William S Burtt
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
BACK ROW - LEFT TO RIGHT:
Sgt. Harold H. Jones, Radio Operator (Mont Alto, Pennsylvania); S/Sgt. Vern P. Woodward, Top Turret Gunner (Greenwich, New York); Sgt. Weiss, Waist Gunner (Michigan); Sgt. Jack Webb, Waist Gunner (Illinois); Sgt. John J. (Moose) Wheeler, Tail Gunner (Buffalo, New York); Sgt. Rudolph (Rudy) Thigpen, Ball Turret Gunner (Shreveport, Louisiana); Unknown
FRONT ROW - LEFT TO RIGHT:
2nd Lt. R.L. West, Navigator (Cincinnati, Ohio); 1st Lt. William S. Burtt, Pilot (Grand Rapids, Michigan); 1st Lt. Frank Alford, Co-Pilot (Texas)
Object Number - UPL 29606 - Lt. William Burtt And Crew Of The 322nd Bomb Sq., 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, In Front Of A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Man O War, Ii,...
Assigned to 322BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. Damaged by fighters on mission to Frankfurt on 29-Jan-44 in B-17 42-37987 'Man O War - Horsepower Ltd' managed to return to England on two engines and crashed near Sittingbourne, Kent when the third engine went out. Returned to Duty (RTD).
Finished tour as B-17 pilot with 35 completed missions. Joined Experimental Scouting Force at Duxford and killed following loss of wing over Leckhampstead, Bucks (Not Newbury) the day before the advanced scouting force came into being. Special Duties 1 Scout Force, 8AF USAAF. Killed while in training for fighter tour in P-51 44-13728 'Mary Jane'. Died Non Battle (DNB).
Awards: DFC (2OLC), PH.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Fifinella
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Texas Chubby, The JVille Jolter
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
![The nose art of a B-17G Flying Fortress (serial number 42-31673) nicknamed "Lassie Come Home" of the 91st Bomb Group Passed for publication 10 Jan 1943. On reverse: Not For Publication, Personal Use Only, US Army Examiner [Stamp].](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-408077.jpg.webp?itok=eyliZeo9)
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Lassie Come Home
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Man O’ War - Horsepower Ltd.
- Unit: 2nd Strategic Air Depot 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Man O War II, Horsepower Ltd
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 29 January 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: RAF Honington
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Enlisted |
Kalamazoo, MI, USA | 27 March 1943 | Kalamazoo, Michigan |
|
Other Combat damaged force landing |
Sittingbourne, UK | 29 January 1944 | Damaged by fighters on mission to Frankfurt, 2 engines out, crashlanded when 3rd quit. Sittingbourne, Kent. 29-Jan-44. 8 x RTD, 1 x WIA, 1 x KIA. |
|
Other Promoted |
Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth, Royston SG8, UK | 17 February 1944 | Promoted to 1st Lieutenant. |
|
Other Combat damaged |
Thorney Island, Emsworth PO10, UK | 25 April 1944 | Landed at Thorley Island on the way home from Metz airfield with #1 and #2 engines out in ship #353. 10 x RTD. |
|
Died |
Leckhampstead, Newbury RG20, UK | 16 September 1944 | Killed while in training for fighter tour in P-51 44-13728. Died Non Battle (DNB). |
|
Buried |
17 September 1944 | Interred Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial Plot E Row 1 Grave 3 | |
| Michigan | |||
|
Other End Tour Duty (ETD) |
End Tour Duty (ETD). | ||
|
Other Special Duty |
Honington, Bury Saint Edmunds IP31 1QZ, UK | Special Duty 1st Scouting Force. | |
|
Born |
Montcalm County, MI, USA |
Revisions
Adjusted punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid readability.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56288264/william-s-burtt
Added punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid readability.
Corrected a typo in the "Summary biography" - “came” was misspelled.
This from my own research into the crash site which is in my village, a letter from Dick Atkins and Letter from Capt Burge
http://littlefriends.co.uk/search.php?searchString=Burtt&Submit=Search
https://www.fold3.com/page/529898337_william_s%20burtt/details/
https://www.fold3.com/page/89788472_william_e%20burtt/details/
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbasn.asp?SN=44-13728&Submit4=Go
http://www.91stbombgroup.com/Dailies/322nd1944.html
ABMC & brother / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
