Patton. There was nothing new and neither writer offered any true motive for Patton to not return to the United States.
At the end, they left the readers as uninformed as when they began reading the book. Had either one spent any time interviewing men who fought in Europe both O’Reilly and Dugard would have learned none of the men would have followed Patton one inch in an attack on Russia. The author has talked with hundreds, if not thousands, of Veterans over the years and every one of them stated, they had fought their war and won it. And, no matter what others might say, they were going home and if anyone attempted to stop them, there would have been battles at the ports in Europe. Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, if they had done any true research would have known the author had first published ‘The Best Kept Secret Of World War Two!‘ ISBN: 978-0-9662728-1-9 in 2008, in which the author laid out a very understandable motive, supported by the inclosed and more evidence, why Gen Patton must not return to the United States and carry out, exactly what is recorded, he said he was going to do at that last dinner. He was going to quit the Army and destroy those bastards who had been attempting to destroy him!
As to his death in the hospital, Gen Patton’s wife had flown to Europe and had discussed with Gen Gay and her husband’s doctors about his improvement to a point where the doctors had agreed, he could be returned to the states. When suddenly, the next day a massive infection set in and Patton was soon dead. Not autopsy was done, no fluids were preserved and he was quickly buried among the soldiers he had commanded.
During the twenty-four years, come Christmas Eve, 1991, since the author was first introduced to the Grave of the Unknown American in the Cartigny village cemetery the author has met a number of OSS personnel. Among the discussions was how the OSS was disbanded immediately by President Roosevelt when Patton died. During his research and during these discussions, the author became aware of some of the training OSS personnel was given. Some were sent to France to openly kill Frenchmen who were helping the Germans, others died suddenly, overwhelmed by infections. One told the author, it is easy to kill someone in such a manner that most would never realize the person was murdered. All one had to do was place some human waste in a cup, mix some water to turn it into an injectable fluid and inject in a location where no one would notice. In a few hours, a massive infection would develop and soon, that person would be dead. As a historian, the author has to place the following question. Is this the reason why no autopsy was performed after Gen Patton’s death?
In 1948, all American dead were disinterred and prepared for their Final Disposition. Even if the family had requested an ‘over there‘ burial, the remains were disinterred, inspected by a licensed Mortician, re-identified and an inventory of the contents of the grave was recorded on the Disinterment Directive
Disinterment Directive – S/Sgt Herman B. Krimminger
Staff Sergeant Herman Bruce Krimminger
Tail Gunner, B-17G Lady Jeannette (42-97904)
729th Bomb Squadron
452nd Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force
Staff Sergeant Herman Bruce Krimminger hailed from Charlotte (North Carolina). As the tail gunner aboard the B-17G Lady Jeannette, he was part of a mission targeting the marshalling yards at Saarbrücken (Germany), on November 9, 1944. During this operation, the aircraft sustained severe damage from anti-aircraft fire. Despite the crew’s efforts to return to Allied territory, the plane crashed near Hattonville (France). Tragically, Krimminger perished in the crash, along with several of his crewmates. He was posthumously awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart in recognition of his service and sacrifice.
(1) Krimminger’s official Burial Report showed his cause of death, ‘caught on plane’.
(2) Desintered on April 28, 1948, S/Sgt Hermann B. Krimminger.
(3) (1) Left radius found in the undershirt, (2) left pelvis found in the undershorts.
(4) Condition of Remains – Advanced state of decomposition; disarticulated; all major bones fractured and/or missing except left radius (1) and left pelvic girdle (2).
(5) All remains interred in the cemetery plot for Staff Sergeant Herman B. Krimminger are currently classified as unidentified. Following DNA testing, only the left radius (1) and the left pelvic (2) have been conclusively attributed to him.
(4) Mark on undershirt: K-0339.
(5) Mark on underwears: K-0339.
(6) One Identification Tag found.
(7) Report Signed: Philip F. Praff.
We know Krimminger was torn apart by the trees. However, his remains were not in the fire zone and there was nothing to crush bones, other than tree limb strikes.
With the time the medics of the 563-SAW Bn spent recovering the remains and the fact that no French person who walked the crash site after the site was released ever reported finding any bones in the debris trail, one has to believe all of Krimminger’s recoverable remains were recovered.
Disinterment Directive for 2/Lt William E. Metzger, Jr. (MOH)
2nd Lieutenant William E. Metzger, Jr.
Medal of Honor Recipient
Co-Pilot, B-17G Lady Jeannette (42-97904)
729th Bomb Squadron
452nd Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force
On November 9, 1944, 2/Lt Metzger, demonstrated extraordinary heroism during a bombing mission over Germany that would earn him the United States military’s highest award — the Medal of Honor. At just 22 years old, Metzger served as co-pilot aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress, ‘Lady Jeannette’, part of the 452nd Bomb Group based in England. During the mission, the aircraft sustained severe damage from enemy anti-aircraft fire. The interior filled with smoke, the hydraulic systems failed, and three crew members were seriously wounded — including the radio operator, who was gravely burned. With the aircraft ablaze and one engine failing, Metzger and pilot Lt Gott were faced with an unthinkable decision. Despite having the opportunity to bail out and save themselves, Metzger and Gott chose to stay with the aircraft in an attempt to reach friendly territory, allowing the wounded crew a chance to survive. Knowing the aircraft could explode at any moment, they remained at the controls — calm, steady, and resolute. The plane ultimately crashed near Hattonville (France). Both Metzger and Gott were killed on impact. Their sacrifice ensured that other crew members had a chance to escape and survive.
2/Lt Metzger was sitting in the same cockpit, within two feet, of 1/Lt Gott and it is important to note that his official grave contained no identifiable bones, with the contents being recorded as Disarticulated. Multiple fractures throughout.
We know, from interviews with the French over the years, that both pilots had been found sitting side by side with the only injury to their bodies were their broken skulls from the limbs breaking into the cockpit. We also know from French eyewitnesses at the crash site, that a large number of the French saw three complete bodies at the site, one of which would have been the complete body of 2/Lt Metzer, MOH.
The question has to be where are his complete physical body remains?
Note: The original Burial Record of 2/Lt W. E. Metzger, Jr. shows his cause of death was: ‘Burned airplane crash’, which indicates the original burned flesh and bone remains stated in his official Burial Report to be his official remains, as turned in by the 563rd SAW Battalion medics had to have been placed in a fire after death.
French eyewitnesses saw his complete body, the only explanation has to be, the remains in that Burial Package consisted of the burned, partial remains of Krimminger.
Disinterment Directive for 1st Lt. Donald J. Gott – MOH
1st Lieutenant Donald J. Gott
Medal of Honor Recipient
Pilot, B-17G Lady Jeannette (42-97904)
729th Bomb Squadron
452nd Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force
1/Lt Gott was sitting within two feet of 2/Lt Metzger when they died. Yet, the inventory of the remains in his official grave consisted of: Body disarticulated; crushed skull (1), mandible & maxilla (1).
Fractured: left humerus (1), radius (1), pelvis (1), femur (1), tibia & fibula (1), right scapula (1), humerus (1), radius (1), ulna (1).
Missing: pelvis and femur (2).
All the bones marked (3) are unidentified. Note: what is missing, when both men bodies were removed from inside their B-17 cockpit as complete bodies with broken skulls. Description by the Frenchmen who helped remove the bodies and reported by many French citizens who saw three complete bodies near a fire at the crash site!
Also to be noted, the original Burial Record of 1/Lt Donald J. Gott stated clearly Lt Gott’s cause of death was ‘burned in a plane crash’ which means the flesh of the remains turned at the time of his burial had to show fire damage! However, there is no fire damage reported to the existing skeletal remains found in the grave in 1948? Can someone explain this because one cannot fully understand this without concluding that it was carried out deliberately—under orders, and with intent. Unless, of course, I’m mistaken?
Dozens of French eyewitnesses saw three complete bodies laying near the fire the Americans was burning. Why are all or almost all of the bones from the complete body of 2/Lt Gott, Medal of Honor, not in his official grave!
The illustration above, is a symbolic representation based on verified archival evidence and forensic research conducted over more than three decades. The scene depicted reflects the disturbing reality uncovered in the cases of two specific aircraft: the B-17 “Lady Jeannette” and the B-24 “I Walk Alone 1”. The dismemberment, misidentification, and manipulation of the remains of American servicemen—recipients of the deserved highest military honors—did not occur by accident, but through deliberate acts under classified directives. This image does not generalize US military burial practices, but strictly addresses the documented facts tied to these two cases, as verified by the author and publisher of EUCMH.
