Claiborne Waddell Wilson was born on May 27, 1918, in Harnett County, North Carolina. He was the son of William Edgar "Willie" Wilson and Martha Lee "Mattie" Ferguson Wilson. He was married to Joanne Massey Wilson. He enlisted in the service on January 7, 1942. He served in the 423rd Bomber Squadron, 306th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Flight Engineer of B-17F #42-5717 during World War II.

On February 16, 1943, B-17F #42-5717, piloted by Capt. William H. Warner, departed RAF Thurleigh at about 9:00 a.m. with a ten-man crew for a bombing mission against the heavily defended German U-boat base at Saint-Nazaire, France. The 306th Bomb Group reached the target late that morning and encountered intense anti-aircraft fire and German fighter attacks. After bombing the target at approximately 11:30 a.m., Warner’s B-17 came under particularly heavy fighter attack as the formation turned away from Saint-Nazaire. During the engagement, the aircraft’s intercom was knocked out, and the No. 4 engine was damaged. Warner was mortally wounded, reportedly by a shot to the head, leaving co-pilot 2nd Lt. Arnold R. Carlson to take control. The crippled Fortress dropped rapidly from the formation and became an isolated target for the attacking German fighters. As the B-17 descended, repeated cannon fire killed several crewmen and wounded another. With the crippled bomber unable to remain airborne, the survivors attempted to bail out at extremely low altitude. One airman was reportedly blown through the nose of the aircraft during another fighter attack at less than 600 feet, but his parachute opened in time. Two other crewmen also managed to escape the stricken bomber. The heavily damaged Fortress eventually stalled, entered a tight spin, and crashed near La Ville d'Hébert, close to Guillac in Morbihan, Brittany, at approximately noon. Of the ten men aboard 42-5717, seven were killed, and three survived.

SSgt Wilson managed to bail out and make his way toward Malestroit, where he received assistance from local families and Resistance members, including Vladimir Bouryschkine, and Roberta ‘’Betty’’ (Laurie) Countess de Mauduit, who helped Allied airmen evade German capture through the Oaktree and Shelburne escape lines in occupied France between 1943 and 1944, ultimately enabling his return to England. He was later returned to the United States and was assigned to intelligence duties at the Pentagon, where he helped provide survival training to combat crews. He ended his military service as a Master Sergeant and died on July 8, 2020. He is now buried in the Buffalo Cemetery, Sanford, Lee County, North Carolina, USA.

https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=42426
https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=42354

Sources of information: www.findagrave.com, www.conscript-heroes.com