William Albert Rathgeber was born on April 5, 1919 in Spokane, Washington. He was the son of Albert William Rathgeber and Gertrude A. Gannon Rathgeber. He served in the 1263rd Air Transport Squadron, as a Captain during World War II. He was a pilot on one of the supply planes carrying airplane engines and other parts to Burtonwood Air Base in England for maintenance, when his plane, C-54 #45-554, crashed into a hillside in England on a foggy, misty day in January 1949. The crash, caused by navigation interference from a nearby radio tower, occurred 15 miles northeast of Blackpool, England on January 7, 1949. CPT Rathgeber is now buried in the Lincoln Memorial Park, Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA.
Crew of the C-54 #45-5543:
CPT William A. Rathgeber
PVT Ronald E. Stone
CPL Norbert H. Theis
SGT Bernard J. Watkins
1LT Lowell A. Wheaton, Jr.
1LT Richard M. Wurgel
PRIVATE CITIZENS SUPPORTING AMERICA'S HERITAGE
American
War Memorials Overseas, Inc.
War Memorials Overseas, Inc.
Rathgeber William Albert
Name:
William Albert Rathgeber
Rank:
Captain
Serial Number:
AO 65 187
Unit:
1263rd Air Transport Squadron
Date of Death:
1949-01-07
State:
Washington
Cemetery:
Lincoln Memorial Park, Portland, Oregon
Plot:
Veteran's Lawn section, section 5
Row:
4
Grave:
95
Decoration:
Comments: