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name
NOBLE, William Paul Jr - Date of
birth
8 June 1922 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Norfolk, Virginia -
Hometown
Norfolk, Virginia
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-817729 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Co-Pilot -
Unit
700th Bombardment Squadron,
445th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
21 June 1944 - Place of
death
Baltic Sea, 800 meters south of the island of Årø, Denmark
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 39 | 53 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William P. Noble (father)
Bertie L. (Cofer) Noble (mother)
Early V. Noble (brother)
Audrey L. Noble (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-50329 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Destination: Berlin, Germany
Misson: Bombing of the city
MACR: 6166
More information
2nd Lt William P. Noble Jr. attended high school for 4 years and was a plumber apprentice. He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Richmond, Virginia on 11 September 1942.The airplane was hit by flak over the target and attacked by a ME 410 and shot down by 20 mm canon fire. Eight crew members were killed, two were taken prisoner.
It is believed that the fighter belonged to Luftbeobachtungsstaffel 1 and was piloted by Leutnant Woeske who claimed a B 24 at 12:42 hours.
On 8 November 1945 at 12:30 his body, along with a small parachute, was found floating in the sea near the island of Barsø by a local fisherman. The body was brought ashore and taken to the hospital in Aabenraa by ambulance. After formal identification it was handed over to the British troops in Denmark who took it to Schleswig in Germany just south of the border. Noble was laid to rest in the British Military Cemetery in Schleswig. He is believed to have been transferred to Ardennes Cemetery in 1948.
The remains of two crew members, Henry J. Gordon and James O. Snyder, were never recovered. Their names are remembered on Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery.
The killed crew members are remembered with a memorial in Årø, Denmark.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Peter Schouteten, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com, www.fold3.com - www.8thafhs.com
Photo source: Peter Schouteten