On the morning of 10 August 1944, Lt Col Kyle Riddle, the Commander of the 479th Fighter Group, was leading his pilots on a strafing mission targeting marshaling yards in an area located about 40 km northeast of Paris. His P-38 was hit by enemy fire; Lt Col Riddle was forced to crash land. Surviving the landing, he successfully evaded being captured by the Germans through the aid of the French resistance.