POWELL, William

Name: William POWELL

Born 9 January 1917

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Age at arrival in Buchenwald: 27

Died  5 August 1997 in Bella Vista, Arizona, age 80

Service: USAAF

Service ID: O-808137

Service Rank: 2nd Lieutenant

Duties: Navigator

Air Group: 8th Air Force, 385th Bomb Group, 549th Bomb Squadron

Airbase: Great Ashfield, Suffolk UK

Aircraft: B-17F 42-30354

Date shot down: 29 January 1944

Fate of crew: 1 KIA, 9 evaded, 6 recaptured, 4 of them sent to Buchenwald (Powell, WILLIAMS, REYNOLDS, and PACHA.

Evasion summary: Stayed in Recquignies (Nord) after they left Belgium. Then went to Pacy sur Eure, where they stayed with M Poulailler. Mr Gresser gave them to Letonsorer, who gave them to Desoubrie.

Date captured: 3 August 1944

Capture summary: Arrested with PACHA, W WILLIAMS, REYNOLDS, and VALLEE.

Boxcar Transport: 15-20 August 1944, in boxcar #1 or #2

Buchenwald ID: 78296

Notes on Buchenwald internment:

Transferred from Buchenwald to: Stalag Luft III, North Compound

Kriege ID: 8152

Notes on SLIII internment:

Subsequent transfer to: Stalag XIII-D, Nurnberg.

Notes on internment: Forced march and boxcar to Stalag VIIA 2-16 April 1945.

Liberation: 29 April 1945 by units of the 14th Armored Division from Patton’s Third Army.

Repatriation from ETO:

Discharged:

VA status:

Notes on Post-War period: Interviewed in 1994 NFBC documentary Buchenwald: The Lucky Ones.