Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until January 11, 1946, 1 year and 1 day after he went missing as was the custom.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Husband of Lorraine J. Lancaster who resided in Riverside, California.
William served as a Private & Engineer / Gunner on B-24J "Snow Job II" #44-40572, 31st Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Spartanburg County, South Carolina prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 16, 1941 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in the manufacture of textiles and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40572, while returning from a successful bombing mission with 5 other B-24's on the warehouses at Grace Park Airdrome, Luzon, Philippine Islands, ran low on fuel and stopped and refueled on Leyte Island.
After taking off from Leyte they were noted, and told by a radio operator, that they were off course. After this radio contact they were never heard from again and are believed to have crashed at sea during the war.
William was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 14053655
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40572:
Aikman, Arthur J ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, PA
Carroll, Leonard M ~ FO, Bombardier, OH
Greenfield, Samuel S ~ Corp, Radio Operator, NJ
Hollstein, Kurt B, Jr ~ Corp, Tail Gunner, PA
Killian, Charles J ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, IL
Lancaster, William V ~ Pvt, Engineer, SC
Long, Gerald R ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, MO
O'Rourk, Leo R ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, NE
Tabshey, Roger J ~ Corp, Gunner, CT
Thompson, Louis W ~ Pvt, Gunner, AL
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Husband of Lorraine J. Lancaster who resided in Riverside, California.
William served as a Private & Engineer / Gunner on B-24J "Snow Job II" #44-40572, 31st Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Spartanburg County, South Carolina prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 16, 1941 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in the manufacture of textiles and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40572, while returning from a successful bombing mission with 5 other B-24's on the warehouses at Grace Park Airdrome, Luzon, Philippine Islands, ran low on fuel and stopped and refueled on Leyte Island.
After taking off from Leyte they were noted, and told by a radio operator, that they were off course. After this radio contact they were never heard from again and are believed to have crashed at sea during the war.
William was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 14053655
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40572:
Aikman, Arthur J ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, PA
Carroll, Leonard M ~ FO, Bombardier, OH
Greenfield, Samuel S ~ Corp, Radio Operator, NJ
Hollstein, Kurt B, Jr ~ Corp, Tail Gunner, PA
Killian, Charles J ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, IL
Lancaster, William V ~ Pvt, Engineer, SC
Long, Gerald R ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, MO
O'Rourk, Leo R ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, NE
Tabshey, Roger J ~ Corp, Gunner, CT
Thompson, Louis W ~ Pvt, Gunner, AL
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until January 11, 1946, 1 year and 1 day after he went missing as was the custom.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Husband of Lorraine J. Lancaster who resided in Riverside, California.
William served as a Private & Engineer / Gunner on B-24J "Snow Job II" #44-40572, 31st Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Spartanburg County, South Carolina prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 16, 1941 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in the manufacture of textiles and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40572, while returning from a successful bombing mission with 5 other B-24's on the warehouses at Grace Park Airdrome, Luzon, Philippine Islands, ran low on fuel and stopped and refueled on Leyte Island.
After taking off from Leyte they were noted, and told by a radio operator, that they were off course. After this radio contact they were never heard from again and are believed to have crashed at sea during the war.
William was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 14053655
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40572:
Aikman, Arthur J ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, PA
Carroll, Leonard M ~ FO, Bombardier, OH
Greenfield, Samuel S ~ Corp, Radio Operator, NJ
Hollstein, Kurt B, Jr ~ Corp, Tail Gunner, PA
Killian, Charles J ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, IL
Lancaster, William V ~ Pvt, Engineer, SC
Long, Gerald R ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, MO
O'Rourk, Leo R ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, NE
Tabshey, Roger J ~ Corp, Gunner, CT
Thompson, Louis W ~ Pvt, Gunner, AL
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Husband of Lorraine J. Lancaster who resided in Riverside, California.
William served as a Private & Engineer / Gunner on B-24J "Snow Job II" #44-40572, 31st Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Spartanburg County, South Carolina prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 16, 1941 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in the manufacture of textiles and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40572, while returning from a successful bombing mission with 5 other B-24's on the warehouses at Grace Park Airdrome, Luzon, Philippine Islands, ran low on fuel and stopped and refueled on Leyte Island.
After taking off from Leyte they were noted, and told by a radio operator, that they were off course. After this radio contact they were never heard from again and are believed to have crashed at sea during the war.
William was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 14053655
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40572:
Aikman, Arthur J ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, PA
Carroll, Leonard M ~ FO, Bombardier, OH
Greenfield, Samuel S ~ Corp, Radio Operator, NJ
Hollstein, Kurt B, Jr ~ Corp, Tail Gunner, PA
Killian, Charles J ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, IL
Lancaster, William V ~ Pvt, Engineer, SC
Long, Gerald R ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, MO
O'Rourk, Leo R ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, NE
Tabshey, Roger J ~ Corp, Gunner, CT
Thompson, Louis W ~ Pvt, Gunner, AL
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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