William H Bearden
MilitaryCaroline Bearden, Granddaughter
served as combat wing and group lead Bombardier in combat. Completed 30 combat missions from 21 Jan 1944 to 19 Jul 1944. Was approved for pilot training after his completion of his combat tour with a rating of excellent performance.
Air Medal w 3/Oak Leaf Clusters; and DFC
Damaged by flak on a mission to Chateaudun airfield, FR on 28 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-37754 'Who Dat - Ding Bat' returned to base and crashed off the coast after the surviving crew baled out. RTD.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Who Dat - The Dingbat!
- Unit: 381st Bomb Group 534th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Enlisted |
Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Alabama | 25 March 1942 | |
Died |
15 October 1988 | ||
Died |
13 May 1991 |
Revisions
381st Bomb Group Memorial Association, March 1999,
www.381st.org/UnitHistory/Data/Roster.aspx / 381st Bomb Group Memorial Association, March 1999, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces,
href="www.381st.org/UnitHistory/Data/Roster.aspx">www.381st.org/UnitHistory/Data/Roster.aspx> / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia