William King Little
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Media courtesy of Julia Mortenson
Object Number - UPL 15059 - Lt. William King Little
Lt. William Little was the bombardier on the B-24D, 42-40265, named, Honkey Tonk Gal, on Operation Tidal Wave, TDY to the 9th Air Force in Benghazi, Libya, in 1943. Honkey Tonk Gal, was hit by flak and attacking fighter planes before and after bombing it's target refinery, and crash landed approximately 10 miles north of Ploesti. Lt. Little was caught in the nose of the plane's wreckage, badly injured. After being pulled out of the wrecked bomber, he was taken prisoner (POW) at the crash site, but died (KIA) in a Romanian hospital on, 8-Aug-43, both from his injuries from the crash, and having been poisoned by the gasoline he was soaked in and the fumes he inhaled after the crash. MACR 330.
Awards: DFC, AM, PH.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 409th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18062178 / O-663978
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Honkey Tonk Gal - Naked Truth
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 409th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 1 August 1943
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Cemetery
- Known as: Lorraine American Cemetery, St Avold, France
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Deiniston, TX | 3 May 1916 | Son of Riley P and Belle [Fite] Little. |
|
Enlisted |
Jackson, MS | 5 November 1941 | Jackson, Mississippi |
|
Other Prisoner of War |
Ploiești, Romania | 1 August 1943 - 8 August 1943 | Prisoner of War (POW) in Romania, crashed on 8/1/43 while on TDY to 9th AF for Ploesti Raid. Flew in B-24 'Honky Tonk Gal' 42-40265 |
|
Died |
Romania | 8 August 1943 | Killed in Action (KIA), died in Romanian hospital fom Pneumonia from gas fumes inhaled after crash. 8/8/43. |
|
Buried |
Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial | Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-Avold, Departement de la Moselle, Lorraine, France. Plot E Row 43 Grave 15 |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 330
