Harold Tiahrt was born on June 1, 1920, in Aberdeen, Bingham County, Idaho. He was the son of Frank Tiahrt and Catharina E. "Katherine" Fieguth Tiahrt. He was married to Patricia Ellen "Patty" Peterson Tiahrt. He was drafted into the U.S. Army on November 13, 1941. He went on to serve with distinction as a B-17 pilot, flying 43 combat missions with both the 99th Bomb Group and the 100th Bomb Group, famously known as the “Bloody Hundredth.”

On July 14, 1944, Bastille Day, the United States Army Air Forces carried out Operation Cadillac, one of the largest Allied aerial resupply missions of World War II, delivering urgently needed weapons, ammunition, and supplies to the French Resistance. Hundreds of B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, escorted by fighter aircraft, flew from England to drop thousands of containers over designated Resistance zones, including Moustoulat in Corrèze.

William participated in the mission, and by October 1944, Tiahrt had flown 32 combat missions totaling roughly 350 combat hours. He took part in major formation raids over key European cities and flew missions in both the Mediterranean Theater and later from England against heavily defended targets in Germany. Despite repeated encounters with intense enemy flak and severe aircraft damage, including crash landings, he continued flying combat missions, earning recognition as a highly experienced and resilient bomber pilot. After 23 years of active military service, he retired on September 1, 1964, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and continued serving his country through the Department of Defense, bringing his total service to 43 years.

In 1994, he returned to France with fellow members of the 100th Bomb Group at the invitation of the French Resistance to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Bastille Day operation that supplied Resistance forces near Tulle. Harold died on August 15, 2011, and is now buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, resistancefrancaise.blogspot.com, 100thbg.com