1st Lt William Franklyn Williams, Jr.
August 8, 1919- July 21, 1944
Class: 43-F-SE
Graduation Date: July 6, 1943
Unit: 332nd Fighter Group, 301st Fighter Squadron
Service # O-807114
William was born in 1919 to William Williams and Lottie Pittman, in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents had moved to Cleveland from Alabama, and his father was employed as a laborer in a foundry. The family lived on East 8th Street in Cleveland, and the 1930 census shows his father employed as a concrete worker. In 1940, the family was living on Keyes Avenue.
Later that year, William was living with his family on 121st Street but he was attending Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama. He registered with the war office on 16 Oct 1940 in Gallodaga, Alabama. He then applied and was accepted as an Aviation Cader in flight training at the Tuskegee Army Air Field.
Upon completing his training and graduating as an 2nd Lieutenant on June 30, 1943 on July 1, 1943 he was assigned to the 318th Base Headquarters & Air Base Squadron and further attached to the 1155th Single Engine Flying Training Squadron at TAAF, Tuskegee, Alabama where he would undergo fighter transition training in the P-40 Warhawk.
2nd Lt. Williams joined the 301st Fighter Squadron at Selfridge, Michigan on August 1, 1943 where he would continue to fly the P-40 until October 1943 when the 332nd FG switched to the P-39 Air Cobra.
On January 2, 1944 the 301st Fighter Squadron embarked aboard the SS Clark Mills for an undisclosed overseas destination. On January 29, 1944 the 301st Fighter Squadron disembarked at 0930 at Taranto, Italy and made camp 5 miles outside of town. On February 7, 1944 the squadron proceeded via motor convoy to Montecorvino, Italy arriving on the 8th where they would join the 12th Air Force
On February 15, 1944, saw some of the pilots of the 301st Fighter Squadron get into the air for the first time in over two months. Their first flight being an Operational Mission, Convoy Protection in the Bell P-39 Air Cobra.
On May 29, 1944, the 301st departed Montecorvino Air Base for permanent change of station to Ramitelli Air Base and was assigned to the 15th Air Force. Beginning on June 7, 1944, the 301st Fighter Squadron began flying combat missions with the 15th Air Force in the long-range P-47 Thunderbolt. On 23 June 1944, 2nd Lt. Williams F. Williams was appointed 1st Lt AUS per SO #156 NATOUSA 7 June 1944.
The transition from the P-47 Thunderbolt to the P-51 Mustang began in late June 1944. All of the pilots were eager to get deeper into enemy territory. On July 4, 1944, the 332nd Fighter Group would fly its first escort mission in the P-51 Mustang.
On 21 July, 1944 Lt. Williams would fly his last combat mission. It was during a bomber escort mission to Brux, Synthetic Oil Refinery near Linz, Austria, when mechanical trouble forced the second element of Bubble Yellow Flight to return to back to Ramitelli Air Field in Italy. 2nd Lt. Robert H. Daniels Jr. wrote in a military report. Flight Leader, 1st Lt. Williams called me and said we would overtake and join Bubbles Blue Flight which consisted of two ships. After about 20 minutes at an altitude of 28,000 feet, when they ran into a very thick overcast. Our element became separated from the leading element, flying to the left rear of it rest of the flight “Some five minutes later I was abreast of Lt. Williams on his right wing,”
“We were flying on instruments, climbing about 1,000 feet per minute to get over the overcast. At approximately 11:40 (a.m.), Lt. Williams told me to bear to the right, which placed him on my left rear quarter, still within sight. He called again and told me to watch out for three ships, which suddenly appeared overhead and just to our left front quarter. I acknowledged his call, advising him that I saw the three ships. I got on the right wing of the ship furthest to the right. I identified the three ships as 99th Fighter Squadron ships, and when I did not see Lt. Williams on either wing to my rear, I called him and reported that I was flying with a (99th) flight of three. I received no reply to my call.”
Within a few minutes the ship I was with became separated from the other two ships on our left. Our altitude was then approximately 33,000 feet and we still had not broken through the overcast. Lt. Williams was not seen again. We arrived over the base at 1250 hours.
An investigation that was underway in 1953 indicated that a Major Wood had been informed that Williams’ plane had been shot down by enemy fire, and he not parachuted to survive the crash. Paperwork indicated that Major Wood had attended the funeral. But a letter from 1954 from Wood states that Williams was to be buried with full military honors in the vicinity of Loqua, Yugoslavia. Wood had fully intended to go to this funeral, but German operations that commenced between 19 July and 11 Aug of 1944 prevented him from attending. As a result, he did not have the exact location of the burial, and any field investigations pursued later failed to produce the place of Williams’ burial.
As a result, 2nd Lt. Williams continues to be listed as MIA. William F Williams Jr is memorialized at the American Cemetery – Epinal, France, Tablets of the Missing. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location.
R E S T R I C T E D
HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH AIR FORCE
APO 520 C-UFD-hch
GENERAL ORDERS 3 August 1944
NUMBER 2284
AWARDS OF AIR MEDAL AND OR OAK LEAF CLUSTERS FOR THE AIR MEDAL
Under the provision of AR 600-45, as amended and pursuant to authority contained in Circular No. 89, NATOUSA, 10 July 1944, the Air Medal and/or Oak Leaf Cluster for the Air Medal in awarded to the following named personnel, missing in action, Air Corps of the United States, residence as indicated for meritorious achievement in aerial flight while participating in sustained operational activities against the enemy between the dates as indicated, and/or for meritorious achievement in aerial flight while performing an act of merit as indicated.
Members of 301st Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group
AIR MEDAL
WILLIAM F. WILLIAMS JR., O-807114, First Lieutenant, Cleveland, Ohio. From 7June 1944 to 16 July 1944. Next of Kin: Mrs. Lottie P. Williams, (Mother) 3198 East 121st Street, Cleveland, Ohio
PENN, B. STARLING, O-811286, Second Lieutenant, New York, New York, From 7June 1944 to 16 July 1944. Next of Kin: Mrs. George R. Penn, (Mother), 211-J West 151st Street, New York, New York
By command of Major General TWINING
- K. TAYLOR
Colonel, GSC, Chief of Staff.
Source: Craig Huntly, Tuskegee Airmen Subject Matter Expert
