William Schmoller.
Pilot · 409th Squadron · Of WI.
The Man Behind the Name
Pilot of B-24J 42-50679, 409th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group, on the 28 January 1945 Dortmund mission. After the aircraft was hit by flak, knocking out engines 1 and 2 and badly damaging the port rudder, Schmoller ordered the crew to bail out.
Post-war statements by T/Sgt. Kerbel and 2nd Lt. Jaffe concluded that Schmoller did bail out but his parachute likely failed to open. He was reported killed in action on 28 January 1945. No body was found in or near the aircraft wreckage recovered by German forces.
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.