William M Racer

Military
media-22546.jpeg UPL 22546 Sergeant William Racer served as a tail gunner with the 322nd Bomb Group from Andrews Field.

Sent through to the American Air Museum by William Racer's son, Charles.

Object Number - UPL 22546 - Sergeant William Racer served as a tail gunner with the 322nd Bomb Group from Andrews Field.

Sergeant William Racer served as a tail gunner with the 322nd Bomb Group from Andrews Field. He was part of the crew of B-26 (serial number 42-95970) that was shot down over France at Talmas on 8 July 1944. Three of his crew were killed; he and two other airmen survived.



He was taken as a Prisoner of War (POW). Injured, he was treated at a hospital in Amiens before being transferred to Stalag Luft IV.



In a letter dated 13 July 1944, Brigadier General Samuel E Anderson wrote to Della B Racer, William's mother, informing her that her son was missing in action.



He wrote 'William was a splendid airplane armorer and gunner, highly respected by the members of his crew and all those who know him. His loss is deeply felt by his comrades. His devotion to duty and to our country was unswerving and merited the highest praise.'

Connections

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Units served with

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-26 Marauder
  • Unit: 322nd Bomb Group 450th Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

West Virginia, USA 24 October 1920

Enlisted

Columbus, OH, USA 11 December 1941 At Fort Hayes

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

8 July 1944 - 20 July 1945

Other

Entered Germany Air Force Hospital

Amiens, France 8 July 1944 Date given is that of the German report concerning movement of POWs.

Revisions

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

A copy of the letter was sent through to the American Air Museum by William Racer's son, Charles.

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Correspondence with William Racer's son, Charles.

Also, NARA Enlistment record: https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=all&tf…

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Correspondence with William Racer's granddaughter, Christi Racer Kuhner.

William M Racer: Gallery (1 items)