Name: Stele of the Aviators
Rating: 1.8

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France

Pays de la Loire

Ancenis

Riaillé

Stele of the Aviators

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France

Pays de la Loire

Ancenis

Riaillé

Stele of the Aviators

Recommended by 4 hikers out of 5

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Location: Riaillé, Ancenis, Pays de la Loire, France

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Best Hikes to Stele of the Aviators

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1. Stele of the Aviators – L'Etang de la Provostière loop from Riaillé

8.34km

02:08

30m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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5.0

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2. L'Etang de la Provostière – Stele of the Aviators loop from Riaillé

7.80km

02:01

40m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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4.0

(2)

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3. L'Etang de la Provostière – Stele of the Aviators loop from Riaillé

15.2km

03:51

30m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

Tips

Matecocido🌎

August 23, 2022

Not far from the crash site, a stone memorial to the two 27-year-old Canadians.

Translated by Google •

Seb 49

November 2, 2024

July 25, 1944, shortly after 3 p.m., a Mosquito type plane, a light and fast twin-engine, appeared in the sky of Riaillé, followed a few seconds later by two German fighter planes. Arriving above the hamlet of l'Enclose, one of the fighters gained altitude and dove on the Canadian plane, riddling it with bullets.

After starting a curve, the burning Mosquito crashed very close to the Provostière pond. The debris littered the ground for about fifty meters, the fire and the explosion of the ammunition made it impossible to approach. When the fire died down, the inhabitants rushed to the scene and found the charred bodies of the pilot and the navigator. They were identified as Lieutenants Burgess and McPherson.

The Germans, who came to the scene, told the mayor that he could bury the bodies but without an official ceremony. However, the occupier's orders were not respected. The bodies were wrapped in sheets and transported to a nearby farm, the village carpentry made the coffins. The next day, a religious ceremony was held in the parish church in the presence of many Riaillé residents and wreaths of flowers covered the coffins. The procession then headed to the cemetery under the supervision of German soldiers who did not intervene.

For 80 years, these two Canadian officers have been resting in the Riaillé cemetery. Their tomb is regularly maintained and decorated with flowers by the UNC-Riaillé Mémoire association but also by anonymous people who thus perpetuate the memory of their sacrifice.

echoancenis.fr/actualite-4422-riaille-le-25-juillet-1944-deux-aviateurs-canadiens-etaient-abattus-dans-le-ciel-de-riaille

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Elevation 90 m

Weather

Today

Saturday 20 September

23°C

11°C

100 %

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Max wind speed: 10.0 km/h

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Location: Riaillé, Ancenis, Pays de la Loire, France

Stele of the Aviators

1. Stele of the Aviators – L'Etang de la Provostière loop from Riaillé

2. L'Etang de la Provostière – Stele of the Aviators loop from Riaillé

3. L'Etang de la Provostière – Stele of the Aviators loop from Riaillé

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