Edward Espitallier was Radio Operator on B-17F-15-BO #41-24496 'Chenault's Pappy' on the 17 November 1942 mission to St. Nazaire, France. After leaving the target area, the Fortress was attacked by FW190s. The TTG Aulenbach was killed and 3 crew members were wounded as the plane suffered severe damage. A/C landed at Exeter.

Returned to Duty (RTD).

Edward was Radio Operator on B-17 #42-5717 on the 16 February 1943 mission to the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft was attacked by fighters and Pilot William Warner was killed by enemy fire. Co-Pilot Arnold Carlson continued the flight but a/c crashed near the village of Guillac, 7km SW of Ploërmel (Morbihan), France. Seriously wounded in a leg, Eddie was immediately captured and spent six weeks in a German hospital. Interned at Stalag Luft 3 in Sagan/Zagan, Poland. Force-marched from there, he arrived at Stalag VIIA at Moosburg, Germany. Liberated there on 29 April 1945 by US troops. NARA WWII POW record : "Returned to Military Control 26 July 1945."

From an interview with Espitallier: 'The #4 engine was hit by flak, aflame, and we dropped out of formation. The plane was hit by fighters, then, and was hit very hard. Pilot Bill Warner and Navigator Wm. Utley were both shot through the forehead and killed instantly by a head on fighter attack. Espitallier was hit in the left hip and leg by 20 mm cannon fire. Williams came out of the tail, but then went back to his position. Copilot Carlson was also hit by gun fire. Neeley was killed in the plane. Kisling was lying in the waist and bleeeding badly. Clay Wilson came back and said to bail out as there was no pilot. Clay went out first, followed by Espitallier. Morgan never left the plane, and 'I believe he went back up front and tried to fly the plane.' Espitallier made plans to escape as he came down in his parachute, landing in an orchard in a village, but could not walk. He gave his watch and contents of his escape kit to some Frenchmen and told them to leave him. He hobbled across the street and into a house, where he lay down on a couch. He saw the plane hit the ground. He was later taken to a German field hopital, where the shell fragments were removed, and was hopitalized six or seven weeks. He was then sent to Stalag 7-B at Moosburg.' [ Note : This should be the last camp he was in : Stalag 7A (VIIA) in Moosburg, Germany, liberated by US troops on 29 April 1945.]

A Memorial honoring the crew of B-17 #42-5717 was erected in Guillac, France in October 2007 by representatives of France, Germany and USA.