Honaker James Roland, Jr.

Name:

James Roland, Jr. Honaker

Rank:

Second Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-777678

Unit:

600th Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomber Group, Heavy

Date of Death:

1945-02-22

State:

West Virginia

Cemetery:

Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neuville-en-Condroz, Arrondissement de Ličge, Ličge, Belgium

Plot:

D

Row:

4

Grave:

3

Decoration:

Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart

Comments:

James Roland Honaker Jr. was born on October 28, 1923, in Princeton, Mercer County, West Virginia. He was the son of James Roland Honaker and Ada McAllister Honaker. He was married to Pauline Joan "Polly" Bird Spence. He enlisted in the service on November 30, 1942. He served in the 600th Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot of B-17 #43-39128 nicknamed "Beatty's 8-Balls" during World War II.

On February 22, 1945, during a mission targeting the marshaling yards in Wittenberg, Germany, Beatty’s 8-Balls was attacked by German jet fighters, likely Messerschmitt Me 262s. The aircraft sustained critical damage to its No. 1 and No. 2 engines, leading to its crash near Altendorf, northeast of Brunswick, Germany. Of the ten crew members aboard Beatty’s 8-Balls, four perished—three in the crash and one later while in captivity—while the remaining six survived and were taken as prisoners of war.

2Lt Honaker was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neuville-en-Condroz, Arrondissement de Ličge, Ličge, Belgium. James R. Honaker's name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 2 (center), on Butterfly 14, in the top right wing (section B).

Source of information:www.americanairmuseum.com, www.398th.orgspan>