William O. Heller                                                                                        Updated:  13 JAN 2015

Airman: u014281.htm Surname: Heller Init: W O Rank: S/Sgt Service: USAAF Sqdn: 427

P_link: p236.htm Plane: B17 42-5221 Operation: Bomb G Crash_site: The Baltic Sea

Crash_d: d091043 Buried_d: b111111 C_link: c014.htm At_Next: Esbjerg

"Den 9. oktober 1943 angreb USAAF med 378 4-motorede bombefly flyfabrikker i den østlige del af Polen og Østpreussen, samt havnefaciliteter i Gdynia (her)
og Danzig (Gdansk her). Både på udturen og hjemturen passerede formationerne Danmark, hvor tyske jagermaskiner angreb bomberne." (FAF)

Under et bombetogt til Anklam (her) i Tyskland den 9. oktober 1943 styrtede en ”Flyvende Fæstning” B17 42-5221 i Østersøen syd for Lolland, måske omkring her. Tilsyneladende omkom hele besætningen, 10 mand.

Flyets haleskytte, W.O. Heller, blev begravet i Esbjerg. Usikker begravelsesdato. Kan evt. være drevet ind et sted på Jyllands østkyst. (Kilde: FAF)

Den 30. april 1948 blev han og andre amerikanske flyvere begravet i Esbjerg ført til Ardennes American Cemetery. (Kilde: FAF)
Se kortet USAAF - Amerikanske flyvere begravet i Danmark. Hans navn er ikke i registret hos ABMC, så mest sandsynligt blev han begravet på en privat kirkegård i USA.

7 flyvere fra B17 42-5221 har ingen kendt grav. 1 blev begravet i Tyskland, 1 i Rødby og 1 i Esbjerg. Alle 3 blev senere flyttet til Belgien eller USA.
Se B-17 Flyvende Fæstning * B17 i airmen.dk * tegning af besætningen på en B-17. 10 flyvere.

"On 9 October 1943 USAAF attacked aircraft factories in the eastern part of Poland and East Preussia together with harbour facilities in Gdynia (here) and
Danzig (Gdansk here) with 378 4-engined bombers. Both on the way out and on the return flight the formations passed Denmark, where German fighters attacked the bombers." (FAF)

During a bombing raid to Anklam (here) in Germany on 9 October 1943 a ”Flying Fortress” B17 42-5221 crashed in the Baltic Sea south of Lolland, maybe about here. Apparently all of the crew, 10 men, perished.

The Tail Gunner W.O. Heller was buried in Esbjerg. Uncertain date of burial. May have drifted in somewhere on the east coast of Jutland. (Source: FAF)

On 30 April 1948 he and other American airmen buried in Esbjerg were disinterred and taken to Ardennes American Cemetery. (Source: FAF) See the map USAAF - American airmen buried in Denmark. His name is not in the ABMC records, so most likely he was buried in a private cemetery in the U.S.A.

7 airmen from B17 42-5221 have no known grave. 1 was buried in Germany, 1 in Rødby and 1 in Esbjerg. All 3 of them were later moved to Belgium or the USA.
This B-17 belonged to 427 BS, 303 BG, 41 CBW, 1 BD, 8 AF of USAAF. It took off from RAF Molesworth - USAAF Station 107.
See 303rd Bomb Group Heavy with the Mission Report No. 76 of Oct 9 1943 about this crew  and  B17s in airmen.dk and a drawing of the crew of a B-17. 10 airmen.