William H. Bradford.
Co-Pilot · 409th Squadron · Of 2534 Birdsall Street, Blue Island, Illinois, IL.
The Man Behind the Name
2nd Lt. William H. Bradford served as co-pilot aboard B-24H 42-94991. He was believed to have been injured when the aircraft was struck by flak near Falaise on 13 August 1944.
Radio operator S/Sgt. Gallaher reported that Bradford appeared to be injured and unable to exit the aircraft on his own. It was believed that pilot Andrino remained at his station to help Bradford out, and that the engineer Hagler went to the flight deck to assist as well. Bradford did not bail out and went down with the aircraft.
He was classified as a battle casualty and reported killed in action; presumed dead as of 14 August 1945 under the Missing Persons Act. His next of kin was listed as Mr. B. L. Bradford (father), 2534 Birdsall Street, Blue Island, Illinois.
Service record.
Missions flown.
The missions below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.