Carmichaels man involved in special D-Day commemoration
A Carmichaels man served as chief pilot for a special project called Return to Normandy that commemorated the 70th anniversary of the historic D-Day invasion of World War II.
Christopher C. Polhemus was one of three pilots who flew a restored Douglas C-47 named Whiskey 7 from the United States to France, according to the National Warplane Museum, located in Geneseo, N.Y. Information released by the museum explains that Polhemus was raised in Peekskille, N.Y, and has been an international captain for U.S. Airways since 1980.
According to the museum, Whiskey 7, named for its W7 squadron marking, in 1944 was the lead aircraft of the second wave, escorting hundreds of C-47s from the English Channel to France on D-Day. She carried 21 paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion, including their commander, Lt. Col. Edward C. Krause, who led the assault on Sainte-Mere-Eglise.
This time, the restored aircraft was scheduled to execute several parachute drops with members of the Liberty Jump Team over authentic drop zones, including a town that has not seen a parachute drop since D-Day, reported the museum.
Whiskey 7 left the United States on May 15 with stopovers in Maine, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, England and Germany. Each leg of the trip is about 750 nautical miles, with total flying time to France reaching 25 hours, according to the museum. The return trip is expected to take 35 hours due to prevailing winds.
The Return To Normandy fact sheet noted WWII veteran Leslie Palmer Cruise Jr., a paratrooper dropped from Whiskey 7 on D-Day, was scheduled to return to Normandy as a guest of the project.
The Return To Normandy 2014 website lists a schedule that included events in France through June 9 with Whiskey 7 departing Cherbourg on June 10.
According to a press release, the National Warplane Museum is working alongside the French government in this special project as part of a world tribute to the fallen and surviving soldiers of World War II.
The museum collected donations for the trip with a goal of raising $250,000.
“The significance of the 70th anniversary is unparalleled,” Erin Vitale, chairwoman of Return To Normandy in the press release. “Many veterans are now in their late 80s and 90s, and we have the privilege of honoring them with our project and our beloved Whiskey 7. I can’t fathom a better way to commemorate this D-Day.”
Austin Wadsworth, museum president, said in the release, “This has been a unique opportunity for us to thank our veterans for their service and we’re honored to have been invited by the French government to be an integral part of their world celebration.”
More information on the project is available at www.rtn2014.org.