William Winston Saunders
MilitaryWilliam Saunders was on his 13th mission when he was shot down 5 April 1943 in B-17 #41-24465 'Montana Power' - Robert W. Seelos crew. Hit by flak and then fighters on a mission to the ERLA works in Antwerp, Belgium. Parachuted into Wuustwezel, near Kalmthout where the plane crashed. Immediately captured, he was Prisoner of War (POW) and interned at Stalag Luft 3 in Sagan, Poland.
Saunders graduated from Oklahoma University in 1947 and completed a doctorate in psychology in 1953.
Connections
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Units served with
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 368th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11021749 and O-732757
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator / Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 368th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19055059 and O-442240
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 368th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39380694
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 352nd Service Squadron 368th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 15071583
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
Aircraft
Missions
Places
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Carthage, Missouri | 14 March 1920 | |
|
Enlisted |
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | 7 January 1942 | as an Aviation Cadet in the Air Corps |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Żagań / Sagan, Poland | 5 April 1943 | Interned at Stalag Luft 3. NARA WWII POW database : “Returned to Alled Military control 07/06/1945“ |
|
Died |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | 14 May 1997 | |
|
Buried |
Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | ||
| Washington County, Oklahoma, United States | |||
| Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States |
Revisions
MACR 15534
NARA WWII Enlistment records
NARA WWII POW records
Research on plane and crew for website www.evasioncomete.org
306th BG Association Directory, 1 September 1999 Edition; MACR 15533, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey pp. 99-100, First Over Germany by Russell Strong pp. 81-82, NARA / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15533 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database