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Video length: 2 min
On June 6, 1944, Harvey Engelberg’s father, a Canadian, almost lost his life during the D-Day landings. His son returns to Normandy to honor this family history.
Thérèse Férey welcomes Harvey Engelberg, a Canadian. Since 2022, debris from the plane in which the man’s father almost perished on June 6, 1944 has been rising in Thérèse’s field. On the night of June 5 to 6, 1944, dozens of planes took off and had to parachute soldiers behind enemy lines. One of them is piloted by two Canadians: Lieutenant Harvey Jones and his co-pilot Cobby Engelberg. Their plane is strafed by the German defense.
He is hit and catches fire. The lieutenant orders the paratroopers to jump, but Cobby, Harvey Engelberg’s father, is injured. The lieutenant, who does not want to abandon his friend, tries to land. The plane crashes in a field and Harvey Jones dies instantly. Seriously injured, Cobby Engelberg survives. Harvey donated the first remains of the plane and his father’s belongings to the Juno Beach Center. It bears the name of the deceased pilot, so that the sacrifice is not in vain.