Lt. L. B. Lawter

Funeral services for Second Lt. Lewis B. Lawter, 28, of 381 St. Andrews Street, will be held Wednesday afternoon at 3 from the graveside at Greenlawn Memorial Gardens, the Rev. W. C. Fridy officiating. The family has requested no flowers be sent. Lt. Lawter was killed while serving with the Army Air Forces in Siax, North Africa, on April 25, 1943. He was a native of Spartanburg County and a graduate of Spartanburg High School. He attended Clemson College before entering the armed forces. He was a member of Bethel Methodist Church. Surviving are: his parents, L. B. and Minnie Inez West Lawter, a sister, Mrs. M. H. Thompson of Spartanburg, and his grandmother, Mrs. A. A. West of Cowpens. The J. F. Floyd Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. (Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Spartanburg, SC, Sunday Morning, June 20, 1948, p. A7, Col. 5)

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U. S. Army Service No. (ASN): #O-791836

Enlistment Date: 01/08/1942 with Service No. #14072839

489th Bomb Squadron, 340th Bomb Group, Medium

Lewis B. Lawter is listed as Killed In Action in the 1946 Army and Army Air Forces Personnel Casualty List for Spartanburg County, South Carolina.

U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1970, lists form signed for by Lee B. Lawter of 381 St. Andrews Street; Spartanburg, South Carolina on 06/24/1948.

Information below gleaned from https://soh.alumni.clemson.edu/scroll/lewis-bryson-lawter/

On 25 April, 1943 (Easter Sunday), at Sfax, the squadron suffered another blow. Major Whittington, piloting "Little Joe," a 489th plane, co-piloted by Lt. William O. Dell, squadron Operations Officer, collided in mid-air with "Old Mag Drop," piloted by F/O J. M. Gilbert. The planes had just taken off flying in close formation. Major Whittington was leading the formation when F/O Gilbert's plane came upward suddenly and wrecked the tail of the lead plane. Both planes crashed to the ground and their bombs exploded. Eleven of our squadron personnel were killed. They included: Lt. William O. Dell, flying as co-pilot; Lt. John Allen; squadron bombardier; Lt. Lewis B. Lawter, navigator; Sgt. Hugh E. Allen, gunner; Sgt. D. W. Webster, radio-gunner. Among the members of F/O Gilbert's crew were F/O F. N. Balmes, co-pilot; Lt. J. W. Stetler, navigator; S/Sgt. Clarence Reed, radio-gunner, and S/Sgt. Eugene Galbreath, gunner. These were the squadron's first combat casualties. They were given a fitting military funeral in a British cemetery in the desert.

Tactical Diary – Sfax Tunisia – https://www.warwingsart.com/12thAirForce/489thTacticalDiary.pdf

List of Crew:

Pilot Whittington, Cyrus A. Major KIA

CP Dell, William O., Jr. 1st Lt. KIA

Bombardier Allen, John K. 1st Lt. KIA

Radio Gunner Webster, Colbert W. T/Sgt. KIA

Gunner Allen, Hugh E., Jr. Sgt. KIA

Navigator Lawter, Lewis B. 2nd Lt. KIA

Pilot Gilbert, John W. F/O KIA

Bombardier Settler, James W. 2nd Lt. KIA

Radio Gunner Reed, Clarence S/Sgt. KIA

Gunner Galireath, Eugene R. S/Sgt. KIA

Last Known Activity

Lewis Bryson Lawter was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1919. His parents were L.B. and Minnie Inez West Lawter. He had one sister. He graduated from Spartanburg High School, and enrolled in Clemson University and attended during the 1938-1939 academic year. According to his NARA enlistment record, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps as a private on January 8, 1942. This record stated he had completed 1 year of college, was single, and had worked in the sheet metal occupation. He was accepted as a navigator-trainee, and went on to graduate from this course in 1942. He was then commissioned, awarded wings, and sent to an operational unit for further training and crew assignment. Sometime during this period, he married Francis Kinsland.

The crew deployed overseas, and was assigned to the 489th Bomb Squadron of the 340th Bomb Group, at the time operating from an airfield at Sfax, Tunisia. The crew flew three combat missions, and drew their fourth one on April 25, 1943. Shortly after take-off, the aircraft were assembling and a collision occurred between Lawter's B-25 and another one in the formation.

Both aircraft crashed, killing all personnel on board. The remains were recovered and buried in a British cemetery in the desert. After the war, Lawter was returned to South Carolina and buried in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Extract from https://airforce.togetherweserved.com/usaf/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=158756

***I would like to thank mokennehan Find A Grave ID 47119719 for creating this memorial and adding the obituary to it***

***I would like to thank robin pellicci moore Find A Grave ID 46903322 for adding her photo of Lewis to this memorial***

***I would like to thank Jimmy Find A Grave ID 47744788 for adding his gravesite photo to this memorial***

***I would like to thank Chris Brassfield Find A Grave ID 49062291 for updating birth/death locations, rank and middle name information on this memorial***