Joe Stinson of Burlington, Ont., sends us an account of a bizarre adventure involving his brother, George, and himself after the 1944 breakout from Normandy.

They were with the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and were hitchhiking back to their unit at day’s end. They spotted an army truck with a power shovel on the back and flagged it down. The driver, named Peron, said he was headed for a French town, Montain, to deliver the shovel and would be returning to their unit. So they went with him.

They couldn’t hear any firing, but everything seemed strange. Peron assured them everything was all right and they continued into the night.

Eventually they came to Montain. They saw the name on a sign outside the town hall. The driver pulled over and tried to find the company to which he was supposed to make the delivery. He banged on doors, shouting for B Co. There was no reply. The town stayed dark.

So the three turned back and, without further incident, reached their home unit. Their return brought a visit from the intelligence officer, because Montain was 60 miles behind German front.

The Germans had been in full retreat, with the three unknowing Canadians chasing them and, luckily, not catching them. The town the driver should have been seeking was Monteign