William O Slenker Jr
MilitaryBack row: Flight Engineer/Top Turret gunner Roy Holbert, Ball Turret Gunner Louis Colwart, Radio Operator Ross Kahler, Right Waist Gunner John Pindroch, Left Waist Gunner Joe Musial, Tail Gunner William Slenker
Front Row: First Pilot, Howard Snyder, Co-Pilot George Eike, Navigator Robert Benninger, Bombardier Richard Daniels
Associated person through information in photograph caption.
Shot down by fighters and crashed near Macquenoise, Belgium on a mission to Frankfurt am Main on 8 Feb 1944 in B-17G #42-31499. Evaded capture with the help of Marie-Louise Oget (see letter). Wounded by flak, but evaded for seven months in the home of Madame Collet in Chimay, Belgium, until liberated by US Troops.
He flew on Howard Snyder crew.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 369th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 12029522 at enlistment, then O-679378
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier/Nose Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Civilian
- Nationality: French
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 369th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-742461
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Susan Ruth
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Bedford
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Denver, Colorado | 29 April 1923 | |
Enlisted |
Chicago, IL, USA | 25 August 1942 | |
Other Evaded Capture |
8 February 1944 | ||
Died |
9 July 2001 | ||
Buried |
Affton, MO, USA | Lakewood Park Cemetery, Affton, Missouri |
Revisions
Corrected the date of the "Evaded capture" event.
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.
Information provided by Viginie Heber-Suffrin, Grand Daughter of Marie-Louise Oget.
Brought in information from a duplicate record. Source:
MACR 2493 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
NARA Enlistment record: https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=2&tf=F&q=sle…
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2493, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces, NARA, Combat Crews pg. 105, First Over Germany pg. 202-03,