Help! French P-47 loss near Darmstadt, Germany

[ssg keay]

I cannot prove it is French besides what I was told from the eyewitness. He said a French recovery team came and got the pilot. It supposedly was doing combat simulations with a P-38, which could have been French or American. The actual crash-site is at Eberstadt in the woods. I found parts when I was out there with the German EOD. I know of several US crash sites near there and I am not able to exclude that this was a US P-47, but it was after the war for sure. Danny

[Khorat]

Hi Danny,
end of March 45 several P-47 coming down around Darmstadt, I recall a story of a P-47 crashing in the woods near Eberstadt after attack a ammunition store, and for the people war was over when the first US soldiers was there, so end of march the war was over in this area.
khorat

[ssg keay]

Yes, that is correct in that the US troops entered that area around the 25th of March 1944. Are you from that area? I once excavated the P-47 of MAJ Slingerland in Griesheim. Danny

[ssg keay]

Thanks for all the data you provided Dan. I am now wondering if the eye-witness had this wrong. Could the P-38 have been French and the P-47 an American? I wonder if the P-47 crashed and then the ey-witness saw the P-38 with possibly French markings flying above the crash site. Then he might have added one and one and came up with the wrong two. Danny

[Patrick Anderson]

Greetings,
Looking for Dan Keay who found the crash site of Major Chester Slingerland. Chester was my grandmother's cousin and they were very close. My parents have asked if I would arrange a trip this summer to Germany and France so they can visit the crash site and cemetary. My uncle Hans Slingerland recently passed away and we discovered a letter written to Chester's wife detailing the incident, which matches eye witness reports. We are also searching to see if Chester's wife is still alive. When Chester was shot down they were living in Texas....

I am currently in Kandahar Afghanistan, but can be reached at 540-678-1881 or pjanderson66@yahoo.com

Thanks,
Patrick Anderson

[ssg keay]

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