Central Illinois World War II Stories – Oral History Interview: O.B. Streeper of Chenoa

O.B. Streeper served with the Army Air Corps from March 1943 to September 1945. He was shot down May 27, 1944, over southern France. He parachuted to safety, and joined the French resistance. During one of the missions that he participated in, a bag was accidentally left behind contained his name and some of his identification. After finding this bag, the Nazis were apparently convinced that Streeper was one of the key figures in the French resistance so they offered a large reward for him—large enough that it represented several years of salary to an average French citizen—so Streeper had to distance himself from some of his colleagues in the resistance for fear that someone might turn him in for the reward money.

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