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NAME William Carroll Spradling |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER O-13368 |
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| UNIT VMSB-143 Pilot |
HOME OF RECORD Hallis, OK |
NEXT OF KIN Father, Mr. W. C. Spradling |
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| DATE OF BIRTH October 8, 1918 at Hallis, OK |
ENTERED SERVICE August 19, 1942 (commissioned) at Corpus Christi, TX |
DATE OF LOSS May 6, 1943 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA New Georgia, Munda |
CASUALTY TYPE Killed In Action |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS First Lieutenant William C. Spradling was a Marine pilot assigned to VMSB-143, a torpedo bomber squadron operating out of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. On 6 May 1943, Spradling piloted TBF-1 Avenger Bureau Number 06227 in a squadron strike on Munda Airfield, New Georgia. Immediately after releasing a bomb over the target, the Avenger was hit by anti-aircraft fire. The left wing disintegrated, and the plane slammed into the ground beside the runway, exploding and burning on impact. “Circumstances surrounding the accident makes it impossible for pilot and crew to have survived the crash,” noted a casualty report. Spradling, PFC Frederick J. Beck, and PFC William C. Strubbe were reported as killed in action. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Air Medal, Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK First Lieutenant |
STATUS OF REMAINS Not recovered. |
MEMORIALS Grandfield Memorial Cemetery, Grandfield, OK Manila American Cemetery |
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Biography:
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