"Crew and fate of The "Wee Willie". She was the last 91st Bomb Group B-17 Flying Fortress to go down. She went down over Berlin on April 8 1945, just one month before the end of the War in Europe. More bombers were MIA from Bassingbourn than any other station. "Wee Willie" was the oldest operational aircraft in the 91st and had more than 120 missions to her credit. A direct flak hit took off the wing but some of the crew escaped including pilot 1/Lt Robert Fuller." The bomber was crewed by: Pilot: 1st LT Robert M. Fuller (Hollywood, CA) Co-Pilot: 2nd LT Woodrow A. Lien (Brockton, MA) Navigator: TSGT Francis J. McCarthy (Nashville, TN) Bombardier: SSGT Richard D. Proudfit (Grenada, MS) Top Turret Gunner: SSGT Wylie McNatt, Jr. (Corpus Christi, TX) Ball Turret Gunner: SSGT William H. Cassidy (Brooklyn, NY) Radio (Radar) Operator: SSGT Ralph J. Leffelman (Seattle, WA) Waist Gunner : SSGT James D. Houtchens (Kearney, NB) Tail Gunner: SGT Lemoyne Miller (Butler, PA) Only the pilot, LT Fuller, survived the crash Another gunner in the Squadron (401st Bomb Squadron), SSGT George Little, witnessed the B-17 as it was hit: “I observed [the bomber] receive a direct flak hit approximately between the bomb-bay and the No. 2 [in-board motor on the left wing] engine. The aircraft immediately started into a vertical dive. The aircraft fuselage was on fire and when it had dropped approximately 5,000 feet the left wing fell off. It continued down and when the fuselage was about 3,000 feet from the ground it exploded, and then exploded again when it hit the ground. I saw no crew members leave the aircraft or parachutes.” (Sources: National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force on FB and ww2research.com) #wwii #ww2 #history #91st #bombgroup #weewillie #b17 #flyingfortress #crash #usaaf #honorthem #warriors #heroes #military
