Willis Lee Jones
Military
Jones served in Europe as a Co-Pilot with the 338th Bomb Squadron of the 96th Bomb Group.
Sent through to the American Air Museum by Willis' friend, Tyler Hayes.
Object Number - UPL 18905 - Lieutenant Willis B Jones. Jones served in Europe as a Co-Pilot with the 338th Bomb Squadron of the 96th Bomb Group.
Damaged by flak on a mission to Watten, FR on 13 Feb 1944, B-17F #42-3556 'Dear Mom' returned to England and landed at RAF West Malling, Kent. RTD.
Shot down on his 26th mission on 13 April 1944 in B-17 #4231774 'Vera Mae'. He was taken as a Prisoner of War (POW).
Willis' wartime diaries are held by the Nebraska State Historical Society.
DFC, Air Medal/3 oak leaf clusters
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Station 138
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Bloomfield, NE 68718, USA | 21 March 1917 | |
|
Other Drafted into the US Army |
1 July 1941 | He was working in California for the Santa Fe Railroad at the time. | |
|
Other Married Lucille Anna Overfield |
31 May 1943 | ||
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Ittlingen, Germany | 13 April 1944 - 1 May 1945 | |
|
Other Flown back to Camp Lucky Strike in France |
13 May 1945 | ||
|
Other Honorably discharged |
11 November 1945 | ||
|
Died |
McCook, NE 69001, USA | 4 October 2015 | He was 98 years old. |
|
Other Worked as a surveyor at the Bureau of Reclamation |
Nebraska, USA |
Revisions
Obituary published in the McCook gazette: http://www.mccookgazette.com/story/2237587.html
Nebraska State Historical Society inventory record: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/manuscripts/family/wil…
Sources sent to the American Air Museum by Willis' friend, Tyler Hayes.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3766, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces; Snetterton Falcons, pg 132
