William Joseph Cochran was born at Covington, Tioga County, Pennsylvania on February 8, 1921. His mother was Helen Louise (Cochran) Swan (4 Jul 1906 – 2 May 1978), who was born at Covington and graduated from high school there in 1923. His mother married William Aden Swan (11 Aug 1904 – 26 May 1983) at Wellsburg, Chemung County, New York on October 20, 1928. By 1941 the family resided at Elmira, Chemung County, New York, and he had three half siblings: Lois Ann (Swan) Eddy (27 Nov 1931 – 24 Mar 2006), Jack Ray Swan (21 Dec 1933 – 27 Jun 2005), and Gordon E. Swan (abt 1936 – unk).
He registered for the draft at Elmira, New York on February 15, 1942. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighed 155 pounds, and had gray eyes and brown hair. At that time he lived with his family at 809 West Second Street in Elmira and worked for the Remington Rand Company on South Main Street. He completed three years of high school and was employed as a semiskilled metal worker. He was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Elmira, New York on September 8, 1942.
He married after enlisting. His wife was Eunice Martha Cochran (23 May 1925 – 13 Jul 2005). In 1944 his wife lived at 1001 West Sixth Street, Sioux City, Iowa. She married Vincent S. Hunt of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa on August 20, 1947. She died at Sergeant Bluff, Iowa in 2005.
He completed Army Air Forces radio operator and aerial gunnery training, and was assigned to the heavy bomber crew of Second Lieutenant Charlton A. Deuschle. The crew completed operational training in the States (possibly at Sioux City, Iowa) and deployed to England. They inprocessed at the Combat Crew Replacement Center at Bovingdon, England in early July 1944, and were assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. This 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.
S/Sgt Cochran and seven of his crewmates were killed in action on August 5, 1944 when their aircraft, B-17G 43-38007, was shot down by flak on a mission to bomb an aircraft engine factory at Magdeburg, Germany. The aircraft received direct hits just before bombs away, and exploded within seconds. The fuselage broke apart aft of the ball turret, and part of the right wing came off. Most of the men were either killed instantly, or were ejected from the aircraft without their chutes. The aircraft crashed at 1230 hours near Lostau, Germany, about 13 kilometers southwest of Burg, near Magdeburg. Pilot 2/Lt Deuschle and gunner Sgt Robert J. Crooker survived and became prisoners of war. The dead were buried initially at the community cemetery in Lostau (possibly in Alter Friedhof Lostau, the Old Lostau Cemetery).
S/Sgt Cochran's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Gray Cemetery in Covington, Tioga County, Pennsyslvania on June 30, 1949.
B-17G 43-38007 crew:
• Deuschle, Charlton A – 2/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Steffens, Eugene F – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Underwood, Allan B – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Gregory, Jesse E – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Late, Carl L – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Cochran, William J – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Hinkson Jr, Harry M – Sgt – Tail Gunner – KIA
• Deelaney, Grady E – Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Haglund, John L – Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Crooker, Robert J – Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com