William Henry Linton was born on July 26, 1919, in Belfast, Waldo County, Maine. He was the son of Basil Floyd Linton and Elizabeth May Chamberlain Linton. He was married to Hilda Rosalie Sprague Greene. After graduating from Crosby High School in 1938, he worked for a trucking company, trained as an electrician through an apprenticeship, and later served as an assistant manager at the McClellan five-and-dime store in Belfast before transferring to the Waterville location. He entered the Army on August 10, 1942, and during initial processing at Fort Devens was identified as having strong potential for the Air Corps. He was sent to Atlantic City, New Jersey, for basic air training, followed by a six-month radio school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After completing gunnery school in Tucson, Arizona, he was assigned to a B-24 bomber crew led by Second Lieutenant Ralph Jackson. The crew trained in California, Texas, and Nebraska before deploying overseas on August 18, 1943, to the Mediterranean Theater, where they joined the 512th Bombardment Squadron of the 376th Bombardment Group, flew 35 combat missions.

On December 28, 1943, the B-24 Liberator Ready, Willing, and Able was shot down during an intense air battle over northern Italy. The aircraft was part of a 376th Bomb Group mission targeting the railroad marshaling yards near Vicenza when the formation was intercepted by a large force of Axis fighters. All six B-24s from the 512th Squadron, including Ready, Willing, and Able, were lost in the engagement. The bomber crashed near Vicenza, resulting in five crew members killed in action, while the surviving crew member was captured and taken prisoner of war. The loss occurred amid a broader attack in which more than 70 Axis fighters assaulted the formation, leading to the destruction of multiple heavy bombers before and after the target area.

TSgt Linton was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Grove Cemetery, Belfast, Waldo County, Maine, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, https://midwestflyer.com, uk.forceswarrecords.com