Crew Roster · Personal File
William E. Austin
Ball Turret Gunner · Alfred Asch · 330th Squadron
Sgt. William E. Austin is listed in the formal crew table as ball turret gunner, with a strikethrough suggesting the position may have been vacant or reassigned. The questionnaire lists him under waist gunner. He is identified as MIA.
Rudy identified Austin in his questionnaire notes. No further details on Austin's fate after the loss of the aircraft appear in this report.
Killed in ActionPASSED 13 JUN 1944
Sortie Log
1 CATALOGUED SORTIE
13 JUN 1944
13 JUN 1944
The sorties 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.
8AF Mission
Date
Target
Aircraft
№ 410
13 JUN 1944
Bombing mission over NW France
On 13 June 1944 the aircraft was shot down during a bombing mission over NW France. Three planes were lost on this mission. Six crew members bailed out. The aircraft departed from Station 104 at 1630. Of the three planes shot down, S/Sgt John R. Rudy (tail gunner) was the only crew member to successfully evade capture. All six men who bailed out were shot at while descending. Two were killed during the descent; the remaining three (other than the narrator) were captured. The fate of crew members who did not bail out is unknown.
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§ Interment
Cemetery
Brittany American Cemetery
Location
H 18 1
Burial Location
H 18 1