Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until March 7, 1946.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Walter served as a Lieutenant Colonel & Pilot on B-17E "Queenie" #41-2464, Headquarter's, V Air Service Command, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Wisconsin prior to the war.
B-17E #41-2464 took off from Nadzab Airfield No. 1, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea on an administrative flight that was going to Mokmer Drome on Biak, Papua Province, Indonesia with a stopover planned at Tadji Airfield, West Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.
After take off the B-17 was never seen again and was presumed to have been lost before reaching Tadji Airfield. The cause of the dissapearance was unknown, but was reported that it might be lost due to "possible enemy anti-aircraft fire or navigational circumstance". The entire crew of 5 as well as 14 passengers were lost on this flight.
Walter was declared "Missing In Action" on this flight during the war.
Service # O-230257
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Crew who perished on B-17E #41-2464:
Attebery, Alan C ~ Capt, Co-Pilot, MO
Beal, Cortez A ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Elseman, Edgar W ~ T/Sgt, Crew Chief, NE
Piehl, Walter P ~ LCOL, Pilot, WI
Willis, Henry Y ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, FL
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Passengers who perished on B-17E #41-2464:
Bachor, August J ~ S/Sgt, NY
Barnes, Robert H ~ Maj, AR
Campbell, John C ~ 2nd Lt, PA
Helmer, Russell G ~ Capt, PA
Henriques, Victor De F ~ Maj, CA
Hickey, Roland J ~ 2nd Lt, TN
Hopkins, Clyde H, Jr ~ Pfc, TN
Hutchison, Dawson L ~ WOJG, MS
Lewis, Fred J ~ Capt, CA
Lowe, Noel L ~ Cpl, NC
McKnight, Paul V ~ Capt, OH
Ray, William R ~ Sgt, PA
Root, Wendell J ~ Capt, NY
Witmer, Winton D ~ 1st Lt, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Walter served as a Lieutenant Colonel & Pilot on B-17E "Queenie" #41-2464, Headquarter's, V Air Service Command, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Wisconsin prior to the war.
B-17E #41-2464 took off from Nadzab Airfield No. 1, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea on an administrative flight that was going to Mokmer Drome on Biak, Papua Province, Indonesia with a stopover planned at Tadji Airfield, West Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.
After take off the B-17 was never seen again and was presumed to have been lost before reaching Tadji Airfield. The cause of the dissapearance was unknown, but was reported that it might be lost due to "possible enemy anti-aircraft fire or navigational circumstance". The entire crew of 5 as well as 14 passengers were lost on this flight.
Walter was declared "Missing In Action" on this flight during the war.
Service # O-230257
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Crew who perished on B-17E #41-2464:
Attebery, Alan C ~ Capt, Co-Pilot, MO
Beal, Cortez A ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Elseman, Edgar W ~ T/Sgt, Crew Chief, NE
Piehl, Walter P ~ LCOL, Pilot, WI
Willis, Henry Y ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, FL
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Passengers who perished on B-17E #41-2464:
Bachor, August J ~ S/Sgt, NY
Barnes, Robert H ~ Maj, AR
Campbell, John C ~ 2nd Lt, PA
Helmer, Russell G ~ Capt, PA
Henriques, Victor De F ~ Maj, CA
Hickey, Roland J ~ 2nd Lt, TN
Hopkins, Clyde H, Jr ~ Pfc, TN
Hutchison, Dawson L ~ WOJG, MS
Lewis, Fred J ~ Capt, CA
Lowe, Noel L ~ Cpl, NC
McKnight, Paul V ~ Capt, OH
Ray, William R ~ Sgt, PA
Root, Wendell J ~ Capt, NY
Witmer, Winton D ~ 1st Lt, CA
( 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 March 7, 1946.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Walter served as a Lieutenant Colonel & Pilot on B-17E "Queenie" #41-2464, Headquarter's, V Air Service Command, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Wisconsin prior to the war.
B-17E #41-2464 took off from Nadzab Airfield No. 1, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea on an administrative flight that was going to Mokmer Drome on Biak, Papua Province, Indonesia with a stopover planned at Tadji Airfield, West Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.
After take off the B-17 was never seen again and was presumed to have been lost before reaching Tadji Airfield. The cause of the dissapearance was unknown, but was reported that it might be lost due to "possible enemy anti-aircraft fire or navigational circumstance". The entire crew of 5 as well as 14 passengers were lost on this flight.
Walter was declared "Missing In Action" on this flight during the war.
Service # O-230257
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Crew who perished on B-17E #41-2464:
Attebery, Alan C ~ Capt, Co-Pilot, MO
Beal, Cortez A ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Elseman, Edgar W ~ T/Sgt, Crew Chief, NE
Piehl, Walter P ~ LCOL, Pilot, WI
Willis, Henry Y ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, FL
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Passengers who perished on B-17E #41-2464:
Bachor, August J ~ S/Sgt, NY
Barnes, Robert H ~ Maj, AR
Campbell, John C ~ 2nd Lt, PA
Helmer, Russell G ~ Capt, PA
Henriques, Victor De F ~ Maj, CA
Hickey, Roland J ~ 2nd Lt, TN
Hopkins, Clyde H, Jr ~ Pfc, TN
Hutchison, Dawson L ~ WOJG, MS
Lewis, Fred J ~ Capt, CA
Lowe, Noel L ~ Cpl, NC
McKnight, Paul V ~ Capt, OH
Ray, William R ~ Sgt, PA
Root, Wendell J ~ Capt, NY
Witmer, Winton D ~ 1st Lt, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Walter served as a Lieutenant Colonel & Pilot on B-17E "Queenie" #41-2464, Headquarter's, V Air Service Command, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Wisconsin prior to the war.
B-17E #41-2464 took off from Nadzab Airfield No. 1, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea on an administrative flight that was going to Mokmer Drome on Biak, Papua Province, Indonesia with a stopover planned at Tadji Airfield, West Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea.
After take off the B-17 was never seen again and was presumed to have been lost before reaching Tadji Airfield. The cause of the dissapearance was unknown, but was reported that it might be lost due to "possible enemy anti-aircraft fire or navigational circumstance". The entire crew of 5 as well as 14 passengers were lost on this flight.
Walter was declared "Missing In Action" on this flight during the war.
Service # O-230257
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Crew who perished on B-17E #41-2464:
Attebery, Alan C ~ Capt, Co-Pilot, MO
Beal, Cortez A ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Elseman, Edgar W ~ T/Sgt, Crew Chief, NE
Piehl, Walter P ~ LCOL, Pilot, WI
Willis, Henry Y ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, FL
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Passengers who perished on B-17E #41-2464:
Bachor, August J ~ S/Sgt, NY
Barnes, Robert H ~ Maj, AR
Campbell, John C ~ 2nd Lt, PA
Helmer, Russell G ~ Capt, PA
Henriques, Victor De F ~ Maj, CA
Hickey, Roland J ~ 2nd Lt, TN
Hopkins, Clyde H, Jr ~ Pfc, TN
Hutchison, Dawson L ~ WOJG, MS
Lewis, Fred J ~ Capt, CA
Lowe, Noel L ~ Cpl, NC
McKnight, Paul V ~ Capt, OH
Ray, William R ~ Sgt, PA
Root, Wendell J ~ Capt, NY
Witmer, Winton D ~ 1st Lt, CA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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