William Theodore Thistle was born on May 26, 1923, in Wakefield, Massachusetts. He was married to Margaret Grisham Thistle. He served in the 751st Bomb Squadron, 457th Bomb Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot of the B-17 #44-8557 during World War II.

On April 18, 1945, as the war in Europe entered its final days, the 457th Bombardment Group launched Mission 234, originally tasked with striking the rail marshalling yards at Traunstein. Poor visibility forced the units to divert to the alternate target at Freising, where the clouds finally broke enough to allow a visual bomb run. Among the aircraft in the formation was B-17 Flying Fortress #44-8557 of the 748th Bomb Squadron, which took position in the deputy lead. As the formation approached the target, engine No. 4 on the aircraft began smoking after being hit by German anti-aircraft fire. Witnesses saw four crew members bail out as the aircraft struggled to hold formation. The pilot remained long enough to release the bombs before dropping out of the formation himself, after which the remaining crew bailed out. Severely damaged and unable to recover, the aircraft descended rapidly and crashed near Sterzen. One member of the crew did not survive the bailout, becoming the final combat fatality suffered by the 457th Bombardment Group in World War II. The surviving crew members landed in German-held territory and were captured shortly afterward. With Germany’s collapse only days away, they spent a brief period as prisoners of war before being liberated ten days later, in late April 1945.

2Lt Thistle successfully bailed out and was taken as a prisoner of war in Germany. He later served in the Korean War and concluded his military career with the rank of First Lieutenant. He died on March 19, 1992, and is now buried in the Mimosa Cemetery, Lawrenceburg, Lawrence County, Tennessee, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, www.501csw.usafe.af.mil