Missing information?
Do you have any additional information you would like to share about a soldier?
Submit- Full
name
WHITESIDE, Walker L - Date of
birth
3 February 1917 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
Snowball, Searcy County, Arkansas -
Hometown
Claremont, Los Angeles County, California
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-736439 -
Rank
Captain -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
77th Fighter Squadron,
20th Fighter Group
-
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster,
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
6 August 1944 - Place of
death
Luckenwalde, on the road to Berkenbruck-Hennickendorf, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 32 | 6 |
Immediate family
-
Members
George W. Whiteside (father)
Lee A. Whiteside (mother)
Juanita Whiteside (sister)
Yeteeta Whiteside (sister)
Richard F. Whiteside (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-13792 -
Data
Type: P-51D
Destination: Magdeburg, Germany
MACR: 7446
More information
Capt Walker L. Whiteside graduated from Claremont High School and worked on a farm.He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States at March Field, Riverside, California, on 26 March 1942.
Statement of 1st Lt John W. Reid:
"I was flying Blue 3. Blue 2 peeled off to bounce two ME-109s. Blue 4 broke because an ME-109 was on his tail. Blue leader did a half roll from 30,000 feet, and I half rolled with him. In the dive, I lost him, and I could never find him again. I hit the deck and circled for five minutes looking for Blue leader. I also tried to contact him on the radio. No answer. I saw what appeared to be an airplane burning on the ground. This was at 1225, just south of Berlin. This was the last I saw of Lt. Whiteside."
Capt Walker L. Whiteside was initially buried at the cemetery of Hennickendorf on 6 August 1944.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Michel Beckers, Terry Hirsch, MACR 7446, 20th Fighter Group, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census / U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Michel Beckers, www.fold3.com, Ruth Breslin