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name
BALENTINE, William Leander Jr "Lee Buck" - Date of
birth
1922 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
South Carolina -
Hometown
Donalds, Abbeville County, South Carolina
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
14126201 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator -
Unit
723rd Bombardment Squadron,
450th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
24 May 1944 - Place of
death
Kaiblinggraben, Austria
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Lorraine
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 24 | 17 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William L. Balentine Sr. (father)
Annie B. (Manly) Balentine (mother)
Virginia M. Balentine (sister)
James H. Balentine (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-52143 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Nickname: Wells Cargo
Destination: Wiener Neustadt, Austria
Mission: Bombing of the industrial areas
MACR: 5647
More information
T/Sgt William L. Balentine Jr. attended high school for 4 years before he volunteered for the US Army in Fort Jackson Columbia, South Carolina on 20 November 1942.2nd Lt Edward T. Pickard Jr.:
On 24 May 1944, our group was on a mission to bomb the target at Wiener Neustadt, Austria. I was flying as Navigator in ship #545 in the low left element of the second attack unit. Lt Wells aircraft #143 was in the lead position of the same element. During an enemy fighter attack, Lt Wells ship was hit and a very intense fire was started in the waist. In a short time the entire aircraft was consumed in flames. The tail twisted off and then the wings blew off. The ship lost its level flight and dove in parts to the ground. I saw four chutes leave the plane before the ship came apart. Two chutes came from the waist, one came from the bomb bay and one from the nose section.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov – WWII Enlistment Record, www.ancestry.com - Headstone and Interment Record / Golden Camak Family Tree / 1930 Census, www.fold3.com, http://aircrewremembered.com/USAAFCombatOperations/May.44.html
Photo source: William Conklin - 450th Bomb Group Memorial Association