ssggates Posted November 21, 2016 Share #1 Posted November 21, 2016 I was very pleased to get this one, it turned out to be a very nice and complete group. It originated at an estate sale just a few miles down the road from where I live. William enlisted in January, 1942 and received his commission as a pilot on June 26th, 1943. He was assigned to the 597th Bomb Squadron of the 397th Bomb Group. The B26 pilots were repeatedly assigned the task of bombing bridges and attained such good results with these difficult targets that they began to be referred to as the “Bridge Busters”. William arrived with the squadron in England and after a short period of training, he flew his first mission (#2 for the squadron) on April 21st, 1944. William would fly a total of 58 missions, his final one coming on November 5th, 1944 against an ordnance depot in Homburg. He earned a total of 13 Air Medals. On June 6th 1944, William flew two missions in direct support of the DDay invasion. The first in the morning targeted German batteries in Les Dunes De Varreville. The second in the afternoon targeted German batteries in Trouville. After completing 58 missions, William left combat duty. He was assigned to 2117th AAF Base Unit at Buckingham Army Air Field, Fort Myers, Florida, for a period, and in May 1945 was placed on terminal leave and sent home. After the war William enjoyed a long career as an airline pilot with United Airlines, and upon retirement moved to Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where he lived until he passed away in 1997. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssggates Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share #2 Posted November 21, 2016 ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssggates Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share #3 Posted November 21, 2016 I really love the small items. ID bracelets and dog tags, also his personal stamp and key with his monogram on it. I could not resist putting on the aviators and imagining what was seen through those lenses. It is very possible they witnessed first-hand the invasion fleet off coast and even the beaches of Normandy as fighting raged on June 6th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssggates Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share #4 Posted November 21, 2016 He also kept his patches from throughout his service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1st Sgt CES Posted November 21, 2016 Share #5 Posted November 21, 2016 I like the dog tags a lot and the bullion wings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY Militaria Posted November 21, 2016 Share #6 Posted November 21, 2016 Great group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDK Posted November 22, 2016 Share #7 Posted November 22, 2016 Real nice looking set. JD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparty On Posted November 22, 2016 Share #8 Posted November 22, 2016 Very nice group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBMflyer Posted November 22, 2016 Share #9 Posted November 22, 2016 Great group to a B-26 pilot, were you able to get any photos or paperwork? The 9th AF guys get overlooked but did tons of tactical bombing before and after D-day. I really like it since he is from my hometown. Thanks for posting this. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38Driver Posted November 23, 2016 Share #10 Posted November 23, 2016 Beautiful group. Glad it's in good hands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katieony Posted November 23, 2016 Share #11 Posted November 23, 2016 A really outstanding group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted November 25, 2016 Share #12 Posted November 25, 2016 I'm not sure how I originally missed this one! One of my favorites I've ever held. You couldn't ask for a better group. Thanks for sharing this gem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doinworkinvans Posted November 25, 2016 Share #13 Posted November 25, 2016 Looks like he saw quite a bit of action according to the b26 site....fantastic group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted June 6, 2017 Share #14 Posted June 6, 2017 Thanks for what you did 73 years ago to help keep our boys stay in the fight Sir! RIP! ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted November 2, 2017 Share #15 Posted November 2, 2017 I thought I would finally share the face of this brave pilot! *Salute!* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FIGMO Posted November 2, 2017 Share #16 Posted November 2, 2017 Very nice collection! Congrats! What is the meaning of the blue material behind the pilot wings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbinephalen Posted November 2, 2017 Share #17 Posted November 2, 2017 Combat aircrew/pilot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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