Walter Chester Morgan was born on May 29, 1914, in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. He was the son of Hannah Hanson Miller. He enlisted in the service on December 27, 1941. He served in the 423rd Bomber Squadron, 306th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Ball Turret Gunner 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 Morgan was Killed in Action and is now buried along with fellow crewman SSgt Neeley in the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA.

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