Supports 7 facts
Escape and Evasion Report 462
Military Record · United States Army Air Forces · 1944 · Escape and Evasion Reports
Personal File · AirmanCompleted Tour
Willis E. Spellman.
Radio Operator · 328th Squadron
The Man Behind the Name
§ Biography
S/Sgt. Willis E. Spellman, ASN 15107422, served as radio operator aboard the aircraft on 7 January 1944. In the final moments before bail-out, Spellman played a critical role in ensuring the crew's survival. After the interphone failed, he moved back to the waist gunner position and personally instructed the crew to put on their parachutes. His first name appears as William in E&E Report No. 462's crew list; Willis is the spelling in the MACR and NARA records.
Spellman then gave the order to bail out. Crew member Fruth recalled Spellman calling out 'We're over Holland' as he directed the crew to jump. He was among the first to exit the aircraft, before Fruth made his own attempt.
Spellman was wounded in the stomach by small flak fragments before the bail-out. He successfully evaded capture following the bail-out and is listed in the crew roster as E&E No. 484, indicating he filed his own separate evasion report.
Service record.
§ As Catalogued
Rank
Staff Sergeant
Position
Radio Operator
Serial Number
15107422
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”
→
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 7 facts
Missing Air Crew Report 2368
Military Record · United States Army Air Forces · 1944 · Missing Air Crew 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