Wilbur Edward Volz
MilitaryWilbur Volz was Ball Turret Gunner on his first operation on board of B-17G #42-31191 'Virginia Lee' on the 27 March 1943 mission to Bordeaux/Merignac airfield. Hit by German fighters, crash-landed on the beach at Le Porge-Océan, near Laruau (Gironde), France. He managed to evade capture with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance. He and Navigator Walsh and Tail Gunner Smith were hidden in various places in the region West and South-West of Bordeaux. They left by C-47 from Biarritz, France on 13 September 1944 and were interviewed for their E&E report in London the following day. Wilbur Volz was recalled for military service in 1951 and served in the USAF in Korea. See the details of Wilbur Volz‘s evasion at http://www.evasioncomete.be/fvolzwe.html
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 447th Bomb Group 710th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11021237 at enlistment, then O-806253
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 447th Bomb Group 710th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18016065 at enlistment, then O-755011
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 447th Bomb Group 710th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 37652344
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator/Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 447th Bomb Group 710th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39454700 at enlistment, then O-692881
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 447th Bomb Group 710th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 38274314
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Virginia Lee
- Unit: 447th Bomb Group 710th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 27 March 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
1 January 1924 | Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois | |
Enlisted |
13 February 1943 | Peoria, Illinois | |
Other left the aircraft on foot |
27 March 1944 | on the beach at Le Porge-Océan, near Laruau (Gironde), France, after the crash-landing there of B-17 # 42-31191 | |
Other evaded capture |
27 March 1944 - 4 September 1944 | with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance | |
Died |
27 December 2015 | Sun City, Arizona | |
Edwardsville, Illinois | |||
Buried |
Wilbur Volz rests besides his widow Mary at the National Memorial Cemetery of America in Phoenix, Arizona. |
Revisions
NARA WWII Enlistment records
NARA WWII POW records
WWII Draft Cards
Escape & Evasion Report E&E 2063
VA Gravesite Locator
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3546 / MACR 3546, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database