Audouville-la-Hubert
Beuzeville-au-Plain
Beuzeville-au-Plain C47 # 66 crash site
This is Lieutenant Meehan, who was killed along with everyone aboard STIC 66 on D-Day.
This is a letter written by Thomas Meehan for his wife that was handed out of the door of his C-47 only moments before the invasion of Normandy was to begin. It read:
June 5th, 1944
Dearest Anne,
In a few hours I'm going to take the best company of men in the world into France. We'll give the bastards hell. Strangely I'm not particularly scared, but in my heart is a terrific longing to hold you in my arms.
I love you Sweetheart - forever Your
Tom
Lt. Meehan replaced Captain Sobel and was the original Easy Company combat leader before Lt. Winters. On June 5, 1st Lieutenant Thomas Meehan III boarded a C-47 to parachute into Normandy. Prior to the jump however, he had just been appointed «E» Company Commander, replacing Captain Sobel. Meehan was in plane 66, along with the Company's staff comprised of 16 paratroopers.
His plane crashed in a field at Beuzeville-au-Plain.
The miniseries has the plane catching on fire and crashing but that's not the real story. Apparently, the plane was damaged badly and the pilot actually tried to land with his landing lights on. He hit a nearby hedgerow and the plane exploded killing all on board. A tour of the site of this crash will enable you to see the monument erected in memory of Lt. Meehan, but also the field where the crash actually occurred.