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Rendezvous With The Gestapo

As his body plummeted towards the Normandy landscape at 250 feet per second, Sgt. Hilliard was likely praying to God that his chute would open. He had been trained to clear the plane before pulling the cord. Sgt. Hilliard saw for only an instant that several of his crew mates managed to jump out of the damaged aircraft before it began its downward spiral and broke in two. Glancing up, he figured enough time had gone by to clear the damaged bomber. He pulled the cord and felt a rush of excitement and relief when the chute opened and caught the wind to slow down his descent. Those feelings were short-lived. Now he realized that he was at risk of being shot by the Luftwaffe attack fighters such as the Messerschmitt Me-109s and the Fw-190s or killed by the German’s anti-aircraft guns’ flak which had crippled his aircraft and worst of all, he had absolutely no control over the situation.

Hilton G. Hilliard. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Permission to use by Ann Hilliard Ussery.
Hilton G. Hilliard. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Permission to use by Ann Hilliard Ussery.

This is the story and fate of the top turret gunner, Hilton G. Hilliard (1920−1985), and the crew on the B-17F heavy bomber which was shot down over France on the evening of 29 May 1943. Read More Rendezvous With The Gestapo

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Paris or London?

I bet there are times when people are forced to make a choice about whether to visit Paris or London. Usually there just isn’t enough time in their holiday schedule to visit both. So, the decision is made to maximize their stay in one or the other city. But which one to choose?

 In 2013, I wrote back-to-back blogs on why I like (or dislike) London and Paris. Each blog made the case for a respective city. Here we are in the dog days of summer, and everyone is traveling to Europe when the majority of Europeans are on holiday. What better time to combine those prior blogs and reprint my arguments for visiting each city.


BonjourFrance Today has invited you to view the video of my 6 June 2024 presentation, DOUBLE CROSS.

It is the story of the successful deception by Allied double agents to fool Hitler into thinking the Normandy invasion was a diversion with the real invasion taking place elsewhere.

HOW TO VIEW THE FREE VIDEO

Members:

Click here to view.

Non-members:

Click here to view.

(viewing this video is free for 30-days)

FranceMedia Group publishes magazines, both in print and digitally, that cover various aspects of France. Their brands include France Today, Complete France, Bonjour Paris, French Entrée, Taste of France, France PropertyShop, and French Property.

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Did You Know?

Did you know that dogs have been our friends for more than 12,000 years? They hunt with us, protect us, and despite how bad our day has been, they still love us. Dogs were the first domesticated animal and by medieval times, they were embedded in our homes (and castles). Think about the medieval tapestries you’ve seen in museums. There is always a loyal dog in the picture.

“Hunting with a Hawk” tapestry. Lots of animals but always at least one dog. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Metropolitan of Art (tapestry dated c. 1515). Bequest of George Blumenthal, 1941. PD-CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Wikimedia Commons.
“Hunting with a Hawk” tapestry. Lots of animals but always at least one dog. Photo by anonymous (date unknown). Metropolitan of Art (tapestry dated c. 1515). Bequest of George Blumenthal, 1941. PD-CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Wikimedia Commons.

In the tapestries and paintings with dogs, we typically know the names of the human subjects but how often do we know the dog’s name? Did the dogs even have names back then? You bet they did according to a 15th-century manuscript titled, “The Names of All Manner of Hounds.” The author lists 1,065 names given to medieval dogs and you’ll see they are quite ingenious.

“The Lady and the Unicorn” tapestry. Notice the dogs? Photo by Own Work (15 December 2021). Musée de Cluny (tapestry dated c. 1500s) PD-Author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.
“The Lady and the Unicorn” tapestry. Notice the dogs? Photo by Own Work (15 December 2021). Musée de Cluny (tapestry dated c. 1500s) PD-Author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. Wikimedia Commons.

Read More Paris or London?