About
World War II (1939-1945)
William John Williams was born in Keeseville, New York, on November 1, 1915. He grew up in the city of Schenectady on Union Street, graduated from Mont Pleasant High School in 1933, and was a machinist at General Electric. Before World War II began, he had been in the Army with the 26th Infantry from 1933 until 1936, when he was honorably discharged. He also served in the National Guard as a corporal.
On July 11, 1942, William enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. He was a sergeant serving with the 613th Bomber Squadron, 401st Bomber Group, Heavy. William was a left waist gunner on the B-17G Flying Fortress "Carrie B," and while on a bombing mission on April 20, 1944, the no. 3 engine was hit by flak, and the plane exploded over Pont-Remy, France. Eight of the ten crew members were killed. He is buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Gainesville, New York.
*B-17G Flying Fortress "Carrie B" #42-31593
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry