William H WARNER

 

warner william h 1
NUMBER OF SERVICEO-437894
AGE29 yo
DATE OF BIRTH27 september 1914 à Hartford CONNECTICUT
ETATCONNECTICUT
FAMILYSingle
RANKCaptain
FONCTIONPilot
JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENTInsurance sellerCT
DATE of ENLISTEMENT

11 july 1941

Aviation Cadet Flight School

Aviation Cadet Flight School

 SQUADRON 423rd Bomb Squadron
 GROUP306th Bomb Group
ARMY8th US Air Force
DATE OF DEATH16 february 1943warner william h tombe
STATUSKIA
PLACE OF DEATHSt. Nazaire
DATA PLAN

B-17 Fortress - type F-5-VE - s/n 42-5717 RD*F

b17

Macr: 15472

 Mission: Underwater Base Attack St-Nazaire (44)

Shot by fighter and flak around 12:00

Takeoff 09h00 Thurleigh, Bedfordshire UK

 

CEMETERYBRITTANY AMERICAN CEMETERY of St James

Map of St James American Cemetery

GRAVE
PlotRowGrave
I1111
DECORATION

Air Medal

Purple Heart

American Campaign Medal

WWII Victory Medal

EAMEC

American Defense Service Medal

Pilot patent

am

Photo FDLM

american campaign medal

victory medal

EAMECampaignMedalOneBronzeStar

AmerDefMedal

aile pilote

 

usaf  8air force  306bg 306bgh 423bs 
306th Bomber Group, Heavy
STORY
warner william h

warner william h stele

  

WARNER WILLIAM H crew

Crew of 42-5717

William H. WARNER  was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1914. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps for the Aviation Cadet Program at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas on July 11, 1941.

His enlistment records state he had 4 years of college (unnamed), was single with no dependents, and was an insurance salesman.

Upon completion of his pilot training, he was commissioned and assigned to the newly-activated 306th Bomb Group.

The unit was in Wendover Field, Utah, doing transition training with the B-17. In August 1942 the unit deployed to England where it was based at Thurleigh, near Bedford.

Warner was assigned to the 423rd Bomb Squadron, given command of a B-17, and assigned a crew. Missions were flown from November 1942 against French targets.

On February 22, 1943, this crew was scheduled to participate in a raid on the submarine pens at St. Nazaire, France. En route to the target, the bomber formation encountered flak and enemy fighters.

Approximately 10 minutes after bomb release, flak became intense and accurate, and a large number of German fighters engaged the bombers.

Several aircraft made a head-on pass at Warner's aircraft - the dreaded "12 O'clock high."

The cockpit of the B-17 was riddled, and Warner was killed by a bullet in the head. The co-pilot attempted to take over, but was hampered by the fact he couldn't gain access to the pilot's seat. The radio operator was wounded in the leg, and then the ball turret gunner, a waist gunner, and the tail gunner were killed by 20 mm shells.

The other waist gunner died in an attempt to bail out.

Three men managed to get free of the aircraft, one of which was the bombardier who was literally blown out the nose compartment at less than 600 feet as it was struck by a volley of cannon fire. These three men reached the ground, where two managed to evade with the help of French civilians, but the other was captured.

Captain William H. WARNER was buried in the Brittany American Cemetery at St. James, France where he lies in Plot I, Row 11, Grave 11.

A German report assigns credit for this shoot-down to either Feldwebel Franz Dorre or Unteroffizer Erich Schwartz, both of JG 26. (Neither claim confirmed)


Crew of  B-17 Fortress - type F-5-VE - s/n 42-5717 RD*F


Capitaine

William H

WARNER

Pilot

Dead

Cim Brit Am St-James  

2nd Lieutenant

Arnold R

CARLSON

CoPilot

Dead

Cim Brit Am St-James  

1st Lieutenant

Lewis H

UTLEY

Navigator

Dead

Cim Brit Am St-James  

1st Lieutenant

Robert E

KYLIUS

Bomber

Escape
 

T/Sergeant

Clairborne W

WILSON

Mechanic  / Gunner

Escape
 

S/Sergeant

Colon E

NEELEY

Gunner G

Dead

Cim Zachary Taylor 1369 Kentucky

S/Sergeant

Robert D

KISLING

Gunner V

Dead

Cim Brit Am St-James  

S/Sergeant

Walter C

MORGAN

Gunner D

Dead

Cim Zachary Taylor 1369 Kentucky

S/Sergeant

William E

WILLIAMS

Gunner A

Dead

Cim Brit Am St-James

T/Sergeant

Eddie Frank

ESPITALLIER

Radio

Prisoner
 
b 17
warner william h b17

 

 

To the crew of B-17F 42-5717 8th Air Force, 306th BG, 423rd BS shot on February 16, 1943 in Guillac MORBIHAN

Aerosteles.net

equipage 42 5717 stele equipage 42 5717 stele1
equipage 42 5717 stele2 equipage 42 5717 stele3
SOURCE INFORMATION & PHOTOUSAAF Class Book Project ABMC American Cemeteries Francecrashes39-45.net - Aerosteles.net - Airforce.togetherweserved.com - Frédéric LAVERNHE -  Findagrave.com - Valentin GASCHER 
PROGRAMMERFrédéric & Renaud
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