1LT William Humphrey Goetz (WWII)


Remembering 1LT William Humphrey "Billy" Goetz

March 20, 1920 - January 3, 1943

----

1LT William Humphrey Goetz (Service Numbers 15069109, O-435765) was born in Frostburg, Maryland on March 20, 1920, the son of J. Edwin and Aleda (Sluss) Goetz. At the time of William's birth, J. Edwin was a weighmaster at the coal mine in Frostburg (1920 Census).

For a time, their family lived with Aleda's parents at 123 Beechurst Avenue in Morgantown, WV, while 35-year-old J. Edwin worked as a payroll clerk for the coal company (1930 Census). From 1933-1939, their family lived in Fairmont, WV at 302 5th Street (1933, 1935, 1938, 1939 City Directories).

"Billy" graduated from Fairmont Senior High School in 1938. During his time at FSHS, he was a member of the football team, lettermen's club, National Thespians, and Latin Club. He was also in the plays "House of Seven Gables" and "Murdered Alive."

Also in the class of 1938 were fellow fallen service member SGT Don Nimblett, and the sisters of other fallen Marion County Servicemembers 1LT John Nicholas Comuntzis and PVT Morris "Jack" Hilghman, Jr. During his time at FSHS, he was a member of the football team, lettermen's club, National Thespians, and Latin Club. He was also in the plays "House of Seven Gables" and "Murdered Alive."

He went on to attend Fairmont State for two years. In 1940, their family was living at 225 Beechurst Avenue in Morgantown, while Louis was in college. J. Edwin and William were both employed by a coal company- J. Edwin as an auditor, William as a clerk (1940 Census). However, they soon returned to Fairmont, and by 1941 J. Edwin was working as a clerk for Consolidated Coal (1941 City Directory).

Military Service:

William registered for the draft on July 1, 1941. At the time, he was an employee of Consolidated Coal and living at 115 Wheeling Street in Fairmont with his parents. He was 5'9 1/2" and 165 lbs, with brown hair, brown eyes, and dark skin.

William H. Goetz enlisted as an Aviation Cadet at Fort Hayes on July 11, 1941 (Army Enlistment Records). 1LT Goetz was a member of the 427th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy). He was stationed at Luke Field in Phoenix Arizona from December 13, 1941 - February 5, 1942 (IDPF, page 42). On May 1, 1942 he was assigned to be the pilot of B-17 #41-24517, known as "Kali" in Boise, Idaho at Gowen Field (American Air Museum). He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on September 20, 1942 (Journal of Ehle Reber).

The Kali arrived in the United Kingdom on October 24, 1942 (American Air Museum). He was the pilot of five separate missions overseas, starting November 22, 1942, though mechanical failures forced him to abort missions on three separate occasions (November 22, 1942, December 12, 1942, December 20, 1942). One mission was a success, to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France on December 6, 1942 (American Air Museum). 

Mission #5, St. Nazaire

Mission #5, however, would be his last. On January 3, 1943, Goetz was the pilot on board the Kali as it left England on a bombing run to Saint-Nazaire, France. The Kali led the 2nd flight lead formation (303rd BG(H) Combat Mission No. 9) 

Their mission was the bomb the U-Boat pens at Saint-Nazaire, but they were attached German fighters and crashed into the ocean. Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 6141 notes the circumstance as "seen to blow up in air. Believed to have been by enemy action. No other information."

1LT Ehle Reber said in his journal:

"Lt. Goetz, Lt. Stockton, Capt. Southworth and Major Sheridan were the only pilots to go on the mission. The planes were to land at Davidstow, in Southwestern England, because of the long trip. However at about 1630 the planes began appearing over the field and it was then apparent that they were returning here. We watched the planes as they came in. There were four missing. Included in the missing were Major Sheridan and crew. Lt. Goetz had gone as his co-pilot. It was a hard blow to all of us, especially Stock and myself as Goetz was our "buddy" and roommate. Maj. Sheridan's loss was a blow to the whole Group. All the fellas again feel as they had after the fatal El Paso crash. We later learned that his plane had gotten a direct 20 mm, hit in the cockpit. It probably killed both the Major and Goetz instantly. The plane went into a dive, no chutes were reported to have left the ship."

On Board the Kali:

Note: This is the record from the MACR, but several other files indicate that Major Sheridan may have been the pilot for this particular flight, with 1LT Goetz as his co-pilot.

Legacy and Survivors:

William was declared missing on January 12, 1943. As the plane crashed into the Atlantic, none of the crew and passengers of the Kali were recovered for burial. Instead they were declared dead the next year, on January 3, 1944. William was posthumously awarded the purple heart and Air Medal on February 1, 1943.

1LT William Humphrey Goetz is honored alongside his crew on the Tablets of the Missing at the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial in Saint-Nazaire, France. He is also honored at the  West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV.

1LT Goetz was survived by his parents, J. Edwin and Aleda, and two older brothers, John and Louis. Louis also served during WWII, from 1944 to 1946 (BIRLS Death File). After J. Edwin died in 1949, Aleda traveled to Liverpool and Naples (1952), eventually working at the University of Miami as a Sigma Chi fraternity house mother. She died in 1961 at age 65, survived by John (1912-1988) and Louis (1917-1993).

Sources and More Information:

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