Harold L. Winans was born in 1925 in Arizona. He was married to Ramona A. Winans, who resided in Los Angeles, California.
Harold resided in California prior to the war. He served in the 860th Bomber Squadron, 493rd Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Bombardier on the B-17 #43-38319 during World War II. On September 12, 1944, he was killed during a mission to Magdeburg, Germany. They received a direct hit from flak on the left wing, which caught on fire. They immediately fell into a spin and exploded at 18,000 feet. They crashed near Pechau, southeast of Magdeburg, Germany. Eight men on the crew were killed. Only the navigator, F/O Victor Bennett, survived but was taken as a prisoner.
2Lt Winans is now buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupré, Belgium.
B-17 43-38319 crew:
Pilot: Edwon Bisaro
Co-pilot: Lyle Davis
Bombardier: Harold Winans
Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ken Rosiere
Radio Operator: Glenn Anderson
Ball turret gunner: Marshel Armstrong
Waist gunner: John Butler
Tail gunner: Irving Shub
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, honorstates.org, www.abmc.gov