William K Lawson

Military

Killed in Action (KIA), went on secret leaflet mission on 3 Jan 45, his plane was to make a run over Holland, participating in psychological warfare by dropping leaflets which included a holiday message from the Dutch Queen and reports of how the war had turned in favour of the Allies. The plane had a malfunction 5 minutes after takeoff and crashed in the village of Aston-Clinton and exploded on impact. All 10 crew members were killed. MACR 15974.

Awards: PH.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

A Swedish Soldier guards a B-24 Liberator (serial number 44-40159) nicknamed "Boulder Buff" of the 492nd Bomb Group that has landed in Sweden.

492nd Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

Ray L Hendrix

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 492nd Bomb Group 406th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 19151770 / O-775027
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

The nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-52650) nicknamed "Cancer ?" of the 486th Bomb Group. The nose art was painted by the artist Phillip S Brinkman.

42-52650

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Cancer
  • Unit: 406th Bomb Group 458th Bomb Group 486th Bomb Group 492nd Bomb Group 801st Bomb Group 406th Bomb Squadron 834th Bomb Squadron 835th Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Puerto Rico 22 November 1925

Enlisted

Oklahoma City, OK, USA 2 November 1943

Died

Aston Clinton, UK 3 January 1945 Crashed Aston Clinton in B-24 42-52650 Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 15974
Oklahoma, USA

Buried

1604 C St SE, Ardmore, OK 73401, USA Rose Hill cemetery Ardmore Carter County Oklahoma

Based

Harrington 3 January 1945 Assigned to 406BS, 492BG, 8AF USAAF.

Revisions

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to biography and events
Sources

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=100951
https://www.fold3.com/image/310952939?terms=William%20K%20Lawson
https://www.fold3.com/record/84875185-william-k-lawson
https://www.fold3.com/image/321314252?terms=William%20K%20Lawson
https://www.fold3.com/image/29429928
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20472479/william-k-lawson

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesCreated entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nationality, service number, highest rank, role, biography, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations
Sources

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=100951
https://www.fold3.com/image/310952939?terms=William%20K%20Lawson
https://www.fold3.com/record/84875185-william-k-lawson
https://www.fold3.com/image/321314252?terms=William%20K%20Lawson
https://www.fold3.com/image/29429928
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20472479/william-k-lawson