Memorial

More information

2nd Lt Arthur C. Pickett enlisted in Hampden, Massachusetts on 5 May 1942.

On the way to the target, the airplane was attacked by an enemy fighter over Belgium and had to break away from theformation and became separated from the rest of the group.

Two crew members were killed by gunfire of the attacking enemy fighter. The pilot managed to keep the airplane flying long enough for the reminder of the crew to bail out before an explosion separated the tail from the rest of the fuselage.

The airplane crashed in a field at the crossroads of the N506 and the N527 in Beloeil, Belgium. A memorial stone marks the spot.

2nd Lt Arthur C. Pickett was unable to get loose from his chute harness and fell to the ground in Harchies, Belgium. He was found by Belgian civilians.

Four crew members were killed, four men were taken prisoner and two men escaped capture and where guided to the Spanish border by the resistance.

On 20 October 1993, a plaque was inaugurated on the façade of a house in Harchies, where Lt Pickett's body had been found. A square in the village has been named after him: "Place Arthur Pickett".