William J Peteritas
Military ROLL OF HONOURKilled in Action on 26-Feb-43 in B-17F #42-5056 'Devil's Playmate', 305BG/364BS while serving as Radio Operator. The aircraft was shot down by German fighters and crashed into the North Sea between the Frisian Islands and Helgoland, Germany while on a mission to Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Most of the crew were original members of the 305th
Air Medal, Purple Heart
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
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Devil's Playmate
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 26 February 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Frackville, Pennsylvania | ||
Other Commemorated |
Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Madingley Road, Coton, Cambridgeshire CB23 7PH, UK | Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery. | |
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Helgoland, Germany | 26 February 1943 | Killed when aircraft was shot down by fighters and crashed into the North Sea between the Frisian Islands and Helgoland, Germany. His remains have never been recovered. |
Revisions
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.
Lee Cunningham 21-Jun-2015. Added decorations and Commemorated event per American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) records; MACR 15120; Made connections to Place and Mission within existing website data; Added KIA event and location; Added A/C model number and Unit designations in Biography. Added loss details in Summary Biography per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE; and MACR 15120.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15120 / MACR 15120, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 81, The Brotherhood of Heroes by Thom p. 65 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database