William F. “Bill” Wunderlich Jr. was born on April 19, 1923, in Rock Springs, Sweetwater County, Wyoming. He was the son of William Floyd "Fred" Wunderlich Sr. and Loretta A. Kerwin Wunderlich. He was married to Marge Hachquet Wunderlich. He served in the 32nd Bomb Squadron, 301st Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot of B-17G #44-8186 nicknamed ''Sugar Report'' during World War II.

On December 26, 1944, the B-17G “Sugar Report” took off from Lucera, Italy, for a bombing mission aimed at the Blechhammer oil refinery in German-occupied Poland. During the operation, the aircraft was heavily damaged by German flak, but managed to stay airborne after the crew manually released the bombs. Unable to return to base, the aircraft made a successful emergency landing near Hatalov, Slovakia, where the crew was aided by local civilians and Soviet troops. After spending 51 days in the area, all ten airmen were safely repatriated by mid-February 1945, and continued in it's duty till the end of the war in Europe.

Wunderlich ended his military service as a First Lieutenant. After the war, he built a successful career in furniture and insurance sales, while also becoming a devoted community leader. He died on June 22, 2015, and is now buried in the Burns Memorial Garden, Elko, Elko County, Nevada, USA.

Source of information: www.dnes24.sk, www.legacy.com