William White “Bill” Brainard was born on May 22, 1922, in East Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. He was the son of Albert Sereno Brainard and Alice L. White Brainard. He enlisted in the service on August 25, 1942. He served in the 32nd Bomber Squadron, 301st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Technical Sergeant and Radio Operator of B‑17F‑30‑DL #42‑3157 nicknamed “Laura” during World War II.
On July 26, 1944, the aircraft was shot down during a bombing mission targeting a factory in Wiener-Neudorf, Austria. Due to heavy cloud cover, the mission became disorganized, and although a recall order was issued, the crew of "Laura" did not receive it. The bomber formation was then attacked by approximately 50 German fighters. As the trailing aircraft, "Laura" was singled out and sustained heavy damage, eventually entering a steep dive and exploding in mid-air. Of the ten crew members on board, five were killed, while the remaining five survived by parachuting out and were subsequently taken as prisoners of war.
TSgt Brainard was captured and held as a prisoner of war at Stalag Luft IV in Gross-Tychow in Pomerania, Prussia until the war’s end. He was discharged from military service on October 18, 1945. After returning home, he completed his architecture degree and went on to serve the West Palm Beach community for decades, both privately and as an architect for the Palm Beach County School Board.
Brainard died on August 18, 2016, and currently, we don't have details about his burial location.
Source of information: b17flyingfortress.de, www.32ndbombsquadron.org, www.301bg.com