William Adams "Bill" Knowles was born on April 23, 1918 in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa. He was the son of Homer Clark Knowles and Florence Eugenia Adams Knowles. 1st Lt. Knowles enlisted in Chicago, Illinois on 18 June 1941 as a private. He attended college for 3 years and was a locomitive fireman before he enlisted.

He was assigned to the 9th Inf., 2nd at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. In June 1942 he transferred to the Army Air Corps. He received his pilot's wings and commission June 22, 1943 at Roswell, New Mexico where he also received advanced training in B-17's. In January 1944 he and his crew flew to England, where they were stationed with the 8th Air Force. He flew his first mission on March 16, 1944 and was shot down on his 8th mission.

The plane was attacked by fighters just after bombs away, which shot off part of the vertical stabilizer. It stayed in the formation a few minutes, then dove down and crashed into the water. Five chutes were seen, but the men must have perished in the cold water.

On 18 October 1945 the War Department officially officialy declared him dead. His name is commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing, Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands. He also has a cenotaph located in Seward Mound Cemetery, Kendall County, Illinois. He was one of the many brave Americans of the 388th Bomber Group who lost their lives in aerial operations against the German forces from June 1943 - August 1945.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, www.fieldsofhonor-database.com