Birch William K Lt

Assigned Aircraft

KIA in P-38H CG-Q 42-67077 "Mountain Ayers"

Mission History

10 missions

Mission List

55th FG Mission #	Date	Target
n/a	16 October 1943	Practice Mission (Red 2)
06	20 October 1943	Duren
08	24 October 1943	St. Andre L'Eure (Yellow 2)
10	05 November 1943	Gelsenkirchen (Filled in as Spare and flew mission)
13	10 November 1943	Montdidier Airdrome (Blue 4)
14	11 November 1943	Munster (Spare)
15	13 November 1943	Bremen (Spare)
n/a	18 November 1943	Practice Mission (White 3)
16	25 November 1943	Sweep - Lille Area (White 3)
18	29 November 1943	Bremen (Red 3) (Returned early and landed at Earls Colne due to engine trouble)
19	30 November 1943	Solingen
21	05 December 1943	Bourdeaux (Red 4) (Returned early at 0955 because of Oil Cooler trouble)
22	11 December 1943	Bremen (Red 4)
24	16 December 1943	Bremen (Filled in as Spare and flew mission)

Air Scores

0-1-0

Ground Scores

0-0

Score Detail

25 November 1943 Me-109 probable (air) NW Arras

Notes

Lt. Birch was a spare and filled in for an abort by 2/Lt. Richard Forsblad. The squadrons were returning from a bomber escort mission. Major Dallas Webb of the 343rd Squadron reported: "On return, when over England, I observed Lt. Birch flying alone and I called him to join up and Lt. Birch complied. At this point I started to let down through the overcast, but before entering the overcast I observed Lt. Birch to fall off and spin into the overcast."

Lt.Col. Jack Jenkins had just emerged from the base of the overcast with Lt. Edward Peters on his wing and he reported: "I was flying at about 600 feet in the vicinity of Wakerly, (England) when I observed Lt. Birch's airplane come out of the overcast in a 70 degree dive and continue straight into the ground where the aircraft exploded. It was definitely ascertained that Lt. Birch was in the airplane when it hit the ground."

2/Lt. Birch is buried in Los Angeles, California.
Reproduced with kind permission of Mr. Robert M. Littlefield from the author's book Double Nickel - Double Trouble

Memories