 S/Sgt. James Edwin Williams papers
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteStaff Sergeant James Edwin Williams (1920-1978) was an assistant engineer, waist gunner in a B-24 bomber with the 801st Bombardment Group, 8th US Army Air Force during World War II. His plane was shot down over Belgium in 1944 and he was captured after briefly being hidden by the Belgian underground and made a Prisoner of War, spending time in the German Stalag 357. The 801st Bomb Group was established as part of the Eighth Air Force in late March 1944 to carry out 'Carpetbagger' missions. These were night missions over France and other parts of occupied Europes to support resistance forces by dropping in agents, supplies and leaflets. Men in this group were sworn to the secrecy of their missions. On 13 August 1944, the Group was redesignated as the 492nd Bomb Group. Scope and ContentThis collection contains correpondence, photographs, printed material and US Army documents mostly concerning James Williams' time while serving and upon his discharge. Also included are some papers regarding his decorations and recognition for his service that his son J. Craig Williams worked to establish. Administrative InformationPreferred Citation[Item, box, folder], James Edwin Williams papers, ms4454, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject Terms | ||||||||||||||||||||