William Preston J. Marshall, Jr. was born in Lovade, West Virginia in 1921. He enlisted in Huntington, West Virginia on September 10, 1942 as a private in the Army Air Corps. His record stated the fact that he had completed 4 years of high school, and was employed as a skilled meatcutter.

After basic training, he was selected for flight duty and assigned to aerial gunnery school. Upon completion of this training, he was promoted to Sergeant and sent to an operational unit for crew assignment, and further training in gunnery and flight techniques of the B-17. This crew deployed to England in September 1943. Upon arrival, the crew was assigned to the 560th Bomb Squadron of the 388th Bomb Group.

Their first combat mission was flown on September 26, 1943. Five more would occur quickly. On November 5, 1943, the crew was scheduled to participate in a bombing raid on Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Flak was reported accurate and heavy en route to the target. Reports from observers state the aircraft fell behind the formation with bomb bay doors open. At 27,000 feet altitude, with # 2 prop feathered and # 3 engine smoking, the aircraft dove into an overcast and was never seen again while flying.

Two gunners were killed, one while bailing out. The remaining crew members were captured, with the exception of the engineer who evaded successfully. The two bodies were recovered and buried. Later, they were moved to the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium. Sgt Marshall 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, airforce.togetherweserved.com