William D Mehegan
Military
"Iowans of the Mighty Eighth", Chapter 26 "Biographies", by Charles D Taylor.
Object Number - UPL 32537 - Second Lieutenant William D Mehegan, Bombardier, 453rd Bomb Group.
Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by flak and crashed near Zecherben in B-24 42-95048
On his fifteenth mission - to bomb a target at Halle - they took two direct hits, the navigator and tail gunner being blown out of the plane without parachutes. Only Bill and a gunner survived the crash. At Stalag Luft 1 he helped organise stage plays to relieve the boredom; guards would often bring in 'props' for the productions. He afterwards qualified as a teacher and participated in some 600 stage productions.
Air Medal
Connections
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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
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Unit: 453rd Bomb Group 735th Bomb Squadron
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Prisoner of War |
Germany | 7 July 1944 | |
|
Born |
Cleveland, Ohio, USA | ||
| Cedar Rapids, IA, USA |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 7226 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
