Walter Woodrow Farmer

Military
media-48552.jpeg UPL 48552 LTC Walter Woodrow Farmer
Pilot - Group Operations Officer
416th Bomb Group - 9th Air Force
KIA 6 August 1944

Object Number - UPL 48552 - LTC Walter Woodrow Farmer Pilot - Group Operations Officer 416th Bomb Group - 9th Air Force KIA 6 August 1944

USMA West Point graduate No. 11346 - Class of 1939

Walter Woodrow Farmer, son of Walter E. and Bertha W. Farmer of Ruston, LA, graduated from Rustin High School 1933. He attended Louisiana Polytechnic Institute in Ruston 1933-35.

Appointed to the U.S. Military Academy by Arkansas Rep. Tilman B. Parks, he passed the entrance exam and entered in June 1935. Walter graduated 12th out of 456 in the Class of 1939. He had an outstanding cadet and athletic record at West Point.

In the summer of 1939, soon after graduation from West Point, Walt married Marjorie Futrell of Ruston, LA, in Ruston, and they had a son, William, born in 1942.

When Walt graduated he was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers, but requested flying training in the Air Corps. He attended Primary Flying School at Dallas, Texas September- 1939, and Basic and Advanced Flying Schools at Randolph and Kelly Fields, San Antonio, Texas from January-June 1940. With West Point classmates, he was in flying school class 40-C.

After graduation from Advanced Flying School, Walter was assigned as an instructor with the Training Command. Over the next three years he was assigned to a number of training airfields, including Randolph Field and the airfields at Uvalde and Lubbock, Texas and was commanding officer at Uvalde. In mid-1943, he went to Mather Field, California for transition to twin-engine bombers, then was assigned to the 416th Bomb Group based at Lake Charles, Louisiana, and later at Laurel, Mississippi. In February 1944, Walt went with the 416th to Wethersfield Air Base in the U.K. for combat duty in the Ninth Air Force.

In the U.K., Walter was Group Operations Officer of the 416th. He flew combat missions in A-20 aircraft and was awarded four Air Medals. Many of his missions were in support of the Normandy landings. On a bombing mission to Drucourt, France August 6, 1944, Walt's aircraft was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire. His bombardier and navigator were able to bail out, but Walt was unable to get out of the aircraft and was killed. His rank at that time was lieutenant colonel. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

Connections

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Units served with

An A-26 Invader (F6-P, serial number 43-22330) nicknamed "For Pete's Sake" of the 416th Bomb Group prepares for take-off at Mount Farm. Image by Robert Astrella, 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group . Written on slide casing: '416 BG Mount Farm.'
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Ninth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: A-20 Havoc
  • Nicknames: Out Helln
  • Unit: 416th Bomb Group 670th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: A-20 Havoc
  • Nicknames: Timmy II
  • Unit: 416th Bomb Group 668th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: A-20 Havoc
  • Unit: 416th Bomb Group 670th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: A-20 Havoc
  • Unit: 416th Bomb Group 668th Bomb Squadron
B-26 Marauders, including (serial number 43-9701) of the 416th Bomb Group fly in formation.
  • Aircraft Type: A-20 Havoc
  • Unit: 416th Bomb Group 668th Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Dubach, Louisiana 1 January 1916

Other

First 416th BG Combat Mission

Bernay, France 4 March 1944

Died

near Drucourt, France 6 August 1944 Killed In Action A/C Last Sighted. Lost as a result of Enemy Anti-Aircraft. Hit by flak over target area. Requested heading to emergency landing strips. Received same. Last seen in vicinity of Lisieux, Fr., flying on heading of 270 deg. Description: Missing in Action: Lt. Col. W.W. Farmer, Sgt. J.E. Hay, Sgt. J.A. Buskirk--Last seen heading away from the target toward our lines, plane smoking. (416th BG History 1944)

Other

Graduated

West Point, New York United States Military Academy Bachelor of Science

Buried

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial Plot A Row 15 Grave 31 Normandy American Cemetery Normandy American Cemetery American Cemetery 14710 Colleville-sur-Mer France

Walter Woodrow Farmer: Gallery (1 items)