Supports 8 facts
Missing Air Crew Report 2368
Military Record · United States Army Air Forces · 1944 · Missing Air Crew Reports
Personal File · AirmanKilled in ActionPassed 07 Jan 1944
William D. Wahrheit.
Tail Gunner · 328th Squadron · Of New Hyde Park, NY, NY.
The Man Behind the Name
§ Biography
S/Sgt. William D. Wahrheit (ASN 32504330) served as tail gunner aboard B-24 42-7614 'Buckeye' (recorded as 42-7519 in the E&E reports), 328th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He was declared missing in action on 7 January 1944 following the loss of the aircraft over France during the Ludwigshafen mission.
Fruth's interrogation notes record that Wahrheit initially had his parachute on upside down and it was corrected by the ball turret gunner (Stearns) before bail-out. The notes also record him as 'probably KIA.' Both E and E reports from the surviving crew list Wahrheit as MIA.
Accounts of his death conflict. French testimony records that Wahrheit was one of two crewmen who did not leave the aircraft and died when it crashed in the Montgermont woods at Pringy, Seine-et-Marne, and Hansen recalled it was possible they had been killed before the crash. Hearsay cited in the evaders' reports instead held that he had been shot after bailing out. He was killed on 7 January 1944 and is buried at Epinal American Cemetery.
Service record.
§ As Catalogued
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Position
Tail Gunner
Serial Number
32504330
Hometown
New Hyde Park, NY, NY
Missions flown.
1 catalogued · 07 Jan 1944
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.
№
Date
Target
Aircraft
№ 178
07 Jan 1944
Ludwigshafen
“Buckeye”
→
Interment.
§ At Rest
Cemetery
Epinal American Cemetery
Location
Dinozé, France
Burial
A 37 27
Read the records.
2 documents
Original documents behind what this page says about this airman — reports, records, and histories the archive holds and is free to reproduce. Check the sources for yourself.
Supports 6 facts
Escape and Evasion Report 462
Military Record · United States Army Air Forces · 1944 · Escape and Evasion Reports
Sources.
§ Provenance
United States Army Air Forces · National Archives and Records Administration · 1944
Official record
United States Army Air Forces · National Archives and Records Administration · 1944
Official record