World War II Honoree

Owen Delbert Nail

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Garden, Kansas

Honored By

Sam E. Pennartz

ENLISTED IN THE ARMY MILITARY INTELLIGENCE BRANCH ON 2 MAY 1940. LATER TRANSFERRED TO THE AIR CORPS AND UNDERWENT B-29 AIRCRAFT OPERATIONAL TRAINING AT SMOKY HILL ARMY AIR FIELD NEAR SALINA, KANSAS. DEPLOYED VIA AFRICA TO THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATRE AS PART OF 20TH AIR FORCE, XX BOMBER COMMAND, OPERATION MATTERHORN TO BOMB JAPAN FROM KHARAGPUR AIRFIELD, INDIA. SUBSEQUENTLY RE-DEPLOYED TO THE CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATRE OF OPERATIONS AND ASSIGNED TO XXI BOMBER COMMAND, 58TH BOMB WING, 468TH BOMBARDMENT 'GENERAL BILLY MITCHELL' GROUP, 794TH BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT WEST FIELD (GURGUAN POINT) ON TINIAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS. ON 1 JUNE 1945, HE FLEW AS THE FLIGHT ENGINEER ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS NICKNAMED 'LADY HAMILTON II' (SERIAL #42-24542). IT WAS ONE OF 458 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-WING, MULTI-GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD THE URBAN MANUFACTURING AREA AT OSAKA ON THE ISLAND OF HONSHU, JAPAN. WHILE OVER THE TARGET AREA, THEIR GROUP FORMATION ENCOUNTERED HEAVY FLAK FROM ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY AND ENEMY FIGHTER PLANES. ON THE RETURN ROUTE TO TINIAN, ABOUT 200 MILES SOUTH OF JAPAN THE AIRCRAFT FLEW INTO INCLEMENT WEATHER. HE WAS KILLED WHEN HIS BOMBER CRASHED IN THE OCEAN APPROXIMATELY 355 KILOMETERS SOUTHEAST OF OSAKA BAY.