William B Byers

Military

Flew 30 missions in 90 days, starting day after DDay. Most memorable mission: Over St. Lo, smokeline indicating where to drop bombs blew over American positions. Bomb group ahead of ours dropped bombs on American troops. We learned of mistake before dropping our bombs. Saddest mission occurred when 13 planes wre lost in raid over Munich. Most humorous mission when we were headed back to base and tail gunner thought we were lost. I asked him if he saw the red barn below on the right side. He said he did, and I told him 'well, we're just to the left of it'



DFC;Air Medal w 3/Oak Leaf Cluster

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 351st Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 2nd Bomb Group 49th Bomb Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Miami Missouri 24 April 1920

Revisions

Date
ContributorHotelie1970
Changes
Sources

General Order # 326, Headquarters 1st Bombardment Division, Office of the Commanding General dated 13 September 1944

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self