Memorial

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2nd Lt William D. Porter enlisted at the Lockbourne AAB, Columbus, Ohio on 3 April 1942.

The mission to attack this area was reportedly officially aborted upon arrival on target due to complete cloud cover which totally obscured the target. The mission records report the weather over target as 10/10 cloud coverage, and visibility poor. They could not see to drop bombs without endangering civilian population [which they were more careful of in France], but the danger from attacking enemy aircraft was still as great and they were attacked by German fighter aircraft and German AA ground batteries as they circled the area coming and going. The record indicates that they were en route to the alternate target Hamm, Germany when they crashed. Crewman on the plane report that they were hit at least twice by German Fighter AC [likely by 20 MM cannon but the report does not indicate this] just before crossing the target area or just after. It appears that the waist area and the front area of the AC received direct hits from German cannon fire. This affected the two waist gunners, two pilots and navigator. Surviving crewman indicate that the damaged AC left the formation in the turn away from the target area. This is likely when the AC went out of control. Crewmen report the plane descending slowly in a spiral. Both pilots may have been wounded. They did not hear a bail out order, so each crewman took it upon himself to bail out when he saw the plane descending. The B-17G 42-37815 that 2nd Lt Porter was flying on crashed in the Belleville neighborhood of Paris. Out of the ten crew members on the aircraft, 5 were KIA, 3 became POWs, and 2 crew members were evacuated out of the county by the French underground. He reportedly was serious wounded by German 20 mm cannon fire, but was able to bail out, probably without a chute.