Remembering 2nd Lieutenant Stelle, of Burlington Iowa, a P-47D pilot who flew with the 387th Squadron of the famous “Hell Hawks”.
Having left RAF Beaulieu on the afternoon of 7th June 1944, on a mission to support the breakout of Allied forces from the Normandy beachhead, Mahlon spotted a column of enemy half-tracks and began his attack.
During the dive, Lt. Stelle “took several damaging hits”1 and, to the horror of his comrades, crashed and was killed South-West of Villers-Bocage.
- Dorr, R & Jones, T 2008, Hell Hawks! The untold story of the American Fliers Who Savaged Hitler’s Wermacht Zenith Press
Lori Lindburg November 7, 2021
I absolutely love this remastered picture. Is there a way to get a copy?
Anne Stafford April 15, 2024
Had the joy of meeting the family of this brave airman today, visiting their from Iowa in this 80th year since the invasion….
We also went to his grave and thanked him for his service…