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name
KEISTER, William Reed - Date of
birth
22 September 1917 -
Age
26 - Place of
birth
Lorain County, Ohio -
Hometown
Dover, Tuscarawas County, Ohio
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-741913 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Co-Pilot -
Unit
511th Bombardment Squadron,
351st Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Finding of Death - Date of
death
4 October 1943 - Place of
death
Westerschelde, east of Ellewoutsdijk, The Netherlands
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten - Walls of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Harris Reed Keister (father)
Anna L. (Hopp) Keister (mother)
Kenneth E. Keister (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-5807 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Rikki Tikki Tavi aka Minor Ball
Destination: Frankfurt, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Vereinigte Deutsche Metallwerke (VDM) aviation industry
MACR: 910
More information
William R. Keister attended college before he joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in covington, Kentucky on 28 May 1942.The aircraft was shot down by flak and enemy aircraft on the return flight and crashed at 12.25 h.
The entire crew of ten men was killed.
Only two bodies were recovered. S/Sgt Towsley's body washed ashore. The exact date and location is not known. The body of S/Sgt Burgess washed ashore at Buitenhaven, Vlissingen on 19 October 1943. He was initially buried at the Northern Cemetery of Vlissingen a day later.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - Family Trees / The Piqua Daily Call 28 September 1945
Photo source: Astrid van Erp, Co de Swart