Jimmie Ray Heathman was born on September 21, 1925, in Monroe, Mississippi. He was the son of Amos Ray Heathman and Amos Ray Heathman. He was married to Hazel Earlene Byars Bopp.
Jimmie served in the 849th Bomber Squadron, 490th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Sergeant and Waist Gunner on the B-17 #43-38046 during World War II. He was involved in a mid-air collision with another B-17 (serial #43-38071) on March 17, 1945. As a result, all members of his crew were killed, and their plane crashed in Karnberg, Germany. The other B-17's crew were all safe.
Sgt Heathman was not killed in the collision. He parachuted safely to land and surrendered to the Germans. He was shot dead by Heinrich Matthias Michely on the way to Idstein.
OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF AIRMAN'S WRONGFUL EXECUTION AT THE TRIAL
"On 18 March 1945, the accused [Heinrich Matthias Michely] brought a captured American flyer to the Wehrwolf school in Walrabenstein, Germany. That evening he received an order from accused Erwin Goss to bring the flyer to Idstein and to shoot him on the way. He left the school on foot with the flyer in the direction of Idstein. He directed the flyer on a little road off the highway and fired several shots, killing him. He returned and reported the execution of the order to Erwin Goss. He kept and wore the flyer's bracelet which bore the name of Jimmie R. Heathman. The flyer was buried in the cemetery at Walrabenstein."
The account of this and other related war crimes committed on servicemen were brought before the authorities. Many servicemen were murdered in like manner. Heinrich Matthias Michely was found guilty and was sentenced to death by hanging for committing this crime.
According to the Ph.D. dissertation by Elizabeth Yavnai, "Military Justice" (London 2007), p. 358, his [Michely's] death sentence was first commuted to "life", then reduced to 30 years, then to 25 years, then he was released on 03 AUG 1954. The superior however who ordered Michely to do the deed, the chief of the Wehrwolf school, one Erwin Goss, was indeed sentenced to death and hanged in War Criminals Prison #1 Landsberg/Lech, Germany, on 15 OCT 1948.
Sgt Heathman is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands. He also has a cenotaph located in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Missouri.
B-17 43-38046 crew:
Pilot - 1LT Arthur Stern
Co-Pilot - F/O Clifton W. Nippert
Navigator - 2LT Edmund M. De Wahl
Engineer/Top Turret Gunner - S/SGT James C. Rivers
Radio Operator - SGT George V. Devlin
Ball Turret Gunner - SGT John B. Terry, Jr.
Waist Gunner - SGT Jimmie R. Heathman
Tail Gunner - SGT Edward C. Holdren
Togglier - SGT Willard B. Fay
Source of information: www.findagrave.com