Peter Dmytruk Peter Dmytruk ( May 27 , 1920 in Radisson , Saskatchewan – December 9 , 1943 at Les Martres - de - Veyre , Puy - de - Dôme , Auvergne Province , Occupied France ) was a Sergeant in the Royal Canadian Air Force who was killed fighting with the French Resistance during World War II . Life . Peter Dmytruk was born in Radisson , Saskatchewan in 1920 to a Ukrainian immigrant family . At the outbreak of World War II , Peter Dmytruk was living in Wynyard , Saskatchewan when he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in July 1941 . Following his training , he was shipped overseas where he served as a tail gunner with the 405th Bomber Squadron . During a mission over France , just east of Paris , Flight Sergeant Dmytruk ' s plane was shot down by German anti - aircraft fire . He survived the crash and after hiding in the woods , he was protected by locals who put him in touch with members of the French Underground . Dmytruk was led south through German - occupied France towards the escape route through the Pyrenees into Spain . Along the way , he was deeply impacted by the plight of the French people under a brutal Nazi occupation and chose not to be smuggled out of the country . Instead , he joined the French Resistance where they soon dubbed him , " " Pierre le Canadien " . " Peter Dmytruk ' s duties for the Resistance brought him to the small village of Les Martres - de - Veyre , about 15 kilometers south of Clermont - Ferrand where he gained a reputation amongst his French counterparts as a fearless fighter , undeterred by the ever - present danger . Following the sabotage of a German troop and munitions train , the Germans sent troops into Les Martres - de - Veyre . Normally , the Germans took reprisal for such sabotage incidents by executing the men of the village . However , on December 9 , 1943 , Peter Dmytruk was arrested and because the Germans believed the notorious " " Pierre le Canadien " " was responsible for the train sabotage , he was executed on the spot . As a result , the German troops believed they had broken the backbone of the local Resistance movement and did not conduct the usual mass executions of any of the citizens of the village . Aftermath . The people of Les Martres - de - Veyre buried the 23 - year - old Peter Dmytruk with honors in the community cemetery . Because of the war , it would be more than a year before the Canadian government could confirm his death to his family . Following the liberation of France and the surrender of Germany , he was amongst those individuals almost forgotten by a Canadian nation anxious to put the horrific memories of the War behind them . However , acclaimed as a hero whose selfless courage helped bring freedom to France and whose death saved the life of many residents of Les Martres - de - Veyre , a street was named after him . The government of France honored Dmytruk with the Croix de Guerre and at the end of the War , beginning in 1946 and each year thereafter , the citizens of Les Martres - de - Veyre held a parade and memorial service at his monument . Almost thirty years after his death , in August 1972 , the surprised mayor of Wynyard , Saskatchewan received a letter from a mayor of Les Martres - de - Veyre that showed Peter Dmytruk was not just a name on a war memorial , but was in fact a true hero of the War . The mayor of Les Martres - de - Veyre proposed to honour the dead Canadian soldier through the twinning of their two small towns and the creation of a new large memorial at his gravesite . On the thirtieth anniversary of his death , a 13 - person delegation of family and officials from Saskatchewan joined the French commemoration ceremony . In 1999 , Peter Dmytruk was awarded the " Nation Builders Awards " that honors the contributions of outstanding Ukrainian Canadian s from the province of Saskatchewan .