S:Sgt Francis 'Bud' Owens was a waist gunner on B-17F 42-29928 when it was shot down over the Norman countryside in 1943.
The aircraft was part of 533rd Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group(H), and was taking part in a raid on the Gnome-Rhone plant in le Mans on July 4th when it was attacked by Messerschmitt Bf-109s and finally crashed near the small village of la Coulonche.
Three of the crew of ten perished when the 'plane hit the ground, two of those who baled out were quickly captured. With local help, the remaining five attempted to make their way down to neutral Spain with a view to re-joining the fight against Nazism.
Four of them made it to Spain but 'Bud' Owens, a man who on many occasions had put others before himself, was to die of exposure in the Pyrenees, aged just 21. He now rests in the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.
Please follow our project to honour and remember 'Bud' Owens and support it if you can. Thank you.

Sunday 31 May 2015

Louis Hatet

We are excited to have Louis Hatet patricipate in our documentary in the footsteps of Bud Owens.



18 year old Louis is the great grandson of André Rougeyron (below), one of the resistants who came to the rescue of our young American aviator in the summer of 1943 and post-war mayor of the town of Domfront In Normandy. Rougeyron would aid several more allied pilots until his arrest and subsequent deportation to Buchenwald concentration camp.


Louis is thrilled to be a part of our project. He currently lives in Le Mans and will be attending college at the ISEG in Nantes in pursuit of a bachelor degree in Marketing and Communication.Louis is an avid tennis and soccer player, loves to travel and has a genuine interest in history. He will be joining Bud Owens' great niece Hayley Hulbert in our adventure this summer. If you would like to help Louis make this commemorative journey this summer, please consider making a small donation. Thank you!
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