German seeks family of Quebec soldiers killed in1944 plane crash

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/german-...soldiers-killed-in-1944-plane-crash-1.3847358
March 17, 2018

[h=1]German researcher seeks relatives of Quebec-born soldiers killed in 1944 plane crash[/h]

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While researching the Canadian crew of another crash site in Neuleiningen, the village where he lives, Wieman zeroed in on another WWII-era plane crash – this one, with a Quebec connection.

On the 24th of September, 1944 – during WWII -- a C-47 Dakota KG653 aircraft carrying 23 soldiers was en route to India to help build two new squadrons to join in the fight against Japan. The journey was plagued by bad weather and navigational problems.

When the craft appeared in the air over Germany during broad daylight, shots were fired from the ground. The gunman, a fighter pilot named Julius Meimberg, later wrote that he intended to ground the plane, but a short burst of bullets hit the wing of the plane, which broke off as the craft plummeted towards the ground.

All 23 soldiers aboard – Canadians, Brits and Australians -- perished in the crash. Only 16 graves were dug in the small cemetery in Neuleiningen; some airmen were buried in the same grave.

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https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/german-...soldiers-killed-in-1944-plane-crash-1.3847358

Wieman is appealing to any living relatives of two Quebec-born members of the Royal Canadian Air Force who perished in the crash.

Appeals through the media have proven successful in the past, and Wieman said he hopes descendants of the fallen airmen will contact him and ultimately obtain a sense of both family history, and closure.

Anyone with information can contact Erik Wiman at erik.wieman@gmail.com.

Who are they?

Leading Aircraftman Adelard Real Chevrier
Born: Dec. 9, 1915 at Vaudreuil, Quebec
Died: Sept. 24, 1944

Service Number: R/54834 Royal Canadian Air Force

Enlisted: Mar. 28, 1940 at Montreal, Quebec
Son of Arthur and Aldina (nee Boileau) Chevrier; husband of Marie Blanche, Loretta Chevrier, of Verdun, Quebec. Father of Norman and Christiane.

Leading Aircraftman Robert Marcel Armand Couturier
Born: July 12, 1921 at Notre Dame des Anges, Quebec
Died: Sept. 24, 1944

Service Number: R/174379 Royal Canadian Air Force

Enlisted: July 2, 1942 at Montreal, Quebec
Son of Armand and Blanche (nee Perron) Couturier of Montreal, Quebec. Brother of Rolland, Fernand, Andre, and Rita Couturier. Husband of Gilberte (nee Mason) Couturier; and father of Marie Irene Blanche (born July 6, 1944 at Moncton, NB)

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In 1944, an India-bound C-47 Dakota KG653 plane carrying 23 passengers was shot down over Neuleiningen, Germany. Decades later, German researcher Erik Wieman is searching for living relatives of those aboard -- including two Quebecers -- so they may hold a memorial at the site to commemorate the crash. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia commons)

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Bumping this thread up. Were the families located?

Updated Aug. 15, 2022

'Families of the crew of a Second World War bomber shot down over Germany in 1945 are finally getting closure for their long-lost loved ones after a local man with a passion for archeology created a memorial in their honour.

Erik Wieman, 54, has loved archeology since he found his first bronze-age axe as a kid growing up in Holland. But what had been just a hobby for many years is now helping to honour those who lost their lives during the war.

Wieman is part of a volunteer group in Germany that has put together a memorial at the crash site of Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Halifax bomber NP711, shot down near Leistadt, Germany on Feb. 21, 1945. All seven crew members died.

On Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022, ten descendants of that crew were at the crash site honouring the men who died there. Wieman says people travelled from Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Saudi Arabia to attend the ceremony.''



March 17, 2018
''Wieman is appealing to any living relatives of two Quebec-born members of the Royal Canadian Air Force who perished in the crash.

Appeals through the media have proven successful in the past, and Wieman said he hopes descendants of the fallen airmen will contact him and ultimately obtain a sense of both family history, and closure.

Anyone with information can contact Erik Wiman at erik.wieman@gmail.com.

Who are they?​

Leading Aircraftman Adelard Real Chevrier

Born: Dec. 9, 1915 at Vaudreuil, Quebec

Died: Sept. 24, 1944

Service Number: R/54834 Royal Canadian Air Force

Enlisted: Mar. 28, 1940 at Montreal, Quebec

Son of Arthur and Aldina (nee Boileau) Chevrier; husband of Marie Blanche, Loretta Chevrier, of Verdun, Quebec. Father of Norman and Christiane.



Leading Aircraftman Robert Marcel Armand Couturier

Born: July 12, 1921 at Notre Dame des Anges, Quebec

Died: Sept. 24, 1944

Service Number: R/174379 Royal Canadian Air Force

Enlisted: July 2, 1942 at Montreal, Quebec

Son of Armand and Blanche (nee Perron) Couturier of Montreal, Quebec. Brother of Rolland, Fernand, Andre, and Rita Couturier. Husband of Gilberte (nee Mason) Couturier; and father of Marie Irene Blanche (born July 6, 1944 at Moncton, NB)''