The Man Behind the Name
1st Lt. William K. Little served as bombardier aboard B-24D serial 42-40265, 409th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He flew approximately 8 missions including the 1 August 1943 low-level raid on the Ploesti oil fields. He did not bail out; the aircraft was flying too low to permit a safe exit.
Little was severely injured in the crash. He was trapped in the aircraft, sustained a broken leg, and was exposed to gasoline vapors for approximately eight hours while pinned in the wreckage. He was eventually removed and taken to the 2nd Military Hospital at Sinaia, Romania.
Multiple crew members filed casualty questionnaires regarding Little. Accounts describe his death as resulting from a combination of wounds, gasoline vapor poisoning, a broken bladder, and a broken leg, attributed in part to a lack of proper medical care. Crew member Thompson reported that Little died eight days after the crash. According to a Romanian officer identified as Captain 'Christy,' he was buried in a 'Heroes Only' cemetery near Sinaia. T/Sgt. Howard O. Ford reportedly attended the burial. His status on the MACR is recorded as DED (died).
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.