William A Callahan
Military
2nd LT Daniel Elliott Whitlock of Arroyo Grande, CA is second from left in the front row. Whitlock was awarded the DFC after pilot Lamb was badly burned from a flak hit that set the ship afire during a mission over Berlin on 6 March 1944. Copilot Whitlock knocked the fire down and got his aircrew--minus the navigator and bombardier, who had bailed out on Lamb's order--safely home to RAF Snetterton Heath.
Object Number - UPL 47775 - William A Callahan's (4th from left) - Lt. Lamb's Crew
Assigned to 413BS, 96BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) from a mission to Berlin in B-17 42-97524 9-Mar-44, the top turret caught fire, one of three crewmen to bale out. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3864.
"William, Bill, Callahan was my father. He was married to my mother, Helen Marie. He grew up in Brooklyn, and was a musician. After the war, he went to University of Vermont and got his Bachelor's Degree in music education, and later got his Master's at Columbia University in NYC in Music Education. He had four children; 2 boys, 2 girls, and was the music teacher at PS #5 in West New York, NJ until his death Jan 1, 1977."
Awards: AM (3OLC), POW, WWII Victory, EAME (2 x Battle Stars).
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
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 337th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 20707682 at enlistment, then O-799791
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 413th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 9 March 1944
Places
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Station 138
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag Luft 4, Gross Tychow, Pomerania
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Enlisted |
Fort Jay Governors Island, NY | 17 August 1942 | Fort Jay Governors Island, New York. |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Tychowo, Poland | 9 March 1944 | Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft IV. POW No. 2864 |
|
Died |
1 January 1977 | ||
|
Born |
Long Island, NY | ||
|
Based |
Snetterton Heath | 9 March 1944 | Assigned to 413BS, 96BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Revisions
I have audio recording from Story Corps that I recorded of his account of his POW experience that I will try to upload.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3864, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces; Snetterton Falcons pg 76
