William Howard Stovall IV
Military ROLL OF HONOURNephew of Lt Stovall, Michael G C Webster
Howard Stovall served as a fighter pilot with the 56th Fighter Group. He was Missing in Action after a mission over Burgsteinfurt in P-47 44-19792 on 31 December 1944.
His father, Hank Stovall, Head of VIII Fighter Command, had to know whether his son was alive or not. In February 1945, he was able to travel to Switzerland and from there to Germany, and eventually he found out where Howard had been buried. He wrote to his wife Eleanor:
"I have found our boy. He is buried at the Evangelist cemetery at Bergsteinfurt. If you look on the map, you will see that it is about 10 miles Northwest of Munster.”
The family decided that the fighter pilot would be buried overseas, "lest we forget".
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron 62nd Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17112016 / O-706331
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Fighter Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: VIII Fighter Command
- Service Numbers: O-900568
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Role/Job: Pursuit pilot, Flight Commander in WW I, Deputy Chief of Staff (Personnel) for 8th Fighter in WW II.
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 62nd Fighter Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Burgsteinfurt, 48565 Steinfurt, Germany | 31 December 1944 | |
Born |
Memphis, Tennessee | ||
Buried |
Plot A, Row 12, Grave 19 | ||
Other Attended Princeton |
Revisions
An account of Howard Stovall's service written up by his nephew, Michael G. C. Webster.
Merged with duplicate entries to include details from:
- the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia ;
- Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list;
- www.56thfightergroup.co.uk/personnel.htm;
- MACR 11169 ;
- Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11169