Stele Albert GESE 7th Squadron 20th Fighter Group

Tribute to those who assisted pilots Albert Gese and Matthew Williams after their aircraft crashed.

Text of explanatory panel: On June 12, 1944, at around 8:45 p.m., a dogfight took place over Dieufit. During the melee, the P 47 Thunderbolt of Lieutenant Mattews Williams crashes in flames at Langerie, in the commune of Saint André de Briouze. Managing to eject, the pilot lands at Les Granges. After unhooking his parachute from an oak tree, he rolled it up and hid it in a pile of cut brambles ready for burning.
Recovered at the foot of a hedge by Thérèse Toutain and her sister Madeleine Leroy, Williams was taken to the Toutain farm where he was treated, dressed in civilian clothes and then hidden in a bouverie. On the road from Chênedouit to Briouze, at Les Avanries, he was picked up by a man and taken to Count Raoul de Bagneux's Château du Repas. Mattews Williams was reunited there with his compatriot Albert Gese, whose plane, a P 38 Lightning, went down at Sainte Honorine la Guillaume on the same day at around 10.30 am.
Before being taken in at Le Repas, he had fended for himself for several days, hiding in a bread oven near La Chapelle in Bailleul. Every morning, a woman came to feed him on her way to the milking. Mdm Maillard The two Americans stayed with the Count for only a few days. As the front drew closer, the Count feared a greater German presence. So he went to find his guard, Louis Chevalier. Chevalier took the two airmen to a cabin by a pond, where they were clothed and fed. Albert and Mattews stayed there for a few days. One morning, Louis Chevalier was surprised to find the shelter empty. Fortunately, the escapade had no unfortunate consequences.

After two or three days, the Comte de Bagneux managed to find a safer retreat. Clément Macé, de l'Etre Toutain in Chênedouit, took charge of Albert and Mattews. At this time, Clément's son Georges, along with his brother and their cousin , all refractory to the STO, are camouflaged in a stable located in the Val Morin woods This building belongs to Charles Macé, Clément's brother.
So our two Americans take the place of the refractory ones, and the Macé children, Léa and François, take it in turns to carry them supplies. In order to divert the attention of German soldiers, who would not fail to be intrigued by the frequent comings and goings of this little world, Léa Macé remembers that the children used the excuse of going to feed the goats. One Sunday morning, Louis Chevalier and Georges Macé accompany Albert and Mattews to examine the wreckage of their plane. Armed with his compass, Williams easily finds the location where he has hidden his parachute. But for safety reasons, there's no question of bringing it back.
Fernand, Albert, Georgette, Georges' siblings, will later retrieve it. On their way back, the four men make a detour to Etre Toutain so that the Americans can see where the Macé family lives. One day, a bomb falls not far from the woods, blowing the roof off the building. Albert and Mattews set off to find refuge at L'Etre Toutain. But they can't get in, as the Macés have visitors. They hid in the cellar. They were finally discovered by Georges Macé's brother when he went to fetch cider. Clément Macé takes them 300 meters further to a house once occupied by the Bondis mill and now used to store grain. For security reasons, they were locked in. A fortunate initiative! During the night, the Germans requisitioned the farm buildings. They hoped to lodge in the old house. But seeing that the door is locked,. they don't insist. Two officers wake up Clément Macé to tell him that his home has also been requisitioned. The Macé couple, along with a couple of refugees from Caen, nevertheless keep their rooms, but the children are forced to leave: the place free and go to sleep in a building. The whole farm is occupied in no time: the sheepfold, the two cowsheds and the two stables are full of horses, around 30 to 40 of them.
The clover, barley and oat harvest is in full swing. Trucks are also parked in the yard. The next morning, Georges Macé decides to evacuate the two pilots. In the long term, the situation was likely to become untenable, especially as it appeared that the Germans were prowling around the building several times. There was not a minute to lose. The uniforms are put into bins, and the three men exit through the back of the house.
Unfortunately, they come face to face with two or three officers sitting near a tent. Luckily, they're too engrossed in their discussion to notice anything. Turning around, they try to get out the front door. Unnoticed, they make their way to the wine press. To keep his composure, Georges Macé slings a tool over his shoulder, and off they go. Once in a meadow, they climbed up to a mound where broom could conceal them, then entered a wood. There, Albert and Mattews camouflage themselves in a thicket of chestnut and cedar trees with their bardas. The next day the Germans unbolted the locked door...
With the occupiers omnipresent, we have to cunningly get food to the two aviators. Georges Macé took food from his parents' home, and to avoid arousing the suspicion of the Germans, who were occupying part of the house, he hid it in his hunting jacket. One day, as he was coming down a plantation, a German sentry posted at the foot of an oak tree spotted him and he had to make a detour. The next day, he met an officer who let him continue on his way. Fortunately, he had had the presence of mind to take a scythe, which avoided any questions. Further on, another German noticed him, perched on a fence from where he was observing the Château de Rabodanges through binoculars. He gives the impression of cutting ferns. In the end, Georges Macé opted for caution and turned back. That day, Albert and Mattews had to go without lunch! On August 17, 1944, when British troops arrived at Château du Repas, the Earl of Bagneux came to collect Albert and Mattews. After the Liberation, Albert Gese was to return to Normandy on several occasions to show his gratitude to the Macé family. Mattews Williams was to be killed in Korea , he was originally from New York where his parents were pharmacists.

Tribute to those who assisted pilots Albert Gese and Matthew Williams after their aircraft crashed. Text of explanatory panel: On June 12, 1944, at around 8:45 p.m., a dogfight took place over Dieufit. During the melee, the P 47 Thunderbolt of Lieutenant Mattews Williams crashes in flames at Langerie, in the commune of Saint André de Briouze. Managing to eject, the pilot lands at Les Granges. After unhooking his parachute from an oak tree, he rolled it up and hid it in a pile of cut brambles ready for burning. Recovered at the foot of a hedge by Thérèse Toutain and her sister Madeleine Leroy, Williams was taken to the Toutain farm where he was treated, dressed in civilian clothes and then hidden in a bouverie. On the road from Chênedouit to Briouze, at Les Avanries, he was picked up by a man and taken to Count Raoul de Bagneux's Château du Repas. Mattews Williams was reunited there with his compatriot Albert Gese, whose plane, a P 38 Lightning, went down at Sainte Honorine la Guillaume on the same day at around 10.30 am. Before being taken in at Le Repas, he had fended for himself for several days, hiding in a bread oven near La Chapelle in Bailleul. Every morning, a woman came to feed him on her way to the milking. Mdm Maillard The two Americans stayed with the Count for only a few days. As the front drew closer, the Count feared a greater German presence. So he went to find his guard, Louis Chevalier. Chevalier took the two airmen to a cabin by a pond, where they were clothed and fed. Albert and Mattews stayed there for a few days. One morning, Louis Chevalier was surprised to find the shelter empty. Fortunately, the escapade had no unfortunate consequences. After two or three days, the Comte de Bagneux managed to find a safer retreat. Clément Macé, de l'Etre Toutain in Chênedouit, took charge of Albert and Mattews. At this time, Clément's son Georges, along with his brother and their cousin , all refractory to the STO, are camouflaged in a stable located in the Val Morin woods This building belongs to Charles Macé, Clément's brother. So our two Americans take the place of the refractory ones, and the Macé children, Léa and François, take it in turns to carry them supplies. In order to divert the attention of German soldiers, who would not fail to be intrigued by the frequent comings and goings of this little world, Léa Macé remembers that the children used the excuse of going to feed the goats. One Sunday morning, Louis Chevalier and Georges Macé accompany Albert and Mattews to examine the wreckage of their plane. Armed with his compass, Williams easily finds the location where he has hidden his parachute. But for safety reasons, there's no question of bringing it back.Fernand, Albert, Georgette, Georges' siblings, will later retrieve it. On their way back, the four men make a detour to Etre Toutain so that the Americans can see where the Macé family lives. One day, a bomb falls not far from the woods, blowing the roof off the building. Albert and Mattews set off to find refuge at L'Etre Toutain. But they can't get in, as the Macés have visitors. They hid in the cellar. They were finally discovered by Georges Macé's brother when he went to fetch cider. Clément Macé takes them 300 meters further to a house once occupied by the Bondis mill and now used to store grain. For security reasons, they were locked in. A fortunate initiative! During the night, the Germans requisitioned the farm buildings. They hoped to lodge in the old house. But seeing that the door is locked,. they don't insist. Two officers wake up Clément Macé to tell him that his home has also been requisitioned. The Macé couple, along with a couple of refugees from Caen, nevertheless keep their rooms, but the children are forced to leave: the place free and go to sleep in a building. The whole farm is occupied in no time: the sheepfold, the two cowsheds and the two stables are full of horses, around 30 to 40 of them. The clover, barley and oat harvest is in full swing. Trucks are also parked in the yard. The next morning, Georges Macé decides to evacuate the two pilots. In the long term, the situation was likely to become untenable, especially as it appeared that the Germans were prowling around the building several times. There was not a minute to lose. The uniforms are put into bins, and the three men exit through the back of the house. Unfortunately, they come face to face with two or three officers sitting near a tent. Luckily, they're too engrossed in their discussion to notice anything. Turning around, they try to get out the front door. Unnoticed, they make their way to the wine press. To keep his composure, Georges Macé slings a tool over his shoulder, and off they go. Once in a meadow, they climbed up to a mound where broom could conceal them, then entered a wood. There, Albert and Mattews camouflage themselves in a thicket of chestnut and cedar trees with their bardas. The next day the Germans unbolted the locked door... With the occupiers omnipresent, we have to cunningly get food to the two aviators. Georges Macé took food from his parents' home, and to avoid arousing the suspicion of the Germans, who were occupying part of the house, he hid it in his hunting jacket. One day, as he was coming down a plantation, a German sentry posted at the foot of an oak tree spotted him and he had to make a detour. The next day, he met an officer who let him continue on his way. Fortunately, he had had the presence of mind to take a scythe, which avoided any questions. Further on, another German noticed him, perched on a fence from where he was observing the Château de Rabodanges through binoculars. He gives the impression of cutting ferns. In the end, Georges Macé opted for caution and turned back. That day, Albert and Mattews had to go without lunch! On August 17, 1944, when British troops arrived at Château du Repas, the Earl of Bagneux came to collect Albert and Mattews. After the Liberation, Albert Gese was to return to Normandy on several occasions to show his gratitude to the Macé family. Mattews Williams was to be killed in Korea , he was originally from New York where his parents were pharmacists.