Battery Corporal
Willis S. Cole
Military Museum
A Non-Profit Corporation, Washington U.S.A.
Museum Store
Historical Support: "The Best Kept Secret Of World War Two!"
A military history novel by Willis S.
Cole, Jr. ISBN:
978-0-9662728-1-9
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From the book:
Willis S. Cole, Jr., known to most as
“Sam,” has a life-long interest in military history. For more
than sixteen years Sam has been intensely researching the crashes of two
American World War Two
bombers in France. One, the “
In 1997, Sam wrote the non-fiction military history book, “
The Last Flight Of The ‘Lady Jeannette,’” In the summer of 1998, with newly acquired
physical evidence from the supposed “Lady
Jeannette”
crash-site, Sam then proved all the official records, except for the
Graves Registration records for the
dead were false. And, even those records were somewhat false, with two of those
GR records showing
they had been tampered with, after their creation. As the new evidence proved
beyond dispute, two
American bombers were now involved, the “Lady Jeannette,”
that had crashed at another, unknown,
location, and a newly discovered B-24.
In due time the Air Force Historical
Research Agency, the Air Force, the National Archives and
open-minded military historians had to agreed the “
This book tells the story of how General
Eisenhower in a day by day, year by year time-line,
using verbal orders only. Ordered the crash of the Top-Secret B-24J to disappear
in order to
protect the Allied Top-Secrets aboard the Top-Secret B-24J from German spies in
the area of
France where it crashed.
They succeeded in the approved coverup by
desecrating and hiding all or part of the remains of
seven American airmen who were killed during the two bomber crashes. The only
documented
and proven case of American World War Two Medical Corps personnel recovering and
then
hiding the remains of American Combat Dead! Which happened before Graves
Registration
was involved.
Realizing the generally interested
military history reader would prefer to read a direct time-line
story, Sam made the decision to write this military history novel. Now instead
of having to read
two pure military history books to understand and put it all together, this one
book does that
for the reader. Those who wish to learn the entire story and its research
foundation or any military
historian who may wish to dispute what is laid out in this book, are encouraged
to purchase the
original military history foundation book, “The
Last Flight Of The ‘Lady Jeannette,’” that
is being republished and the still to be published,
When finished with this book, you will
learn how our highest commanders, military and civilian,
were directly responsible for the desecration of our combat dead at the two
crash-sites. Then, they
were also responsible for debauching the Congressional Medal of Honor
by using its award to hide
what they had done, in order to protect their own military and civilian careers.
By participating in
purposeful illegal acts that led all the way to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman.
In addition, for the
first time, you will be presented with a viable motive, explaining why General
George Patton may
not have lived to return to the United States, to expose the truth of what was
done by those who
were destroying him!
This military history novel uses a mixture
of solid military historical evidence and related fiction
to tell the story of what really occurred during the creation of
“The Best Kept
Secret Of World War Two!”
Non-Fiction Military History Book by Willis S. Cole, Jr.
'The Last Flight Of The “Lady Jeannette"'
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From the book:
Author’s Preface
It began on Christmas Eve 1991, at Bernes,
Department of the Somme, France. “Can you identify
a World War Two Unknown American Aviator, who is buried in the Cartigny
cemetery?” This simple
question from a retired French farmer, Robert Lefevre, started years of research
which ultimately
revealed an intriguing coverup, which led to “The Best Kept Secret Of World War
Two!”
Now, after more than sixteen years of
research, several hundred thousand miles of travel, many
trips to France, over two years spent in France conducting onsite research,
personal interviews with
survivors, the families of survivors and the dead, including visits to the
National Archives, the Air
Force Historical Agency and many military reunions, the story can now be told.
The story links the crashes in France, of the
Dual Congressional Medal Of Honor,
B-17G-35VE,
SN: 42-97904, “Lady Jeannette” and the
American Top-Secret B-24J-DT, SN: 42-51226. The
Top-Secret B-24J was flying a Top-Secret night mission with the RAF when hit by
American
“friendly-fire,” forcing the B-24J, with over four tons of Top-Secret electronic
equipment on
board, to crash in France in an area with active German spies.
Within hours, General Dwight D. Eisenhower
ordered the crash of the Top-Secret B24J to
disappear, to protect the Top-Secrets aboard the B-24J.The B-24J crash did
disappear! During
the process, two-thirds of the remains of the three men killed in the B-24J
crash were desecrated
by American medical personnel, “for the greater good!”
The B-24J crash was helped to disappear with
the use of a B-17G, the “Lady Jeannette”
that
had crashed fifteen and a half hours earlier, 138 miles away from where the
Top-Secret B-24J
crashed. At the B-17G crash-site, during the process, four American War Dead
were desecrated
when the torn-apart body of one was divided to account for all four dead by
American medical
personnel and the complete bodies of three other America War Dead were hidden,
“for the
greater good by their fellow Americans!”
There can be a small difference between a
military history book and a military history novel.
One uses documentation, testimony and other hard evidence to lay out the history
of a military
event. A novel may do the same, with the use of some fiction to tie it all
together. Many military
history novels begin with a disclaimer stating: “This is a work of fiction. All
characters, organizations,
and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s
imagination or used
fictitiously.”
This book should be recognized as a
combination of proven events that took place as written
and other events that cannot be proven to have happened exactly as written.
Those events had
to be written about to provide a complete history of what the writer has
uncovered during his
research, otherwise the reader would be left with great gaps. Gaps, that would
have left out some
of the events that had to have taken place for the story to unfold as the
researcher found individual
bits and pieces over the years of research.
These events had to included if this book was
to make sense, and the only way to tell the complete
story, was to tell it with the least amount of what can be called fiction and as
much non-fiction as
possible. As much as possible, in this novel/military history format, the
author has provided
supporting photographs and information tied to the people who were involved and
interviewed.
In addition, there is information included, that was provided by the families of
those who died
at the time or by families of those who had survived, but had died before they
could be interviewed.
The foundation research of the author’s first
six year’s research is fully documented in “The Last
Flight Of The ‘Lady Jeannette.’” Written in 1997/98,this book is
being republished. It is written in
a pure military history format with all the extensive supportive documentation
and data through 1997
included. A third book, “Researching ‘The Best Kept
Secret Of World War Two!’” will soon be
published. Written in the same military history format as the first, it will
provide all the extensive,
connecting documentation required to support much of what is in this book. This
forthcoming book,
will begin where the first foundation book ended and will include all additional
foundation
documentation, data and research efforts from where the first book ended to the
date of its final editing.
A major reason for this expanded addition of
the book, is the author located new information in
2008, that added information to other data that was first found in 2000. It was
not until May 2007,
that the author finally determined, the aircraft he had been researching for
over fifteen years at that
time, had been shot down by ‘friendly fire,’ Instead of German anti-aircraft
fire, as the pilot had thought.
Thus, the proven and most likely events in
this book are tied together in a direct time line, to best
understand all that took place. As the author believes, mostreaders would prefer
an opportunity to
read a book that tells the whole story from the very beginning to the end, in a
reasonable time-line
format. That is exactly what
“The Best Kept Secret Of World War Two!” presents to the reader.
For those who wish to delve deeply into the
events and the story provided in this book. They are
welcome to purchase both the “The Last Flight of the
‘Lady Jeannette’” and “Researching ‘The Best
Kept Secret Of World War Two!’” to obtain all the underlying research
in a military history format
with the required, fully footnoted, bibliography and indexed research history.
For those who just want the story in an
uncomplicated, day by day, year by year format, this book
does just that. For those really interested in proven history and fictionalized
history, Chapters 1 and 2
are fictionalized history, used to create the background of the Narrator who is
telling his story. Chapters
3, 4, and 5 are as close as sixteen years research can make them. Chapter 6 is
non-fiction when the
village and the survivors are considered and fictionalized when it concerns the
battalion medics, who
to the publishing date, continue to state, no such bomber crash-site exists.
Chapter 7 and 8 actually happened, Chapters
10, 11, 12 and 13 are mostly based on actual events
with fictionalization used to tie the proven events together with the person who
made what happened,
to happen. Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 are fictionalized, in that the events
happened and someone
made them happen. That someone in this book is the Narrator, who ties proven
events together with
the people who would have been required to make those events occur over the time
frame involved.
Chapter 18, as told by the Narrator, closes
the circle of time, with the ones who created the beginning,
ensuring that they would be protected until their death. The truth is, there
could still be someone alive
at this writing that could be the living Narrator. A man who did what had to be
done, when he was
ordered to do it by the verbal order of General Eisenhower.
The truth is, there could be OSS (Office of
Special Services) Veterans alive today, who could tell
the exact truth of what they were involved in. Just like there are still living
American Veterans of
the 563rd SAW Battalion Medical Detachment that could tell the truth of what
they were involved
in during the two days in question. Each of the living battalion medical
personnel was provided a
nearly finished, editing/proofing-copy of this book and each has continued to
declare that,
“
I have no memory of any bomber crash while I was at Hattonville!” All other members of their unit located and
interviewed, remembers exactly what you will read,
except they were not permitted to go to the crash site in question. It was, by
Army Regulation, the
responsibility of the attached Medical Corps personnel in the battalion, to take
charge of the dead
at the crash-site and totransport them to the nearest Graves Registration
Collection Point. As of
this printing, the attached, enlisted medical personnel of the battalion, who
were observed by
many eye witnesses to be in the possession of three complete bodies at the crash
site, continue to
claim they have no of a bomber crash or the handling our combat war dead.
When you are done, you will know what
official documents prove they had to have done. Then,
you can make up your own mind about all the events tiedtogether in this book and
decide how
much of the real military history and fictionalized events really did happen, as
the Narrator states
they did.
The novelized historical events contained in
this book, and nearly every character you will read
about in this book existed! Only one main character might be considered to be
fictional. However,
so much happened, in such a short time, such a man had to exist, as no group of
men could reach
a consensus to take such risks with their careers, so quickly!
That man in this novel, is the Narrator and
in that light he has written this book. His story begins
with the Narrators’ Preface.
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Cartigny, The Somme, France, 16:00, Christmas
Eve, 1991, the author was introduced
to the grave at Cartigny. The book trilogy is the result of intense
research since that date.
Including over 40 trips to France, well over two years in France, hundreds of
thousands
of air miles, visits to the homes of almost everyone written about in the book,
thousands
of telephone calls and attendance to many reunions of the units written about.
The plaque that had been on the Grave at
Cartigny since 1961, when the French military
cross was installed.
The plaque that was placed on the grave on
the 10 November 2000 Anniversary of the crash
of their Top-Secret B-24. The plaque contains all the information for
future historians to
be able to verify the research leading to this plaque being installed.
The dedication of the new grave Memorial
Plaque. Attended by many French,
several Americans and a USA Air Force Honor Guard. As the USAF accepted
the author's research and provided the Honor Guards for four memorial
dedications on the 9th and 10th of November 2000.
Our United States Air Force Honor Guard.
Front Row, L to R: Jeanne Metzger Scholfield, Sister of
2nd Lt. Metzger, Jr., CMOH
Willis S. Cole, Jr. "Sam"
Blance Serbarth, 109th Evacuation Hospital Nurse
Back Row, L to R: John Lindsey, 109th Evacuation
Hospital - Ambulance unloader.
Carol L. Cole, Author's wife and greatest supporter!
MSgt. Symonds, Honor Guard Commander
Art Serbarth, 59th Ambulance Company Commander
MSgt. Symonds stands at attention after
laying presentation flowers
at the Memorial to the crashed Top-Secret B-24, a crashed B-26, the
452nd Bomb Group (H) and the American 30th Division's service at
this location during World War One. 10 November 2000
John Lindsey, 109th Evacuation Hospital,
Art and Blance Serbarth at the
Memorial near Tincourt-Boucly, France. Due to a road relocation, the
memorial was moved up by the
woods that can be seen at the left top of the photograph on 10 November 2007.
Msgt. Symonds, has just laid presentation
flowers at the Memorial Dedication at
Olizy-Primate, the Ardennes, France, to 1st Lt. Richard F. Noble, USAAF, and
Pilot
Officer, Henri Eduard DUBE, RCAF. Both men were executed after being
caught
by the Germans while evading for the second time on 8 August 1944.
Dedication of the Memorial to the
"Lady Jeannette" on 9 November 2000.
Held at 11:00, the same time as the B-17 crashed. Attended by the USAF
Honor Guard, French Honor Flags and Mr. Robert LECLERC, the Hattonville
villager who, with his family, has adopted the Memorial's care.
Left to Right: Robert LECLERC, ***
LECLERC, Jeanne Metzger Scholfield,
Sister of 2nd Lt. William E. Metzger, Copilot,
Congressional Medal Of Honor
and Art and Blance Serbarth. In the Woods of Hattonville,
visiting the real
crash site of the "Lady Jeannette" Dual
CMOH B-17, SN: 42-97904 at 11:00,
9 November 1944.
November 1998. The author, during his
first visit to the "Lady Jeannette"
crash site, after locating the crash site in September 1998.
The red tape outline
the still existing craters created by the five major parts of the B-17 after it
had
came to rest in the Woods of Hattonville. The right wing stopped in the
area
at the front of this photograph. The tail stopped next, then the number
one
one engine, the forward fuselage and the left wing stopped in the distance.
From the first trace of debris trail left by
the B-17 to the location where
its nose stopped, is over 600 feet. Three complete bodies were seen by
many
French eyewitnesses and one torn-apart body was reported by the Bombardier,
who was forced by a mysterious Full Bird Colonel to sign the two applications
for the Congressional Medal Of Honor, even
after he had provided medical
proof that supported his claim, the men did not die as stated in the two
applications.
