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Personal info

Full name
FLANNERY, William Howard
Date of birth
30 June 1922
Age
22
Place of birth
South Dakota
Hometown
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California

Military service

Service number
O-760813
Rank
First Lieutenant
Function
Pilot
Unit
748th Bombardment Squadron,
457th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters

Death

Status
Missing in Action
Date of death
7 October 1944
Place of death
On a island in a river near Stettin Bay
Stettiner Haff, Poland

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
Walls of the Missing

Immediate family

Members
Bertram T. Flannery (father)
Nora G. (Murray) Flannery (mother)
Kenneth Flannery (brother)
Robert Flannery (brother)
Walter Flannery (brother)
Norman Flannery (brother)
Ralph Flannery (brother)
Tommy Flannery (brother)

Plane data

Serial number
42-97638
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Follow Me
Destination: Politz, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the oil refinery
MACR: 9773

More information

1st Lt William H. Flannery was employed at Southern California Gas Company.

He enlisted in Los Angeles, California on 9 December 1942.

The airplane was hit by flak just after bombs away, causing a fire in engine #3 and the right wing. The pilot made a diving maneuver to try to put out the flames.

Five crew members were killed, five men survived and were taken prisoner.

Lt Flannery is remembered at Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, Meade County, South Dakota with a memorial marker.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.ancestry.com - WWII Army Enlistment Records, 1938/ 1930-1940 census www.findagrave.com - Don Zas

Photo source: Peter Schouteten, http://www.457thbombgroup.org/Homepage - The 457th Bomb Group (H) Association (457thbombgroupassoc.org), findagrave.com - Tim Cook