Memorial American Airmen Pittem

Commemorative plaque on the facade of the church in Pittem in honor of American airmen. It concerns pilot Ralph Talbot and gunner Robert Robinson, who fought in the skies above Pittem during the First Word War.

On October 14, 1918, the US Air Force launched an attack on Tielt station. On their return to the base in France, the American pilots came under fire from German aircrafts. The pilot Ralph Talbot and his gunner Robert Robinson went into battle with the enemy in the airspace above Pittem. In this way they ensured that the rest of their formation could escape.

Second Lieutenant Ralph Talbot was killed during a test flight a week later.

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Source

• Text: Luc Van Waeyenberge
• Photos: Luc Van Waeyenberge