1st Lt Leroy Williamson, O805717

1st Lt Leroy Melvin Williamson, Sr. O-805717, US Army Air Force POW. He was born December 30, 1920 in Sealy, Texas, to Bertha Kretschmar and J.A. Williamson. Leroy was the Married Maxie Gann Williamson on Aug 2, 1943.

He began his military career with the Texas National Guard in 1938.  During WWII he transferred to the Army Air Corps and became a B-24 Pilot.  He left for service in England on December 3, 1943. He served in combat with the 8th Army Air Force, 44th Bomb Group, 506th bomb squadron based in Shipdham, UK. He flew 13 bombing missions in the European Theater where during a bombing mission over Germany on April 8, 1944, Williamson, then a 23-year-old 2nd lieutenant, was shot down. Williamson said “When you can say you’ve survived that’s the good part,” “Naturally, the people (on the ground) didn’t look at us very kindly.”

The men on B-24J #42-73506 ‘Black Jack’ on April 8, 1944 were the Pilot 1st Lt. , GUY W. JOHNSON0-681431 KIA of Parkersburg, IA, The Co-pilot 1st Lt , LEROY M. WILLIAMSON 0-805717POW of Sealy, TX, The Navigator 1st Lt. ROBERT J. BAUMANN 0-735244POW of St. Louis, MO, The Bombardier 1st Lt. , CHARLES L. WIEST 0-736742 POW Baltimore, MD, the Engineer S/Sgt. ROBERT J. HICKMAN12132169 POW, escapee, of Frankfort, DE, the Radio Oper. T/Sgt. MARTIN R. GOLDMAN 11073423 POW New Britain, CT, The Ball Turret S/Sgt. WALTER W. PROCYSZYN 33284808 POW Ford City, PA, RW Gunner S/Sgt. WILBUR R. RANDALL 39458252 POW Lewiston, ID, LW Gunner S/Sgt. PAUL MANAK 36196213 POW Lawton, MI, Tail Turret S/Sgt. GEORGE W. REED 12181955 POW Wilmington, DE

B-24J #42-73506 ‘Black Jack’ , “Left formation at 1347 hours, in difficulty after an enemy aircraft attack. Lt. Guy Johnson was shot on the ground when trying to surrender to some soldiers. He was overheard to be saying words like, ‘Don’t shoot! I give up.’ The aircraft was hit by flak in the nose section, bomb bay, tail and left wing. It caught fire immediately while still over Brunswick. Orders to bail out was given and all jumped successfully.” Co-pilot Williamson stated that, “After all personnel had cleared the aircraft and were descending to earth, we were fired upon by small arms. Upon hitting the earth, I recognized the voice of 1st Lt. Guy W. Johnson saying, ‘I give up. Don’t shoot’ – or words to that effect. Then followed a burst of rifle fire. I was wounded and did not see Lt. Johnson, although I would judge from the sound of his voice he was about 400 feet away. I could see a number of German soldiers running in the direction of Lt. Johnson. “I was told by German military personnel at the time I was taken prisoner that Lt. Johnson was dead and notice of his death would be sent through the Red Cross.” Lt. Robert J. Baumann, navigator, states that, “While in prison camp I made notes of what I remembered about the mission and I still have them. My listing shows that Johnson was killed, Williamson, Wiest, Goldman, Procyszyn, Manak, Hickman and myself as alive, and I knew nothing about Reed and Randall. “On that last flight, our Group was leading the formations and our plane was flying in the number 4 position. We were catching some flak, but just before the IP, I was looking out the side window checking pilotage points when the window was shattered by flak. Other parts of the plane also were hit by flak, but no one was hurt at that time. “We began to get fighter attacks while on our final approach to the target. Our section had good fighter support and although there were a lot of enemy planes, I don’t believe we received any hits, nor do I recall hearing that any other planes in our Group were hit seriously. “We began to get heavy accurate flak just before bombs away and it continued. I remember hearing noises as though flak was hitting the plane at various places. It sounded like rocks being thrown against the plane. However, no one was hit – at least I heard nothing on the intercom about serious hits. I turned around to reach for my log to record the bomb data when all hell broke loose. “The ship shuddered, my legs felt like they had been blown off, and I fell face down on the floor. The space below the flight deck and just to the rear from me was an immediate roaring inferno. I was able to get up on my right leg, but my left leg was useless. I started to open the emergency nose wheel door, but I couldn’t hold on long enough to get the door completely open, as the flames were burning my face. “I recall backing away, and then making another try at it with my head turned to the side. The side of my head and face were pretty badly burned, but I did get the door open. I passed out a few times but before I finally got out of the ship I remembered to open the nose turret door. Our ship was an older model and was the only one in our Squadron that did not have an emergency release handle inside the nose turret. Had I not gotten that door open, the bombardier (Wiest) would have been trapped. “I don’t know how I got out of the ship, but I did, and ended up in a prison camp after a few transfers and transportation problems. This flight was my 22nd mission, but my first with this crew. I am almost certain that Lt. Johnson, the pilot, was killed by flak. “I was on Lt. Money’s crew during my first 15 missions or so, then I was being trained for lead crew. My notes also show that our bombs were away at 1402 hours, so the information about our crew leaving the Group at 1347 is in error.”

After the crash Lt. Williamson spent several days in interrogation before being transferred to a prisoner of war camp on the Baltic Sea Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang Prussia. During the winter, a cold wind roared off the water, just a few blocks away. At night, Allied bombs landed nearby. He would remain there for 14 months until May 1, 1945, just a week before Allied victory was declared, when Soviet troops of the Red Army’s 44th Infantry Division pushed from the east “like gangbusters” and liberated his camp. “They not only liberated us from prison camp, they did so many other good things for us,” Williamson said.

On June 27, 1945, he left Europe. On July 18, 1946, he returned to Europe and took part in the Berlin Airlift. He returned to the United States on Sept 23, 1949. He was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Army of Occupation Medal (Germany) with Berlin Air lift device, the National Defense Service Medal, the POW Medal Medal and many other awards.

Following retirement from the Air Force, he attended the University of Houston and eventually joined the Civil Defense in Denton, Texas. As a long time resident of Denton and member of Singing Oaks Church of Christ, he spent many of his later and retirement years in service to others as a member of several church committees, board member of the Former POW organization and participation in the Boy Scouts.

In 2014 Williamson traveled to Russia to thank the surviving member of the Red Army’s 44th Infantry Division, which liberated his camp but the night before that man fell sick and had to be hospitalized. Instead, Williamson was able to present a Purple Heart, awarded to those injured in battle, to a Soviet soldier who fought alongside American troops during the war. The man was overcome with emotion.

 

He died peacefully in his sleep Saturday, August 29, 2020 in Denton, Texas at the age of 99.

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https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/09/ww2-vet-thanks-those-who-saved-him-70-years-ago

U.S., Cemetery and Funeral Home Collection, 1847-Current

His discharge document.

https://www.billdeberry.com/obituary/leroy-williamson