Last Known Activity:
William M. Most, Jr. was born on February 18, 1913 in Kingstroud, Pennsylvania. He was a son of William M. Sr. and Claire Most. The US Census 1930 shows the family living there.
Most enlisted on December 26, 1941 at Salt Lake City, Utah. His enlistment form confirms nativity and birth year. It also states he had completed 1 year of college (unnamed), and was working as an inspector of managerial and official occupations.
He was trained as a radio operator, and then was assigned to the combat crew led by Lt Sloulin in England in 1942. He flew several missions over Europe, mainly France. In October, 1942, the 32nd Bomb Squadron sent several aircraft and crews to North Africa. Most was one of those selected.
After arriving in Algeria, he flew several missions over North Africa. On January 7, 1943, the aircraft took off from the field at Biskra, but crashed shortly thereafter. Evidently, some bodies were recovered. SSgt Most now rests in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia in Section 12, Site 4580.
www.findagrave.com
www.ancestry.com
www.301stbg/301st_bombardment_group.cfm
www.301stbg.com/301stbg/missions_Macrs.cfm
US Census 1930
NARA Enlistment Forms
SSgt William M. Most, Jr. was the assigned radio operator on B-17F #41-24350, named "Dumbo," assigned to the 32nd Bomb Squadron.
Missing Air Crew Report 16242 was issued. Mission loading lists name the crew on board as:
1 Lt Wesley C. Sloulin p
2 Lt Robert D. Olson c-p
1 Lt Vincent C. Fratalli nav
1 Lt William R. Crandall bomb
SSgt Frederick J. Hull eng/tt gun
SSgt William M. Most, Jr. r/o
Sgt Frank Kahl wg
Sgt Leslie gunner
Sgt Eldon L. Kimmel tail gun
MSgt William White pass
MSgt Linus C. Leonhard pass
MSgt Ted A. Greenway pass
Ranks and grades as of mission date.
The thee passengers (White, Leonhard, and Greenway were all aircraft mechanics - crew chiefs. Their presence on board is not explained.
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Comments/Citation:
SSGT William M. Most, Jr.
US Army Air Forces
32nd Bombardment Squadron, 301st Bombardment Group, 12th Air Force
Service # 19072416
William Mervyn Most, Jr. was born on 18 February 1913 in Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania to his namesake father and Claire Adienne Wilson Most. His parents were natives of the Keystone State. He had a younger brother Robert. Most’s father financially supported the Presbyterian household in a lengthy career with Bell Telephone Company. His mother was a homemaker.
Most’s upbringing occurred in the communities of Scranton, PA and Kingston, PA. He was active in Boy Scouts and graduated from Kingston High School with the class of 1931. After high school, Most worked in the federal government’s civil engineering corps and relocated to Ogden, Utah. When he registered for the draft on 16 October 1940, Most stood six feet tall, weighed 165 pounds, was single, and was still working for the government. He enlisted in the Army in Ogden, UT on 26 December 1941.
Most was selected for the Army’s Officers Training School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, but he declined the officer commission in favor of joining the “Flying Fortress gang” in the Army Air Forces. He became qualified to crew the B-17 heavy bomber as a radio operator/gunner. Most was assigned to the 32nd Bombardment Squadron, 301st Bombardment Group and deployed to the European Theater of Operations in August 1942. Most and his unit flew strategic combat missions over occupied France from their base at RAF Chelveston, England, including a raid by 100 bombers against the German arsenal at Lille, France.
Most relocated to North Africa during Operation Torch and served the 12th Air Force. In December, he participated in the second largest bombing raid of the war on a mission over Tunis, Tunisia. On 7 January 1943, Most was assigned as radio operator on B-17F #41-24350 “Dumbo” on a combat mission over North Africa. Soon after the Flying Fortress took off from Biskra Airfield, the aircraft exploded and crashed six miles east of Mascara, Algeria.
Most was killed in action on 7 January 1943 during a combat mission when his B-17 aircraft exploded and crashed near Mascara, Algeria.
All nine crewmembers and three passengers on the Flying Fortress perished. The World War II Dead Program repatriated Most’s remains to the United States aboard USAT Barney Kirschbaum. Most was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on 18 June 1948. Most posthumously received the Purple Heart and Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. His brother served in the Army Air Forces during the war and was in Alaska when Most was killed.
Sources
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49261405/william-m-most
https://www.ancestryinstitution.com/discoveryui-content/view/33890950:6061
https://www.ancestryinstitution.com/discoveryui-content/view/52907652:6224
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/aircraft/41-24350
https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/41-24350-dumbo/
The Times Leader (PA) 4 January 1943, 15 March 1943, 21 September 1943, 15 May 1948
Harrisburg Telegraph (PA) 18 October 1943
https://www.301bg.com/macr/MACR%20162421.pdf
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery. If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at moyer1020@comcast.net.
SBTSProject/[Pennsylvania]/[Luzerne]
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