Eston Kuhn served as a co-pilot with the 71st Troop Carrier Squadron of the 434th Troop Carrier Group. In the early hours of D-Day, 6 June 1944, Kuhn was co-piloting C-47 43-15101 on a glider mission over the Cherbourg Peninsula when the aircraft was hit by flak and burst into flames. The crew were too low to bail out and the pilots managed to land the aircraft.



Everyone survived the landing but about ten minutes afterwards the crew walked into a German ambush and were attacked. Howard was killed and the other three were taken as prisoners. They joined one of German truck convoys heading towards St. Lo.



Later, the convoy was attacked by American fighter aircraft and several captured Allied servicemen were unfortunately killed, including Kuhn. He was buried by two of his crew - S/Sgt Boetcher and Sgt John Beckley - in a nearby orchard.



After the war, Kuhn was reburied at the Brittany American Cemetery.