Lt. William F. Stein was a B-24D command pilot assigned to the 8th Air Force, the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 328th Bombardment Squadron, in the ETO based in Britain. It was temporarily detached (TDY) to the 9th Air Force in North Africa for Operation Tidal Wave to Ploesti, Romania. He was the pilot on the B-24D, 41-23711, Jerks Natural, who flew on, and survived, the Ploesti mission. 1 Aug 43. Two months later after taking off from a base in North Africa he was shot down in a raid over Austria and declared MIA. It was not until 1950 that he was confirmed KIA when his ashes and those of his crew were discovered in a casket in a village cemetery in southern Austria.



Jerks Natural, was damaged over Austria on a mission to Wiener Neustadt, a Bf-109 factory, and crashed in Yugoslavia. Pilot William Stein, his copilot, Lt. George Wilkerson, and all his crewmen, except his navigator Lt. Bill Sykes, were killed in the crash. Killed In Action - KIA. 1 Oct 43. 9 KIA - 1 POW. MACR 3301.



Lt. William Stein - Awards: DFC, AM, PH.



The B-24D, Jerks Natural, was lost on the mission to the Wiener-Neustadt, Austria, ME-109 factory. Lt. Stein's airplane couldn't keep up with his formation and turned back. While returning to home base, Stein was attacked by Bf-109 fighters of JG 27/I. Jerks Natural, was badly shot up, entered a spin, and crashed. Only one crew member, 2nd Lt. William W. Sykes, the navigator, was able to jump free of the spinning plane and survived. Captured by the Germans (POW). Aircraft crashed Northeast of Graz, Austria. 1 October 1943. MACR 3301











1st Lt. William F. Stein - Pilot (O-792650) - KIA -



2nd Lt. George B. Wilkinson - Co-Pilot - O-2044441 - KIA



2nd Lt. William W. Sykes - Navigator - O-796623 - POW - Stalag Luft 3 - Sagan



2nd Lt. John M. McDonough - Bombardier - O-735236 - California - KIA



T/Sgt. Jack W. Kasparian - Engineer/Top Turret - 19099178 - California - KIA



T/Sgt. Larry H. White - Radio Operator - 36171704 - KIA



SSgt. Adrian H. Smit - Gunner - 32454962 - New Jersey - KIA



S/Sgt. Lester H. Eby - Gunner - 39531654 - California - KIA



SSgt. Philip G. Bedwell - Gunner - 15101741 - Indiana - KIA



T/Sgt. William A. Staats, Jr. - Gunner - 12057225 - New York - KIA



All crewmembers KIA were buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.