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Lt. Will Patton
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Wanting to drain a low area, a French farmer uncovered the cockpit and remains of Lt. Patton and his P-51D Mustang. This greatly upset some of the local townsfolk, who had been there when the plane had crashed. The French still felt badly that this pilot, whom had come to fight in the name of liberty, had died doing so. These townsfolk of the village of Feignies, even as badly as they wanted, could not help, due to the ground conditions at that time.
The circumstances in which the wreck was uncovered, then the pilot, whom was still dressed, caused the recollection of the terms drawn up during a 1947 convention between France and the U.S. which states that all materials of the American Air Corps removed from French soil would remain property of the U.S. Air Force.
The police department of Maubeuge, in addition, started a procedure to insure that the integrity of a corpse is maintained (article 225-17 of the penal code). This means that anyone who locates a corpse or parts thereof, must, by penalty of the law, notify the police. In France, the extraction of a wreck (overall military) can only be accomplished by adhering to strict rules and regulations. Otherwise, serious law violations would occur.
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