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name
BYRNE, William Herbert - Date of
birth
15 March 1924 -
Age
20 - Place of
birth
New York City, New York -
Hometown
Bellmore, Nassau County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-814244 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Nose Gunner -
Unit
854th Bombardment Squadron,
491st Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
18 September 1944 - Place of
death
Northeast of Udenhout, the Netherlands
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| H | 14 | 22 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Herbert A. Byrne (father)
Catherine E. Byrne (mother)
Donald Byrne (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
44-40210 -
Data
Type: B-24J
Nickname: I'll Be Seeing You
Destination: Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Mission: Supply drop
Macr: 10211
More information
1st Lt William H. Byrne joined the Air Corps of the Philippine Scouts in New York City, New York on 3 September 1942.The airplane was hit by 20 mm flak and a small fire started on the right wing. With only seconds in which to work, Capt Hunter, considered one of the best pilots in the group, picked his spot and started to bring the B-24 in on its belly. At less then 50 feet, however, the right inboard engine burst into flames. The right wing dropped and it was too low when the plane hit. The instant was captured by a camera in another aircraft. The plane then slid on the ground, crashed into a haystack and exploded. It came to rest in a field about three fourths of a mile northeast of a train overpass near the town of Udenhout.
Because of the low altitude, no one was able to bail out. Nine crew members were killed. One man survived, evaded capture and was kept hidden until the town was liberated by Canadian troops.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census / Headstone and Interment Record
Photo source: FOHF, Bruce Hicks, http://www.coulthart.com/jkhunter.html