World War II Honoree

Charles W. Pearson, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Alice, Texas

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: 2ND LIEUTENANT. SERVED AS A B-17 ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ BOMBER BOMBARDIER, WHO EXPERIENCED COMBAT IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS. HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE 709TH BOMB SQUADRON, 447TH BOMB GROUP, UNITED STATES 8TH ‘MIGHTY EIGHTH’ ARMY AIR FORCE. HIS SQUADRON WAS STATIONED AT RATTLESDEN ROYAL AIR FORCE STATION ENGLAND, U.S. ARMY AIRFIELD STATION #126. CAMPAIGNS: AIR OFFENSIVE EUROPE, NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, ARDENNES-ALSACE AND CENTRAL EUROPE. ON THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 1944 HE BECAME A PRISONER OF WAR DURING A BOMBING RAID ON THE LEIPZIG/BOHLEN SYNTHETIC OIL REFINERY LOCATED IN CENTRAL GERMANY. WHILE OVER THE TARGET, AND SHORTLY AFTER BOMBS AWAY, THE #2 ENGINE, BOMB BAY AND RADIO ROOM CAUGHT ON FIRE AFTER THE ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ WAS HIT BY FLAK. THE BOMBER EXPLODED, DISINTEGRATING IN MID-AIR, AND CRASHED NEAR JAHNSHEIM. HE AND THE TAIL GUNNER WERE CAPTURED AFTER BAILING OUT, BECOMING PRISONERS OF WAR AND WERE HELD IN CAPTIVITY AT SEPARATE PRISONER CAMPS. THE LIEUTENANT WAS INTERNED AT STALAG 7A LOCATED IN MOOSBURG, BAVARIA AND KRUMBACHSTRASSE WORK CAMP MUNICH, GERMANY. THERE WERE EIGHT AIRMEN, WHO PERISHED IN THE DISASTER AND WERE BURIED IN A GERMAN UNKNOWN BATTLEFIELD CEMETERY. AFTER THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES IN EUROPE, HE WAS REPATRIATED AND RETURNED TO MILITARY CONTROL ON JUNE 12, 1945.