William S Humphrey
MilitaryPersonal records
William Humphrey was Top Turret Gunner on board B-17 #42-30259 'Damifino II' on a 24 September 1943 practice flight to test PFF equipment and technique. Intercepted by enemy fighters and shot down. Ditched North Sea. 5 men died. William was among the 5 men who were rescued by Royal Navy torpedo boats and spent the night with them on the French coast. MACR 778. Returned to duty and flew on other missions. He was a replacement TTG on 'Murderer's Row' B-17G #42-39817 on the 3 March 1944 mission to Berlin with Pilot Robert D. Vollmer. Attacked by a swarm of FW110s, shot down, exploded and the debris fell in a radius of 3km between Drage and Peissen, 10km N of Itzehoe (50km N of Hamburg), Germany. MACR 3029. Immediately captured in Peissen. Prisoner of War (POW).
Connections
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Units served with
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 349th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 36264332
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 349th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 31002387 at enlistment, then O-676883
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 349th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 10601362
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 349th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32391944
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 349th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11063596 at enlistment, then O-798486
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot / Pilot
Aircraft
Missions
Places
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
12 February 1914 | Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan | |
Enlisted |
24 December 1941 | as a Private in the Air Corps, in Detroit, Michigan | |
Other Rescued in the North Sea |
24 September 1943 | by a Royal Navy torpedo boat after ditching of B-17 42-30259 and returned to duty | |
Other captured |
3 March 1944 | in Peissen, North of Itzehoe, Germany, after parachuting out of B-17 42-39817 | |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
3 March 1944 | Interned at Stalag Luft 4 in Gross Tychow (Tychowo), Poland. Force-marched to other camps. Liberated. NARA WWII POW records : "Returned to Military Control 23 May 1945." | |
Other Honorably discharged |
30 October 1945 | ||
Died |
3 July 1995 | Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan | |
Born |
Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan |
Revisions
Added an association to the 100th BG, the parent BG of the 349th, 350th, 351st & 418th Bomb Squadrons & the 1141st Quartermaster Company.
Added a "# to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.
MACR 778 and MACR 3029
NARA WWII Enlistment records
WWII Draft Cards
NARA WWII POW records
100th Bomb Group Foundation Directory, 2000 - 2001; MACR 778; MACR 3029, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3029 / MACR 778 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database