George D. Mayott

The Dunkirk Lighthouse, a beacon in the Dunkirk community, will shed some light this Memorial Day on one of the city’s hometown heroes.

That hero is Dunkirk native George Mayott, who was a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces and a World War II pilot at age 23. On Dec. 9, 1944, Mayott’s plane sustained the loss of an engine and fuel leakage after a bombing mission over southern Germany and crashed near the Czech-Austrian border after attempting to traverse the Alps. It was the airplane’s 42nd war mission.

“The plane landed in the snow,” said Mike Mayott, George Mayott’s nephew. “The Americans who remained with the plane were picked up by local authorities after the crash. We don’t know what happened to the rest of the crew or why my uncle made the decision to stay with the aircraft. This is a question we may never know the answer to.”

According to an account published in the book, “No One Forgets, Our Fallen Heroes from Our Nations Fight for Freedom: Chautauqua County,” Mayott and four other servicemen were picked up by local authorities after the crash and placed in a truck.

Franz Strasser, a local Nazi official, was also in the truck and commanded the truck to stop on the highway. Strasser then led the Americans down into a ditch where they were shot and killed.

The Army investigated the massacre and later captured Strasser as well as the Chief of Police of Kaplice where the crash occurred. Strasser was charged with murder and sentenced to death by hanging.

Mayott, who was a bombardier/navigator on the 2nd Bomb Group 20th Bomb Squadron B-17G, received a Purple Heart. He is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in Lorraine, France.

On Monday at 8:30 a.m., Mike Mayott, a Vietnam War veteran who lives in Billings, Mont., will be joined at the Dunkirk Lighthouse by his cousin, Melissa Maze, who is a great-niece of George Mayott. Both will share a reflection at the event and place a wreath at the Air Force flag.

“We’ve lived through an interesting era,” reflected Mike Mayoot when asked about what he might say on Monday. “World War I and World War II were conflicts aimed at a greater good and had positive outcomes. Our young men and women enlisted with the goal of protecting our way of life. There was a lot of pride…

“George was a hometown hero as he enlisted in the Army Air Corp. But, what about the parents, brothers and sisters who lived through it all? They are heroes too for everything they did to care and tend to their families. Individuals who also serve their communities are also heroes in their own way.

“Memorial Day is an opportunity to stop and reflect on those who died in their service to our country,” he added. “These are people we look up to and young people today need that.”