Hi everybody, my name is Francois Dumas, aka The Navman. I was born and raised in The Netherlands, and still living there for most part of the year, but we have a small pied a terre in the French Alps too. I worked for US companies for the last 25 years of my corporate career. Since 2005 I try to survive on my own, doing various things as a self-employed entrepreneur. English got to be my primary language, but I am also fluent in Dutch, French, German and Romanian and have always been traveling extensively through all of Europe and the US. I wound up on this forum through a long-time Internet flightsim friend of mine, who happened onto my latest website WW2Glider.com. Turns out that he too is investigating WW2 glider operations into Normandy, like I am currently. In a nutshell - not too long ago I was contacted by the son of a WW2 glider pilot asking me if I could assist him in helping find more information about his father. His father was glider pilot in Chicago, Market Garden and Varsity. One led to the other... and I decided to not only help him research, but also write a book about our 'quest', hopefully including Bob's (first ever) visit to Europe and the battlefields. My 'main' occupation nowadays is publishing (and developing) add-on programs (aircraft, landscape, objects) for MS Flight Simulator. The last couple of years we have focused more and more on WW2 topics, that being my interest for over 50 years already ( I turn 61 this year), and so I published quite a few WW2 aircraft. Among them a Storch (for wich I traveled to the US to make photos of a flying one) but also the Lysander and its secret behind-the-lines operations of 1942 and 1943. My current main project for Flight Simulator is called Normandy 1944, where I am trying to build the situation of that period together with a French partner publisher. I also run a small touring company as well, focused on guiding US motorcycle riders through Normandy and the Alps, but also taking people by car. All together I am more and more becoming involved with a very old hobby in various ways and happy to finally have all the gathered experience and knowledge about WW2 in Europe come together in some meaningful projects. I have so many websites because a third tier of my current life is building, maintaining and hosting websites. I've been reading some of your forums posts and it seems there are a lot of people on your forum with similar interests. I'd be happy to chime in and bring whatever knowledge and skills I have to the table. Love to see so many like-minded people come together and ALSO interesting to see there are still 'younger' people also interested in this incredible bit of history ! Here are my (relevant) websites: WW2Glider.com AVClassic.com My EuropeRides site The flightsim publishing home site My on-line (flightsim) shop And my personal blog Now you know everything there is to know about me....... Looking forward seeing and reading more here, and writing if I can. Kindest regards, Francois François A. 'Navman' Dumas Publisher and Creative Director FSAddon Publishing The Netherlands & France www.fsaddon.eu Tel. +31-229-214062 Mob. +31-640-885739 francois@fsaddon.eu
Hello François Welcome on the forum. I think you hit the right door for your quest about Normandy (or at least I hope that we will be able to help you.) To be clear about your quest, Which is the name of the pilot you are looking for? F/O Charles O. Brown?
Hi Francois, I agree, this is the best Normandy forum that I've seen. With guys who have a lot of knowledge and research skills. I checked out the website you have and it looks good. Very interesting map of the plotted landing sites. Will drop you a line soon. Hans www.airbornetroopcarrier.com
Nope, at Chicago he was co-pilot to F/O Biggs, and his name is F/O W.H. Brown, (Bill). Thanks for the welcome ! [hr] Hoi Hans, thanks? Had already discovered your site a while ago..... must make a list of all the sites I've discovered so far..... so much to do, so little time Frans
François Thanks for the clarification. They were three F/O named Brown in the 73rd TCS : Charles O., Paul W. and William H. Two of them took part in Chicago (C.O. & W.H.), the third (P.W.) in Galveston. They were awarded the Air Medal by GO #33 issued by IX HQ TCC on 5 july 1944 BTW, you can open a thread if you have questions at this location http://normandy.whitebeamimages.ie/forum/forumdisplay.php?fid=54 I think it will be interesting to speak about ("big") differences between your map with gliders landing locations and aerial photographs of the same area taken in june 1944
Hi Francois, You are indeed very welcome to the Forum and we are very glad to have a fellow enthusiast to swell our ranks. By all means open your own thread on F/O W.H. Brown and we will see where it leads. I would suggest posting in: .../Research Currently Underway / Air Forces / American / Troop Carrier (incl Glider) Regards, Pat
Thank you Pat and Pat Wasn't sure how to proceed yet, feeling my way through the forum and your Modus Operandi. I'll open a thread there. I am also trying to get Robert Brown (Bill's son) to join the forum and participate directly in any discussions and research. He has done most of the research so far, I am just assisting as 'feet on the ground' in Europe...... but, admittedly, getting hooked in delving deeper. Francois P.S. Ah, apropos, Pat E. je voie que vous etes Francais. Malgre mon nom je suis 100% Hollandais, mais je parle francais un peu, donc si Pat C a besoin d'aide je peut assister aussi dans un gene modeste Cordialement, Francois