Ce jour l On that day

Mesdames et messieurs, habitants de Pisseleux, Ladies and gentlemen, dear inhabitants of the Pisseleux borough,

Nous sommes runis aujourd'hui, 6 Juin 2014 pour commmorer, avec

toute la France qui le fait en mme temps que nous, le 70e anniversaire

du Dbarquement en Normandie.

We are gathered together here, on June 6th 2014, to commemorate,

along with the whole of France which is doing the same at the same time,

the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

Ce Dbarquement en Normandie a un sens tout particulier ici Pisseleux,

car le 6 fvrier 1944 la tragdie du crash du B-17 de nos aviateurs

amricains s'inscrivait dans cette longue prparation pour cette victoire

finale.

This Normandy Invasion has a particular significance here in Pisseleux, for

on February 6th 1944 the B-17 crash tragedy of our american airmen was

part of this long preparation period leading to this final victory.

En effet, la dcision de dbarquer en Normandie et de librer la France de

l'oppresseur nazi avait t prise dix mois auparavant, et pendant les dix

mois qui vont suivre les Allis vont mener une campagne de

bombardement sans prcdent sur notre territoire pour dtruire la

machine de guerre allemande qui devait donc ensuite ne pas pouvoir

s'opposer ce fameux dbarquement.

Indeed, the decision to land in Normandy and to free France from Nazi

oppression had been taken ten months before, and for the ten months

that followed the Allied were to carry out an unprecedented bombing

campaign on our territory, aiming at destroying the german war machine

so that it may not be able to oppose this famous landing.

Ce matin du 6 fvrier 1944, cette prparation va venir entrer dans nos

rues.

On this morning of February 6th 1944, this preparation campaign was to

enter in our streets.

Ce matin l, plus de mille avions dcollaient d'une base d'Angleterre,

Snetterton. Ils se dirigeaient sur toute la France, bombardant les base de

l'Arme de l'Air franaise occupes par l'Allemagne nazie.

On that morning, more than a thousand airplanes took off from a base in

England, in Snetterton. They were heading over the whole of France,

bombing the French Air Force bases occupied by Nazi germany.

Ce matin l, 189 avions parmi ce raid avaient comme cible Romilly sur

Seine, dans l'Aube, pas trs trs loin d'ici, et parmi les 189 avions qui vont

dcoller ce matin l, un d'entre eux ne reviendra pas, il finira sa course

Pisseleux.

On that morning, 189 aircraft taking part in this huge raid had Romilly

sur Seine, in the Aube region, not far from here, in their sights. And

among these 189 aircraft which were to take off on that morning, one of

them won't make it back home; it will end its flight in Pisseleux.

Ce matin l, cet avion l va dcoller et jouer de malchance sur toute sa

trajectoire; aprs le dcollage il va tre contraint de quitter la formation

pour viter une collision en plein vol et se mettra en position arrire de

formation.

On that morning, this aircraft will take off and face bad luck all along its

flightpath; after taking off it will be forced to leave its formation to avoid

a in-flight collision and will position itself in the rear of the formation.

Arriv au dessus de sa cible, il ne pourra bombarder, comme tous les

autres, car le ciel ce jour l tait gris de nuages bas.

Once arrived over its target, this aircraft as well as all the others won't be

able to drop their bombs, for the sky on that day was grey with low

clouds.

Faisant demi-tour en direction de l'Ouest, arrivant au dessus de Melun sur

le chemin du retour, il va tre attaqu par l'un des derniers as de la

chasse allemande qui signera, aux dpends de nos aviateus ce jour l sa

cinquantime victoire.

Heading West, arriving over Melun on its way back, it will be attacked by

one the last surviving aces of the german air force who will sign, to the

detriment of our airmen, his fiftieth kill.

L'avion, mortellement touch au cockpit et l'aile gauche, en feu, va

essayer pendant vingt minutes, de remonter vers le Nord, vers

l'Angleterre d'o il tait parti.

The airplane, with a severely hit cockpit and left wing, on fire, will

attempt for the following twenty minutes to fly on, up north, towards

England from which it came.

Arriv au dessus de Pisseleux, on l'a vu creuver les nuages au dessus de la

fort, tourner sur son aile gauche en feu et essayer de longer l'Avenue de

la Gare.

Once arrived over Pisseleux, it was seen piercing down through the clouds

over the forest, turning on its burning left wing and trying to fly along the

Train Station Avenue.

Peut-tre que le pilote, Jacob Kurtzberg, ssayait de trouver un moyen de

se poser.

Maybe the pilot, Jacob Kurtzberg, was trying to find a way of landing.

Arriv la verticale du pont de Pisseleux, l'avion s'est disloqu en vol. Having flown above Pisseleux's bridge, the aircraft suddenly broke and

fell apart.

Ce matin l, dans les rues de Pisseleux, tombaient des morceaux d'avion

et des aviateurs qui n'avaient pas eu le temps de mettre leurs parachute.

On that morning, in the streets of Pisseleux, fell pieces of an aircraft along

with airmen who did not have the time to put their parachute on.

Ces aviateurs sont tombs dans les trois rues qui sont juste derrire nous. These airmen fell in the three streets located just behind us.

Nous avons voulu aujourd'hui honorer leur mmoire et raviver cette

mmoire, car beaucoup savent que l'avion est tomb mais peu savent

exactement o.

Today, we have been willing to honour and shed new light on their

memory, for many know that an airplane fell but few know exactly

where.

Nous avons donc dcid d'honorer la mmoire de ces aviateurs, mais pas

uniquement; je pense aujourd'hui aux habitants de Pisseleux qui nous

font l'honneur de leur prsence et qui, ds ce jour l, ont eu un

comportement exemplaire.

Hence have we decided to honour the memory of these airmen, but not

only; I think today about the inhabitants of Pisseleux who honour us with

their very presence and who, from this very day on, have displayed an

exemplary behaviour.

Nous sommes aujourd'hui ici, jour anniversaire du Dbarquement en

Normandie, runis pour nouer une fois de plus ce lien d'amiti trs fort

qui existe entre Villers-Cotterts et les Etats Unis.

On this D-Day anniversary, we are gathered here to give a new impetus

to this already very strong bond of friendship existing between Villers-

Cotterts and the United States.

En effet, vous le savez, le 6 fvrier 1944, l'avion qui s'est cras sur

Pisseleux a laiss derrire lui neuf aviateurs morts, mais un survivant

miraculeux.

Indeed, as you know, on february 6th 1944, the plane which crashed on

Pisseleux left behind nine dead airmen but also a miracle survivor.

L'aviateur Joe Pino aura la chance incroyable de tomber sur le tas de bois

de la scierie Deckequer et d'en sortir vivant. Vivant parce que les

habitants de Pisseleux l'ont sauv.

Airman Joe Pino will be incredibly lucky to fall onto the Deckequer factory

sawdust pile and to make it out alive. Alive because the people of

Pisseleux saved his life.

Je pense madame Camille Alupmica qui a vu l'aviateur tomber dans le

tas de sciure et qui a donn l'alerte.

I think about Miss Camille Alupmica who saw the airman falling in the

sawdust pile and gave the alert.

Je veux rendre hommage mamade Thrse Deckequer qui tait

prsente et qui lui a donn les premiers soins et son premier abri.

I wish to pay tribute to Mrs. Thrse Deckequer who was on the spot and

provided him with a first shelter.

Je pense madame Gaudron, pouse de l'instituteur, qui va lui

administrer les premiers soins.

I think about Mrs Gaudron, wife of the schoolmaster, who will provide

him with first aid.

Je pense surtout Monsieur Ren Dupuis et Monsieur Jacques Rudeaux

qui ont courrur pour le sortir du tas de sciure de bois et lui ont sauv la

vie.

I above all think about Mr Ren Dupuis and Mr Jacques Rudeaux who ran

to get him out of the sawdust pile and saved his life.

Je pense aussi madame Marnais qui, dans la rue du Grand Montoir, a

donn sa premire spulture l'aviateur Huhtala, trs trs abm.

I also think about Mrs. Marnais who, in the Grand Montoir Street, gave to

the severely hurt airman Huhtala his first grave.

Et je pense tous les habitants de Pisseleux qui ont, par leur

comportement ce jour l, fait honneur notre communaut.

And I think about all the inhabitants of Pisseleux who, thanks to their

behaviour on that day, have honoured our community.

Les amricains ne s'y sont pas tromps; en 1995, consciente de ce qui

avait t fait ce jour l, la ville de El Paso a voulu faire des habitants de

Pisseleux et de Villers-Cotterts les citoyens d'honneur de leur ville.

The american people were not mistaken; in 1995, aware of what had

been done on that day, the city of El Paso decided to make all Pisseleux

and Villers-Cotterts inhabitants alike the honoured citizens of their city.

Ce deuxime lien d'amiti entre l'Amrique et la France a eu lieu ici

Pisseleux et je tiens rendre hommage monsieur Roger Presson et

monsieur Pierre Baudier qui ont voulu que le mmorial qui se situe

derrire moi soit rig.

This second bond of friendship was tightened on this very spot, here in

Pisseleux, and I wish to pay tribute to Mr. Roger Presson and Mr. Pierre

Baudier who wanted the memorial standing behind you to be erected.

Et aujourd'hui en 2014, pour les 70 ans de cet anniversaire, nous

apportons tous ensemble un troisime chapitre cette amiti Franco-

Amricaine.

And today, in 2014, for the seventieth anniversary of the crash, we are all

adding a third chapter to this Franco-American story of friendship.

Nous avons l'honneur de compter parmi nous le cousin et l'pouse de

l'aviateur Oscar Sylvester McIver qui ont tenu nous rendre visite.

We are honoured today by the very presence among us of airman Oscar

Sylvester McIver's cousin and his wife, who expressed their desire to visit

us.

Ainsi avons-nous pu renouer les liens d'amiti entre nos deux pays. Hence have we once more been able to tighten the bonds of friendship

between our both countries.

Nous allons, l'issue de cette crmonie, procder une marche du

souvenir dans les rues de Pisseleux.

We will, after the ceremony, proceed with a rememberance walk in the

streets of Pisseleux.

Les enfants qui sont ici vont procder un dpt de gerbes, une lecture

pour chaque aviateur qui sera suivie d'une petite minute de silence.

Children present here will lay flowers, a reading for each airman will be

performed, followed by a minute of silence.

Je vous remercie. I thank you.

Lambiel Fabien. Teacher