World War II Honoree

Wilbur Hall

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Calhoun County, West Virginia

Honored By

Calhoun Historical Society

442ND BOMBER SQUADRON, 305TH BOMBER GROUP. RECEIVED TRAINING AT SAINT PETERSBURG, FLORIDA; SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA AND YUMA, ARIZONA. COMPLETED COMBAT TRAINING AT SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH AND ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA. HIS PLANE, B-17 FLYING FORTRESS (NAMED MISS G.I.), WAS SUBJECTED TO INTENSE ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE WHILE OVER ENEMY TERRITORY BUT STARTED THE RETURN TRIP TO BASE. WHILE CROSSING THE NORTH SEA, THE BOMBER EXPLODED IN THE AIR AND CRASHED INTO THE WATER. RESCUE WORKERS PICKED UP 1 SURVIVOR. HE WAS LISTED AS KILLED AFTER A THOROUGH SEARCH HAD BEEN MADE. HE WAS ON HIS 7TH MISSION WHEN THE PLANE WAS LOST. KILLED IN ACTION JULY 21, 1944. AWARDED AIR MEDAL AND PURPLE HEART.