William Burtle Mayne was born in 1920 in Mayfield, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Mayfield High School. Class of 1938. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1941 and was stationed in the South Pacific with the 11th Bombardment Group (H). While in the South Pacific was a radio operator/gunner on a B-17 named “Yankee Doodle Jr.” Later, possibly after reenlisting, he was assigned to England. S/Sgt. Mayne was the Radio Operator on the B-17G named “Shack Rabbits”, stationed at Knettishall airfield in England. On March 6, 1944 their primary target was the “Robert Bosch Electrical Works”, Klein, Machnow, Berlin. His aircraft was hit by flak and finally German fighters on the return flight setting the entire interior on fire. Before all the crew could bail out the aircraft went down and crashed. Five were killed and 5 became prisoners of War. SSgt. Mayne was one of the casualties.
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