William Ralph Alexander | American Air Museum in Britain

Assigned to 853BS, 491BG, 8AF USAAF. John Kenney crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Swabische Hall. Crashed Semmenstedt in B-24 'Ain't Bluffing' 44-40246 Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 8861

Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

Service

People

John Kenney

Military | Flight Officer | Pilot | 491st Bomb Group
Assigned to 853BS, 491BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Swabische Hall. Crashed Sermenstedt in B-24 'Ain't Bluffing' 44-40246 Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 8861 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

Units served with

8th Air Force

Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. ...
491st Bomb Group

Group
The 491st Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators in bombing missions over northern France and Germany from June 1944 until April 1945. Missions over Germany included bombing the headquarters of the German General Staff at Zossen. The Group was awarded a DUC...
853rd Bomb Squadron

Squadron

Aircraft

44-40246 Ain't Bluffing

B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 853BS, 491BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Swabische Hall with John Kenney crew. Hit by flak in No. 2 engine, causing A/C to collide with B-24 44-40234 'Times Awaisting'. Crashed Sermenstedt. 6 x POW, 3 x KIA MACR 8861

Associated Place

Metfield

Military site : airfield
Built during 1942-43 as an Eighth Air Force bomber base, Metfield had three concrete runways, 39 pan plus 15 loop hardstandings, and two dispersed T2 hangars. It was first occupied by the 353rd Fighter Group, equipped with P-47s, from August 1943 to...
Stalag Luft IV

Other location
Dulag Luft 12

Other location

Events

Event	Location	Date
Born	Easley, SC	29 August 1920
Son of Homer Herd and Clara Mae [Keenan] Alexander.
Enlisted	Camp Croft, SC	17 September 1942
Camp Croft, South Carolina
Based	Metfield	1944 – 13 September 1944
Assigned to 853BS, 491BG, 8AF USAAF.
Baled out POW	Semmenstedt, Germany	13 September 1944
Failed to Return (FTR) Swabische Hall. Crashed Semmenstedt in B-24 'Ain't Bluffing' 44-40246 POW MACR 8861
Prisoner of War (POW)	Tychowo, Poland	13 September 1944 – May 1945
Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft IV.
Died		18 September 1989
Buried	Woodlawn Memorial Park, Greenville, Greenville County, SC	21 September 1989
Woodlawn Memorial Park Greenville, Greenville County, South Carolina

Date	Contributor	Update
01 October 2020 17:26:28	Al_Skiff	Changes to middlename, biography, awards and events
Sources
ttps://www.fold3.com/image/28734774 https://www.fold3.com/image/28734770 https://www.fold3.com/image/682438642 https://www.fold3.com/record/84076524-william-r-alexander https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37319248/william-ralph-alexander
Date	Contributor	Update
01 October 2020 16:55:54	Al_Skiff	Changes to service number, role, biography, events, person associations, unit associations and place associations
Sources
https://www.fold3.com/image/28734774 https://www.fold3.com/image/28734770 https://www.fold3.com/record/84076524-william-r-alexander
Date	Contributor	Update
27 September 2014 18:28:36	AAM	AAM ingest
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 8861 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database