The Star & Stripes newspaper published an account of this match on July 25, 1944. The headquarters of the 100th Fighter Wing, XIX Tactical Air Group, Ninth Air Force was in Saint Pierre Eglise. If you have any information about the match or those who participated in it, please contact me at jfrison (at) gmail (dot) com.
The Cover of Voir Magazine No. 12 - Voir was published by the American Office of War Information in 1944-45 to promote goodwill and a positive image of America.
The First French International Soccer Match in four years - The translation of this and of the picture captions are mine: corrections are welcome.
A Critical Moment - Proper soccer equipment and uniforms were probably hard to come by just six weeks after D-Day.
Full of Impartiality - Citizens of Saint Pierre Eglise, refugees from Caen and American servicemen watch the match.
The French woman in the picture, Paule Leroux Potter, is the daughter of the referee, Emile Leroux. She attended the commemorative match that was held on June 6, 2009.
A Firm Handshake - Werner Dreyfuss was the captain of the American team.
Generosity-Money was collected at the match for refuges from the battle for Caen.
The Final Toast - According to British Wing Commander Tom Neil, a Battle of Britain ace, the teams drank so much champagne at half time that they could hardly play the second half. Commander Neil was the British liaison to the 100th Fighter Wing and helped organize and played in the match.
This picture from a microfilm isn't clear but the caption identifies another US player, goalie Edward Goldberger as well as the name of the S&S photographer, Koenig.
1st Lt. Robert M Flynn who served with the 100th Fighter Wing returned to Saint Pierre Eglise in April, 1981. This article is from the Caen newspaper, Presse de la Manche.
January, 2009: An article in the Presse de la Manche describes Dutchman Jan Milders discovery of the almost forgotten 1944 match at the local soccer club, his desire to learn more about it and efforts to recreate the match.
Poster for June 6, 2009 match 65 years after the original match. A US Air Force team from Ramstein AFB in Germany will play the local St. Pierre Eglise club.
