World War II Honoree

Bill Wickens

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

South Bend, Indiana

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Technical Sergeant. He was inducted into the United States Army Air Corps February 3, 1942 at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. Following his Basic Military Training; he was selected to attend the Flight Aviation Training Program. He served as a Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner aboard the B-17G ‘Flying Fortress’ Bomber, assigned to the 600th Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomber Group and an element of the U.S. 8th Air Force ‘Mighty Eighth’ Army Air Forces. His unit was based at Nuthampstead Royal Air Force Station, England. On Sunday, April 8, 1945 the ‘Flying Fortress’ with ten crewmembers, departed England on a bombing mission to Derben, Germany. While approaching the target, the Bomber was hit by German anti-aircraft ground fire, striking the left wing. The aircraft went into a spinning dive, crashing in the vicinity of Stendal. Personnel from a Grave Registration Company buried him in the Margraten Battlefield Cemetery; Aachen, Holland. In the post-war era, this Airman’s family requested that he be buried with Military Honors at the Netherlands American Cemetery Location: Margraten, Netherlands. This American Patriot received the following decorations posthumously: Air Medal and the Purple Heart. The Air Medal was awarded to the Sergeant for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight, and the Purple Heart, for his Heroism and ultimate sacrifice.