William Samuel Matthews
MilitaryShot down 18 April 1944 in B-17 #4237902 'Sure Thing' while serving as the Radio Operator. He later became a Prisoner of War (POW), serving time at Stalag XVII-B. He would return home, living in Indianapolis, Indiana for the rest of his life. While there, he was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-693472
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 38305407
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hell's Bells/Sure Stuff
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 18 April 1944
- Date: 13 April 1944
- Date: 12 April 1944
- Date: 11 April 1944
- Date: 10 April 1944
Places
![A bomber crew of the 390th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress ( serial number 42-31027) nicknamed "Honey Chile" and their dog and monkey mascots "Scrappy" and "Joe". Image stamped on reverse: ‘Fox.’ [stamp], ‘passed for publication 25 Oct 1943.’ [stamp] and ‘289774.’ [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: ‘AERIAL MASCOTS OF FORTRESS CREWS. PH/MoN. As frisky and friendly a pair of aerial mascots as you'll find in Britain are "Scrappy" and "Joe", pup and monkey team belonging to the](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-380433.jpg.webp?itok=L7HbOA_i)
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Parham
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag 17b, Krems an der Donau, Austria
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Rossville, Illinois, USA | 8 October 1920 | |
|
Enlisted |
Rossville, Illinois, USA | 20 November 1942 | |
|
Other Shot down |
Barnewitz, Germany | 18 April 1944 | Shot down over a mission to Oranienburg, Germany, while on B-17 42-37902, serving as the aircraft's Radio Operator. Would later become a POW. |
|
Other Prisoner Of War |
Stalag XVII-B, Austria | 18 April 1944 | Served roughly 13 months as a POW at Stalag 17B. |
|
Other Discharged |
28 October 1945 | ||
|
Died |
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA | 2 March 1987 | |
|
Buried |
Rossville Cemetery, Rossville, Indiana, USA | 5 March 1987 | |
|
Based |
Framlingham | Assigned to 568BS, 390BG, 8AF. |
Revisions
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 4013 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database