William Theodore “Bill” Johnson was born at Tottenville, Richmond County (Staten Island), New York on April 9, 1913. He was probably an only child. His parents were Peter L. Johnson (15 May 1878 – May 1964), who was born in New Jersey; and Mary A. (Hummell) Johnson (3 Nov 1880 – 28 Jul 1945), who was born at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents married about 1910 and lived initially at 823 49th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By 1915 the family home was at 7587 Amboy Road, Tottenville, New York, his home of record.

In 1910 his father was a machinist and worked in the production of envelopes at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By 1918 his father worked for the J. E. Linde Paper Company on Beekman Street in Manhattan, New York, near the north end of the Brooklyn Bridge. By 1920 his father owned a paper manufacturing business; and in 1940 he was a laborer for the Works Progress Administration.

William Johnson graduated from Tottenville High School in 1931. In high school he excelled at writing and public speaking, and played basketball and baseball. He was senior editor of the school's yearbook. By April 1940 he was married to Grace Johnson (abt 1907 – unk) and lived with her at his parents' home in Tottenville. He worked as a routeman for a laundry in West New Brighton, Staten Island, New York, and his wife worked as a bank secretary. He registered for the draft at Public School No. 5, Staten Island, on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighed 150 pounds, and had blue eyes and blonde hair. He became a New York City Police Department patrolman before he enlisted in the U.S. Army.

He completed Army Air Forces radio operator and aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as radio operator on the heavy bomber crew of Lt James A. Logan. By December 1943 the Logan crew began B-24 crew training at Davis-Monthan Field in Tucson, Arizona. In January 1944 the crew was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. There they completed B-24 crew training, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 41-29520 from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

On July 2, 1944 the 487th Bomb Group dispatched two squadrons of B-24s to bomb the German V-weapon site at Belloy-sur-Somme, France, northwest of Amiens near the River Somme. The Logan crew flew B-24H 42-52609 on this mission. On the return route, S/Sgt Johnson and five of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by flak in the area of Bethune-St. Pol, France. After the aircraft was hit and on fire, Lt Logan pulled up to avoid colliding with another aircraft in the formation, B-24H 42-52766 'Sammy's Niece' with the crew of Lt Joseph P. Peyton aboard. This selfless act saved Lt Peyton's aircraft and crew. Lt Logan's aircraft then broke up and went down in flames. It crashed 3.5 kilometers west of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, and 2 kilometers east of Siracourt, in the vicinity of 50.373°N, 2.291°E. Three men survived and became prisoners of war.

S/Sgt Johnson was buried initially at Evreux, France. After the war his remains were reinterred at Normandy American Cemetery, France.

B-24H 42-52609 crew:
• Logan, James A – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Matika, Bruno – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Doran, Harry LeRoy – 2/Lt – Navigator – POW
• Greer, George Hubert – T/Sgt – Engineer – POW
• Johnson, William T – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Pellizzer, Louis – S/Sgt – Nose Turret Gunner – KIA
• Wilson, Max W – S/Sgt – Upper Turret Gunner – KIA
• Buck, Herman W – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Ross, John Finlay – S/Sgt – Tail Turret Gunner – POW

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com