William Arthur Nicholls
MilitaryWilliam Nicholls was Bombardier on B-17 #42-30816 on the 11 December 1943 mission to Emden, Germany. Was inside the ship when it crash-landed near Warfhuizen, 25km NW of Groningen, Noord Holland, The Netherlands. Captured and made a Prisoner of War (POW). He was later a Major in the USAF Reserve.
In 1983 he was Vice-President of the 385th BG Association.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 385th Bomb Group 551st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 35333547
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator/Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 385th Bomb Group 551st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11046233
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 385th Bomb Group 551st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 31155161
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 385th Bomb Group 551st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17020292
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 385th Bomb Group 551st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 31078295
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Mary Ellen III
- Unit: 385th Bomb Group 551st Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 11 December 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
9 September 1919 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | |
Enlisted |
2 February 1942 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
11 December 1943 | NARA WWII POW record : “ '9 March 1944’… Interned at Stalag Luft 1, Barth, Germany. Returned to Military Control ’12 June 1946’.” | |
Other Discharged |
25 November 1945 | (according to his Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File) | |
Died |
23 December 2006 | Atco, New Jersey | |
Woodbury, Gloucester County, New Jersey | |||
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
Buried |
William Nicholls rests at the Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Arneytown, New Jersey |
Revisions
MACR 1664
NARA WWII enlistment records
NARA WWII POW records
WWII Draft card
Dutch page at http://zuurdiek.nl/1943-vliegend-fort-mary-ellen-iii-neergestort/
Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1664 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database