Willard L WATSON

 

willard I watson

Source : USAAF Class Book Project ABMC American Cemeteries

NUMBER OF SERVICEO-777878
AGE23 yo
DATE OF BIRTH1921
ETATMISSOURI
FAMILY--
RANK2nd Lieutenant
FONCTION--
JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT--MO
DATE of ENLISTEMENT---
 SQUADRON454th Bomber Squadron
 GROUP323rd Bomber Group Medium
ARMY9th US  Air Force
DATE OF DEATH28 september 1944WATSON willard l tombe
STATUSDNB - Died Non-battle
PLACE OF DEATHSector Chartres
DATA PLAN

B-26 Marauder - type C-10-MO - s/n 41-34879 RJ*Q "Little Lulu"

B26 MARAUDER
Macr:
Mission: training mission
Take off Ground A-40 Chartres (28)

 
CEMETERY TEMPORARYCEMETERY TEMPORARY of 

Villeneuve-sur-Auvers N°3594

villen auvers cemetery

CEMETERYBRITTANY AMERICAN CEMETERY of St James

Map of St James American Cemetery

GRAVE
PlotRowGrave
I1811
DECORATION

Air Medal avec 8 Oak Leaf Clusters

American Campaign Medal

World War II Victory Medal

 

am 8olc

american campaign medal

victory medal

 

 

usaf 9af 323bg 454bs
STORY

willard I watson

Source : USAAF Class Book Project ABMC American Cemeteries

Willard L. Watson was born on 1921.

He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II as a Second Lieutenant in the 454th Bomber Squadron, 323rd Bomber Group, Medium.

He entered service in Missouri.

Crew member of the B-26 Marauder "Little Lulu" which took off from the A-40 Airfield in Chartres and crashed just 4 km away due to unknown reasons. All five crewmembers perished in the crash.

He died on September 28, 1944, was initially buried at Villeneuve-sur-Auvers in France and is now buried at Brittany American Cemetery, St. James, France.

Roy R BOZYCH

“Little Lulu” serial # 41-34879 coded RJ-Q was lost on September 28, 1944 during a training mission with a new crew.

It crashed 2 ½ miles west of A-40 Chartres, France.

There were no survivors.

Lost that day were the pilot Burl LUNKENBILL, copilot Willard WATSON, Bombardier Frank HAWKINSON, Flight Engineer Gerald THEUBER, Flight Engineer Leonard HARDY, Radioman Charles BRUCKER and Tail Gunner Joseph MAXWELL.

There was an investigation afterward but since “Little Lulu” was completely consumed in the ensuing fire no cause of the accident was ever found. The pilot Burl Lunkenbill had almost 1,000 hrs in a B-26.

At the time of the crash “Little Lulu” had completed 108 combat missions and was becoming “War Weary” so this may have been a factor. 

Equipage 41 34879 crasch

Crew of B-26 Marauder - type C-10-MO - s/n 41-34879 RJ*Q

"Little Lulu"

1st Lieutenant Burl Leon LUKENBILL   Pilote Décédé - Rose Hill Cem. Tyler, Smith Co, TEXAS 24 ans 
1st Lieutenant Frank L HAWKINSON  hawkinson frank l tombe Décédé -Cim Am St James O-734911 - OKLAHOMA 
2nd Lieutenant Willard L WATSON  WATSON willard l tombe Décédé -Cim Am St James O-777878 - Né en 1921 - Texas Co, MISSOURI
T/Sergeant Leonard R HARDY  hardy leonard r tombe Décédé -Cim Am St James 39682373 - UTAH 
S/Sergeant Joseph W MAXWELL  maxwell joseph w tombe Décédé -Cim Am St James 32470525 - DFC/AM+3 - NEW YORK
Equipage 41 34879 little lulu B26 1
B26 2

Equipage 41 34879 stele

Stele in memory of the crew


SOURCE INFORMATION & PHOTOHonorstates.org -  JF PELLOUAIS - Uswarmemorials.org  - Francecrashes39-45.net - Aad.archives.gov - ‎Jim O'LEARY‎ (Facebook.com) - Roy R BOZYCH - Frédéric LAVERNHE - USAAF Class Book Project ABMC American Cemeteries
PROGRAMMERFrédéric & Renaud
Partagez moi ...