McCaslin-Perkins Gavrus LiDAR Project

On June 22nd, 1944, an American B-26 marauder bomber of the 386th Bomb Group, 555th Bomb Squadron, was struck by anti-aircraft fire while on a bombing mission over German-occupied France. The aircraft went into a spin and crashed into the ground near Gavrus, France, killing the eight American servicemen on board. The bodies of these men were not immediately recovered and it is believed that German soldiers buried these men near the wreckage of their aircraft.

 

Over the ensuing decades, the remains of six of these men have been recovered from farm fields and woods near Gavrus and were later buried with honors back in the United States. Unfortunately, the remains of two men, S/Sgt. Thomas J. McCaslin and T/Sgt. Robert Perkins, have not yet been found.

 

Since 2015, an in-depth investigation of the crash has revealed a fairly small area near Gavrus where the bodies of McCaslin and Perkins might be buried. More information is needed, however, to narrow down the exact location so that they may be found and returned home to their families.

 

A new drone mounted laser mapping technology called LiDAR is now available which produces extremely detailed and accurate topographical maps. These maps show very small changes in the ground surface which could indicate areas where the ground has been disturbed, i.e. impact sites, excavation, etc.  If it can be shown where the ground has been disturbed in the crash area, we believe that this could make it possible to determine the locations of Tom and Robert's grave sites.  

 A French company called Instadrone has provided a bid of approximately $3500 to complete a drone LiDAR study and analysis of the crash area. 

 

We are asking your help to raise $3500 so we can complete this study and hopefully bring the remains of Tom and Robert home for a proper burial in the United States.