Willis E. Peake was born at Stoneham, Weld County, Colorado (now part of Pawnee National Grassland) on January 13, 1915. His parents were Eben Philander Peake (19 Feb 1882 9 Jul 1973) and Sarah Ethyl (Spurgin) Peake (7 Jul 1889 26 Sep 1991), who were born at Richardson County, Nebraska. His parents married at Richardson County, Nebraska, on November 9, 1909. He had an older brother, Theo Riley Peake (21 Aug 1911 22 Oct 1998), who was born at Humboldt, Richardson County, Nebraska. By 1918 the family lived on a farm near Spurgin, Weld County, Colorado (now part of Pawnee National Grassland). In 1930 the family lived at Pine Bluffs, Laramie County, Wyoming.
He completed four years of high school and worked as a farmer. In 1935 he lived in rural Liberty County, Texas. In 1940 he lived with his parents on a farm near Willard, Logan County, Colorado, and worked for a time in the Colorado Civilian Conservation Corps. He was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army on December 30, 1941.
He completed Army Air Forces training and was assigned to 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.
On April 10, 1945 Lt Peake flew his first combat mission as Officer Tail Gunner and formation observer on the crew of Lt Richard L. Althouse in the 839th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group.
The Althouse crew flew B-17G 43-37987 'Mean Widdle Kid' on this mission to bomb the German airfield at Briest, Germany near Brandenburg. This was the base of operational German Me 262 jet fighters. The aircraft received several flak hits after crossing the River Elbe, about one minute short of the target. Then it lost an engine and caught fire, and Lt Althouse ordered the crew to bail out. Lt Peake was wounded in the head and was bleeding. He crawled forward from the tail, and a crew mate helped him bail out. He was found dead on the ground with an unopened parachute. He was probably unconscious from wounds and/or hypoxia, and could not deploy his chute. The copilot, Lt Clyde E. Oliver, was last seen in the bomb bay with a spilled chute. He did not bail out, and was killed when the aircraft exploded in the air and crashed in the vicinity of Genthin, Germany. His body was found in the wreckage.
Lt Peake is buried at Ardennes American Cemetery, Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium.
B-17G 43-37987 crew:
Althouse, Richard L 1/Lt Pilot POW
Oliver, Clyde E 1/Lt Copilot KIA
Coughran Jr, Douglas D 2/Lt Navigator POW
Coon, Aaron C S/Sgt Togglier POW
Fugere, Thomas J T/Sgt Engineer POW
Bressler, William R T/Sgt Radio Operator POW
Garrison, Norman B S/Sgt Ball Turret Gunner POW
Gustine, Harold R S/Sgt Waist Gunner POW
Hudson, Lincoln S/Sgt Passenger POW
Peake, Willis E 2/Lt Officer Tail Gunner KIA
Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com