Lester R Walters
Military ROLL OF HONOURKilled in Action (KIA) during training transitioning to B-17s fromB-24s. Collided in practice bomb run in B-17G 43-3784 piloted by Paul Stults with B-24H 42-52588 'Annie' piloted by David Ozbolt at the Ducks Hall bombing range north of Cavendish.
Connections
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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
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Lavenham/Alpheton Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Texas, USA | 4 December 1921 | |
|
Died |
Lavenham, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10, UK | 20 July 1944 | First Lieutenant Lester R. Walters, Army serial number O-694823, was born in Texas on December 4, 1921. His parents were William Andrew Walters Sr (11 Feb 1897 – 11 Feb 1991) and Jessie Leona (Hazel) Walters (12 Sep 1896 – 20 May 1950). In 1930, the family lived in San Angelo, Tom Green County, Texas, and his father's occupation was 'wind miller'. He completed four years of high school, and worked as a telegraph operator. He was married when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at San Antonio, Texas, on October 3, 1942. He completed Army Air Forces bombardier training and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on October 7, 1943. He was then assigned to the heavy bomber crew of Lt Henry L. Duerr in the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. The 487th Bomb Group completed B-24 combat crew training at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico, and deployed to England in March-April 1944. The Duerr crew flew B-24H 42-52761 overseas. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near the village of Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. He was later promoted to First Lieutenant and reassigned to the crew of Lt Paul M. Stults in the 836th Bomb Squadron. In July 1944, the 487th Bomb Group transitioned from the B-24 to the B-17. On July 20, 1944, the Stults crew flew a training mission in one of the new aircraft, B-17G 43-37840. Lt Walters and four other men aboard the B-17 perished when their aircraft collided with B-24H 42-51197 and crashed near Lavenham. Lt Stults attempted to land at Lavenham Airfield, but crashed on approach to the base near the Officers Club and Clapstile Farmhouse. There is a base diagram and a panoramic photo showing the Officers Club and Clapstile Farm, posted on the 487th Bomb Group Association website. Lt Walters was buried initially at Cambridge American Cemetery. After the war, his remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Breckenridge Cemetery in Breckenridge, Texas. His burial plot is D50, Space 5. Several family members are buried near him: |
|
Buried |
Breckenridge, TX, USA | Breckenridge Cemetery Breckenridge Stephens County Texas, USA Plot: D50, Space 5 |
Revisions
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Combat Chronology Supplement p. 535, The History of the 487th BG Roll of Honor pp. 302-5 and account pp 93-96 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia