43-37567 Willie III
Removed associations to people who are not depicted in this image. Associations made in aircraft record.
Delivered Cheyenne 30/4/44; Gt Falls 3/5/44; Kearney 3/6/44; Grenier 18/6/44; Assigned 750BS/457BG [J] Glatton 29/6/44.
Missing in Action Merseburg 12/12/44 with Montell Higgins (Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Bill Bell, Navigator: John McCaughan, Bombardier: Harry Harstedt, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Frank Winder, Radio Operator: Fred Lawyer, Ball turret gunner: Phil Porter, Waist gunner: Russ Perry,Tail gunner: Bill Smigielski (9 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed Sensweiler, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 11334. WILLIE III.
"On the 12 December 1944 American 457 BG was sent to attack Merseburg. With the formation was the B-17 of pilot Montell C. Higgins (750 BS). En route to the target this Flying Fortress got into trouble, let the wheels down and feathered engine # 4. For a certain time the aircraft trailed the formation, but then fell more and more behind until it disappeared altogether about 40 miles northeast of Frankfurt.
It can be assumed that the pilot attempted to make it back to base on his own. This, however, didn’t succeed and the crew were forced to bail out. When the eighth man had left the ship it was already diving down, nosed up again and finally raced down to earth. The crash occurred 9 km northwest of Idar-Oberstein. The pilot did not get out of the plane and lost his life. He was first buried in the communal cemetery of Sensweiler and now rests in the military cemetery at St. Avold in Lorraine".
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: 457th Bomb Group 750th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-560639
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 457th Bomb Group 750th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-1998571
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 457th Bomb Group 750th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-750986
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 457th Bomb Group 750th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 35610335
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 457th Bomb Group 750th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-719853
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Connington
Missions
- Date: 12 December 1944
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Assigned |
Glatton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, UK | 29 June 1944 | |
Other Failed to Return (FTR) |
Idar-Oberstein, Germany | 12 December 1944 |
Revisions
Roland Geiger at http://www.flugzeugabstuerze-saarland.de/html/hochwald-nahe.html
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 11334 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database