LEONARD J. SCHALLEHN, born and educated in Saratoga Springs, New York, on March 2, 1921. He joined the Army Air Corps in the fall of 1942, completed aerial gunnery training in December at which time he was assigned as a sergeant on a B-17.

In February, 1943, he was tapped for Cadet training, receiving his commission as a Second Lieutenant in December, 1943. In January, 1944, he was sent to Stone, England (Stoke-on-Trent), after being rushed into action because of the high mortality rate of pilots in Europe, along with several other buddies.

When he told his commanding officer upon his arrival in England that he had no dive-bombing training, he was told, "Well, you will get some practice over here, only someone will be shooting back at you."

In March, he was assigned to a group in the Ninth Air Force near the Isle of Wight, at Christchurch. On D-Day, Schallehn began his 15th mission, and remembers most, on that day, "the dead American guys floating in the water looked like flies on flypaper."

On June 16, 1944, flying his 46th sortie, Schallehn was shot down. He took off from Christchurch at 4 P.M. to escort A-26's over Mayenne, France. Flying at 14,000 feet over the target area, he suddenly felt the concussion as the flak struck his engine. His flight leader screamed in the headset for him to bailout. After several unsuccessful attempts, he put the plane into a dive, pulled back on the stick and rolled it . . . coming "out like a cork." He landed in a cornfield somewhere between Laval and Mayenne. It was 5 p.m.

With other fighters circling over him during his descent, he landed successfully and ran into the woods. Three days and thirty miles later, he reached a collective farm between Laval and Domfront. The French Resistance leader in that area of Normandy was called. He dubbed Schallehn as a deaf and dumb undertaker. He had difficulty proving he wasn't a German in disguise because he had lost his dog tags. An R.A.F. pilot from Canada saved his life as Schallehn successfully answered three questions - namely, who won the World Series, what is a chocolate sundae and how far is it from Saratoga Springs to Montreal.

He moved from farm to farm in Domfront, during July. The French Resistance leader, Andre Rougeyron, who was also mayor of Domfront, was suddenly arrested by the Gestapo within Schallehn's vision.

Schallehn then took off to LaBaroche, seven miles south. Patton's Third Army rescued him from an abandoned implement shop where underground forces had stored their weapons.

It was the end of August - sixty-five days since Schallehn parachuted, Andre escaped from Buchenwald Concentration camp. Rougeyron and Schallehn embraced at a reunion in 1960 - together, again, in Domfront.

Released from duty in January, 1946, he joined the New York Telephone Company and continues to work out of their headquarters in Saratoga Springs. In July of that year he married Eunice Schallehn, of nearby Ballston Spa, and they later had two daughters - Cynthia and Sandra.

Len and Eunice re-visited Christchurch while participating in the Association's reunion in London, 1974.

Along with his family, including a little Grandchild, Kelly Ann, golfing and skiing continue to be his main interests today.