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name
HUISH, Billy Hugo - Date of
birth
17 October 1918 -
Age
25 - Place of
birth
Douglas, Cochise County, Arizona -
Hometown
Cochise County, Arizona
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-750196 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
332nd Bombardment Squadron,
91st Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Died non-Battle - Date of
death
22 April 1944 - Place of
death
Saint-Remy, east of Chimay, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| O | 2 | 10 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Heber H. Huish (father)
Edna L. Huish (mother)
Janevieve Huish (sister)
Jack L. Huish (brother)
Teddy H. Huish (brother)
Edward I. Huish (brother)
Peggy J. Huish (sister)
Mary L. (Christensen) Huish (wife)
Steven Huish (son)
Dennis Huish (son)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-29656 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Skunkface
Destination: Achersleben, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Junkers aviation industry
MACR: 2460
More information
2nd Lt Billy H. Huish attended college and was an actor.He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Tuscon, Arizona on 19 June 1942.
On 20 February 1944 his airplane was downed by enemy fighter aircraft. He was taken prisoner
He parachuted and survived the crash, and began to make his way to Allied territory. While in Belgium he met up with the Belgium underground resistance movement. He and eight other American airmen evading capture but were caught by German SS officers near the railroad station of Lens, Belgium. Because he fractured his thigh, he was taken to the military hospital in Mons.
Together with several other American airmen and two resistance fighters, he was executed in a forest near Saint-Remy on 22 April 1944. A memorial to their memory was erected in 1999.
Source of information: Terry Hirsch, Raf Dyckmans, www.ancestry.com - 1920/1930 Census / Headstone and Interment Record, www.fold3.com - MACR, CWGC/ABMC / www.findagrave.com - Ron Haymore, http://honorrunning.blogspot.nl
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Des Philippet, Ivo Heijman