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name
ROGERS, William Walter - Date of
birth
4 April 1918 -
Age
26 - Place of
birth
Tellaqua, Cherokee County, Oklahoma -
Hometown
Collinsville, Madison County, Illinois
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O2007843 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
714th Bombardment Squadron,
448th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
29 April 1944 - Place of
death
Dreieckmeer
Goldenstedt, near Vechta, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 10 | 1 |
Immediate family
-
Members
James E. Rogers (father)
Nellie F. (Myres) Rogers (mother)
Harvey E. Rogers (half-brother)
Deairl J. Rogers (brother)
Henrietta Rogers (sister)
Samuel E. Rogers (brother)
Irney L. Fawbush (half-brother)
Nellie May Fawbush (half-sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-7683 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Nickname: Sweet Sioux
Destination: Berlin, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the railway facilities in the Friedrichstrasse section
MACR: 4487
More information
Lt Rogers' father died when he was three years old. A year later, he was taken into the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Rogers, where he resided until he was about 19 years old.He enlisted in Rockford, Illinois and was commissioned in August 1943 and served overseas since November 1943.
The airplane was shot down by enemy fighters. Nine crew members survived and were taken prisoner; only Lt Rogers was killed.
According to the top turret gunner, T/Sgt Grady Howell, Lt Rogers was standing on the catwalk in the bomb bay, ready to bail out after him. That was the last time he saw Lt Rogers.
Another crew member, S/Sgt Ralph Meigs, believed Lt Rogers bailed out safely and was killed by German civilians. He based his opinion on the way he was approached by German citizens whenever he was transferred.
The airplane crashed in a lake near Goldenstedt.
There are no documents in the MACR that provide a definitive answer as to where exactly Lt Rogers' remains were found.
Lt Rogers' brother, Pfc Deairl J. Rogers, was killed in Belgium in 1945 and is buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Hamm, Luxembourg.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com, www.ancestry.com - Family Tree, WWII Draft Card
Photo source: Arie-Jan van Hees - Pilot Class Book 42-DE, Brooks Field, Texas / Pilot 43-G, Blackland, Texas