Hometown Heroes
2nd Lt. Desire Massicotte USAF
By Michael Rocchetti
The war was over, but military occupation duties were keeping U.S. forces busy in Europe and the Far East. On Dec. 10, 1945, a B-17G Flying Fortress bomber (tail # 43-39236) nicknamed the “Blinkin’ Betsy” took off from RAF Grafton Underwood in the UK, carrying passengers on a flight to Orly Field in Paris. Unable to land due to weather, they were diverted to Lyon. The plane never made it. At 1815 hours on a cold, dark, foggy, overcast, evening the plane crashed into a hill at a place called Saint Andre la Cote, 16 miles SW of Lyon. There were 8 men aboard the plane – but only three of them survived the crash. Sadly, Desire Massicotte was not one of the survivors.
Desire Massicotte was an insurance agent from Putnam who volunteered for service with the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was assigned to the 546th Bombardment Squadron, 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) in the 8Th Air Force. He was the navigator on a B-17 bomber the “Blinkin’ Betsy”, based at RAF Grafton Underwood. He had flown numerous combat missions including the very last bombing mission flown by the 8th Air Force in Europe during WWII which targeted the vast Skoda armaments works at Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. He was only 29 years old when he died. He was born May 21, 1916, in Putnam, the son of Alfred and Alma Massicotte. In addition to his parents, he was survived by his wife Rita (Crawford) Massicotte, their daughter Adele, and a brother Labby. He is buried at Plot A, Row 8, Grave: 3 at the Rhone American Cemetery in France. The following articles were written about him in the local newspapers:
Putnam Patriot, February 21, 1946: “Letter Received By Wife; Details Of Accident Given: A communication received from Lt Col Lloyd D. Chapman. Air Corps commander, by Mrs. Rita Massicotte of 106 Woodstock Avenue contains some of the details connected with the death of her husband, Lt. Desire L. Massicotte, on December 10th, 1945. The letter, dated January 18th from APO 125. U S. Army, reads as follows: Dear Mrs. Massicotte: You have received official notification from the Adjutant General about the death of your husband. Lt. Desire L. Massicotte, who was killed in a plane crash on December 10th, 1945. As his commanding officer, I am in a position to give you more details of the accident and at this time I want to express my deep sorrow that so unfortunate an accident occurred, especially in peace time when we are so anxious to return home and leave behind the discomforts and unpleasantness associated with war. Your husband was flying as navigator on that flight, which left on the morning of the tenth. First the plane landed at Le Havre and then took off for Paris, where two passengers were to get off. The field at Paris was closed in and the plane was directed to Lyon to remain overnight. As they were approaching Lyon’s airfield for a landing, the plane crashed into the side of a hill about 150 feet from the top. The accident happened shortly after 5:00 o’clock that afternoon. Your husband and four others were killed instantly. He was up front in the navigator’s seat at the time and we are absolutely sure from the medical report that he never knew what happened. Three of the eight men in the plane lived but sustained serious injuries. On Thursday, December 13th, we held a very beautiful funeral at the Luynes National Cemetery, about six miles south of Aix, France. The Catholic chaplain, Father Sullivan, who has been with the squadron for quite some time, officiated at the ceremony. The men of the squadron brought several wreaths of beautiful autumn flowers and our photographer took pictures of the ceremony, which will be forwarded to you. Your husband was a very capable navigator for the 546th Squadron, and I can assure you he had done a splendid job in every respect and was very well liked and admired by his associates. Again, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy and offer my sincere condolences to you and his entire family. LLOYD D. CHAPMAN, Lt. Col, Air Corps Commanding.”
Hometown Heroes is a series published in the Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger with this mission: We owe it to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to make sure that they are never forgotten, and that the memory of their service and sacrifice will forever live on in the hearts and minds of the grateful people of Putnam.
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