William E Austin
Military ROLL OF HONOURAll information correct as on Roll of Honor board
SSgt William Austin served as a waist gunner on the B-24D, 41-24745, Katy Bug. His aircraft sustained the failure of two engines and crashed into a tree while the pilot was attempting an emergency landing at Little Stukeley. Four crew members were killed (4 KIA). SSgt Austin was uninjured and returned to duty (RTD). The aircraft was salvaged 27 Nov 42.
Later, Sgt. Austin was killed in action (KIA) while serving as the waist gunner on the B-24J, 42-110104. The aircraft was hit by flak which ignited the bomb load and the aircraft disintegrated in mid-air near Caudan, France. 13 Jun 1943.
Air Medal - 3 Oak Leaf Clusters - Purple Heart
Connections
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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
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 13 June 1944
- Date: 18 November 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Cemetery
- Known as: Brittany Cemetary
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Hollywood, California, USA | ||
Buried |
Saint-James, France | Buried in the Brittany American Cemetery. Plot H, Row 18, Grave 1. | |
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Caudan, France | 13 June 1944 | Killed when flak ignited bomb load and aircraft exploded near Caudan, France |
Revisions
Removed punctuation from around aircraft name for clarity, uniformity, and readability. - Kickapoo
Lee Cunningham 28-Nov-2014. Edited biography; added Places, Aircraft and Missions; added KIA event per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces' Stan Bishop & John A Hey MBE; KIA event per MACR 5913. Burial location & decorations per AMerican Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) record.
ABMC; MACR 5913, Losses of the 8th and 9th Air Forces Volume I by Bishop and Hey p. 47 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 5913 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database