Willard L WATSON
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Source : USAAF Class Book Project ABMC American Cemeteries | |||||||
NUMBER OF SERVICE | O-777878 | ||||||
AGE | 23 yo | ||||||
DATE OF BIRTH | 1921 | ||||||
ETAT | MISSOURI | ||||||
FAMILY | -- | ||||||
RANK | 2nd Lieutenant | ||||||
FONCTION | -- | ||||||
JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT | -- | ||||||
DATE of ENLISTEMENT | --- | ||||||
SQUADRON | 454th Bomber Squadron | ||||||
GROUP | 323rd Bomber Group Medium | ||||||
ARMY | 9th US Air Force | ||||||
DATE OF DEATH | 28 september 1944 | ||||||
STATUS | DNB - Died Non-battle | ||||||
PLACE OF DEATH | Sector Chartres | ||||||
DATA PLAN |
B-26 Marauder - type C-10-MO - s/n 41-34879 RJ*Q "Little Lulu"
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CEMETERY TEMPORARY | CEMETERY TEMPORARY of
Villeneuve-sur-Auvers N°3594 | ||||||
CEMETERY | BRITTANY AMERICAN CEMETERY of St James | ||||||
GRAVE |
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DECORATION |
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STORY | |||||||
Source : USAAF Class Book Project ABMC American Cemeteries |
Willard L. Watson was born on 1921. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II as a Second Lieutenant in the 454th Bomber Squadron, 323rd Bomber Group, Medium. He entered service in Missouri. Crew member of the B-26 Marauder "Little Lulu" which took off from the A-40 Airfield in Chartres and crashed just 4 km away due to unknown reasons. All five crewmembers perished in the crash. He died on September 28, 1944, was initially buried at Villeneuve-sur-Auvers in France and is now buried at Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France. | ||||||
Roy R BOZYCH “Little Lulu” serial # 41-34879 coded RJ-Q was lost on September 28, 1944 during a training mission with a new crew. It crashed 2 ½ miles west of A-40 Chartres, France. There were no survivors. Lost that day were the pilot Burl LUNKENBILL, copilot Willard WATSON, Bombardier Frank HAWKINSON, Flight Engineer Gerald THEUBER, Flight Engineer Leonard HARDY, Radioman Charles BRUCKER and Tail Gunner Joseph MAXWELL. There was an investigation afterward but since “Little Lulu” was completely consumed in the ensuing fire no cause of the accident was ever found. The pilot Burl Lunkenbill had almost 1,000 hrs in a B-26. At the time of the crash “Little Lulu” had completed 108 combat missions and was becoming “War Weary” so this may have been a factor. |
Crew of B-26 Marauder - type C-10-MO - s/n 41-34879 RJ*Q"Little Lulu" | ||||
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1st Lieutenant | Burl Leon LUKENBILL | Pilote | Décédé - Rose Hill Cem. Tyler, Smith Co, TEXAS | 24 ans |
1st Lieutenant | Frank L HAWKINSON | Décédé -Cim Am St James | O-734911 - OKLAHOMA | |
2nd Lieutenant | Willard L WATSON | Décédé -Cim Am St James | O-777878 - Né en 1921 - Texas Co, MISSOURI | |
T/Sergeant | Leonard R HARDY | Décédé -Cim Am St James | 39682373 - UTAH | |
S/Sergeant | Joseph W MAXWELL | Décédé -Cim Am St James | 32470525 - DFC/AM+3 - NEW YORK | |
Stele in memory of the crew |
SOURCE INFORMATION & PHOTO | Honorstates.org - JF PELLOUAIS - Uswarmemorials.org - Francecrashes39-45.net - Aad.archives.gov - Jim O'LEARY (Facebook.com) - Roy R BOZYCH - Frédéric LAVERNHE - USAAF Class Book Project ABMC American Cemeteries |
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PROGRAMMER | Frédéric & Renaud |