Willard P. Netzley was born on September 4, 1922, in Glendora, Los Angeles County, California. He was the son of Raymond M. Netzley and Florence Netzley. He was the husband of Cathryn Cordelia Thomas Netzley. He served in the 20th Bombardment Squadron, 2nd Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Flight Officer and Navigator of B-17 #42-31473 nicknamed 'My Baby' during World War II.

On August 29, 1944, during Mission 263, the Air Battle over the White Carpathians, the 15th U.S. Air Force launched a bombing raid from Italy against the Moravská Ostrava industrial complex in occupied Czechoslovakia. The formation met fierce resistance from German fighters and flak, and the 20th Bomb Squadron, 2nd Bomb Group, lost all eight of its B-17s. Among them was B-17G “My Baby” (42-31473), a veteran bomber originally from the 99th Bomb Group. On its 95th mission, the aircraft was shot down by enemy fighters and crashed near Nová Bošáca, Slovakia. Of the ten crew members, five were killed in action, the co-pilot succumbed to his wounds four days later, and four others survived but were taken prisoner.

FO Netzley was captured and held at Stalag Luft 1, Barth-Vogelsang, Prussia. After the war, he earned a law degree from USC in 1950 and joined attorney Lance D. Smith in La Puente, establishing a successful legal practice that lasted more than 50 years. Active in civic life, Netzley served on the Rowland Unified School District Board of Trustees, the Rowland Area Water District Board, and was a charter member and past president of the La Puente Kiwanis Club. After retiring to Banning in 2002, he volunteered with the Banning Chamber of Commerce.

Diagnosed with melanoma in 2004, he passed away on June 12, 2006, at age 83. He is now buried in the Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, Riverside County, California, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, b17flyingfortress.de, www.leteckabitvakarpaty.cz, www.geni.com