"385th Bomb Group" - Perlé (Luxembourg)

Historical information

"A great collection of WW2 related equipment, specialized in US Army Air Force and B-17 Aircraft. Equipment and uniforms, donated vy veterans, give a detailed insight view of the life of a WW2 aviator".

The museum is based on the destruction of B-17's in the sky of Perlé. On 12th July 1944 two American B-17 (B-17 "Off Spring" and B-17 "Curley's Kids”) attached to the 385th Bomb Group came accidentally into collision with each other in Perlé (this was not caused by the German Flak), followed by the crash on 9 November 1944 of another B17 (the B-17 "Boomerang") assigned to the 349th Squadron of the 100th Bomb Group.

M. Roger Feller discovered pieces of B-17's while building his own house, the first private exhibition of them turned out to be a success and he also received equipment from veterans, as a result he decided to draw up a museum dedicated to the 385th Bomb Group of the US Air Force. Then he was soon in contact with Amercian Authorities and especially the USAF 385th Bomb Group flying today with A-10 Warthog.

The official website of the museum stands here. More information about the museum is provided there.

On "Place de la Libération" a Memorial has been drawn up in remembrance of the US Air Force, it shows the names of US pilots of the 385th Bomb Group who lost their lives for freedom in the skies of Luxembourg.

The Memorial Monument and the local Museum in Perlé will remember these young US airmen, the US Air Force and all victims of WW2.

Detailed historical information

"On 12th July 1944 at about 1150, B-17 bombers flew over the village of Perlé, Luxembourg. Coming from Great Ashfield, England, their mission was to bomb the city of Munich in Germany. The bomber convoy was composed by B-17 Flying Fortress attached to the 385th Bomb Group.

This was the Bomb Group's 150th mission and they went back the next day, which shows that they may not have hit their target on the first raid.

For an unknown reason, two of them collided over the village of Perlé. According to the Bomb Group records, 42-31917 (Capt. White) was caught in the prop wash of proceeding aircraft, nosed up and hit 42-102606 (1/Lt. McDonald). Only two members of the two crews survived the impact by parachuting to safety: Sgt. Larry Atiyeh and Sgt. Robert P. McPherson. 18 crewmen lost their lives in this accident.

German policemen captured one of the two survivors, Sgt. Larry Atiyeh. Sgt. Robert McPherson crossed the Belgian frontier and was rescued by members of the Belgian Maquis.

The back part of one plane fell 60 meters behind the Bertemes farm in Perlé. The fuselage with three engines crashed 600 meters northwest from Perlé into a potato field. This part of the plane caught fire and it was impossible to get closer because of the ammunition exploding in the flames. The Germans inspected the wrack the next day and found four bodies, completely burned. It was impossible to identify the men. In an area of about 600 meters around the crash site, 6 other bodies were found.

The two planes belonged to the 385th Bomb Group. The plane crashed near Wolwelange was registered under the number 42-102606. Its call number was the letter K (Kilo). It was attached to the 550th Squadron. The plane crashed near Perlé was registered undeeir the number 42-31917. Its call code was the letter S (Sierra), its call sign was “Offspring”. It was attached to the 551st Squadron.

As it was impossible to celebrate a requiem for the dead airmen during the Nazi occupation, a ceremony was held after the liberation by the American troops. It took place in the church of Perlé on October 17, 1944 at 1830. Eighteen candles and eighteen helmets, one for each airman, were placed in the church to honour the dead crewmembers".

Detailed information on the history of the museum

"We are a small group and are running the museum in our free time. To keep it going, we set up an association dedicated to keep the memory alive. Our group actually consists of 8 people, age ranges from 20's to 60's. We are Air Force enthusiasts as well as Army interested people and collectors of related W.W.II stuff.

In 1997, plans were made for a couple of events to celebrate the anniversary of the local music band and the firefighters of Perlé. Plans for a monument dedicated to the 18 airmen came up. The Municipality of Rambrouch donated three rooms in the former school building to set up a small exhibition with parts of the two planes for the anniversary and monument dedication ceremonies to be held in 1998.

On 21st June 1998, veterans of the 385th Bombardment Group (H) attended the dedication of the monument in front of the church. With the great support of the US Army Forces in Europe, the events knew an outstanding success.

The exhibition, first to be shown for the dedication ceremony only, soon grew and many interesting parts showed up and donations completed the collection. Veterans of the 385th Bombardment Group donated personal items, materiel and uniforms. Parts from B-17 crash sites all over Luxembourg made the collection even more valuable. The collection was installed for permanent display and the museum was born.

Even more items, donations of local people and veterans made the collection fill up the three rooms, so the need of a larger showroom became obvious. Plans for new, larger showrooms in the former school building were made. The Municipality of Rambrouch began work on the renovation and transformation of the building end of 2000.

Generous donators and supporters from Luxembourg, the United States and all over the world helped to make the collection even greater. Many veterans donated personal items telling their story of life and service during W.W.II.

Very extraordinary items found their way to Perle and make the actual museum collection worth visiting. With the outstanding help of many supporters and donators, the collection may be one of the finest Air Force collections in Luxembourg and in Europe".

Lancaster Memorial (Luxembourg)

"Do forgive but do not forget" : these words are mostly mentioned every time a war memorial is inaugurated to recall one of so many cruel or heroic events during World War 2. The construction of a memorial monument, after exactly sixty years, for fourteen young men, (thirteen of them lost their lives when their two Lancaster bombers were shot down) is a proof that this sentence is not an empty slogan.

Maybe, one day, family members of these heroes will pass here by this memorial place , they will see the grateful gesture of the local people and read the names of their family members . Then they will let their eyes roam over these peaceful hills, they will see all these people passing from one country to another without fear, without any risk of oppression, or even arrest. Many of them will not even realize that they are crossing democratic nation borders. We believe that these families will recognize that the sacrifice of their beloved ones was not in vain. When you come to this place one day, stay for a while, sit down near the chapel, maybe for a short prayer in deep gratitude to these heroes.

The official website stands here.

Lancaster Memorial (Belgium)

A cross in white stone, is shown with a sword headed to the sky. In the middle of the cross stands the RAF emblem. A bronze plate is located at the bottom of the memorial with in English the following text : " To the eternal memory of F/O P.C. Milburn RCAF 0.23416, Sgt J. Palfray RAF 1542325, W.O. W.E. Burdett RCAF R.160524, F/O B.B. Ashley RCAF J.25521, Sgt S.W. Courtenay RAF 157895, F/O S.M. Clarke RAF 50765, F.O. D.W. Magan RAF 148510 who lost their lives on St-Georges day 23- 4-44 at 1.20 AM. For God and Motherland».

Lancaster crash location

Location information

The museum is located at "rue de l'Eglise" in Perlé (Luxembourg) just 2 kilometers away from the town of Martelange at the Belgian-Luxembourger border. On Motorway E25/A26 take exit Bastogne - Martelange - Diekirch, then follow N54 to Martelange, then head on towards Perlé. The museum is located near the US Air force Memorial on "Place de la libération/Freiheitsplatz".

The Lancaster Memorial is located in Weiswampach near Clervaux in Luxembourg.

The Lancaster memorial is located in the Fagnes de Malchamps near the town of Spa in Belgium.

Personal note

Like the Remember museum 40-45 in Thimister-Clermont, this is a private museum where you could benefit from a personal guided-visit but here exclusively focused on the US Air Force. A visit you shouldn't miss if you want to get answers on the US Air Force during WW2. Visit by arrangement only at this e-mail address or via phone nr. 00352 23 64 94 65.