Staff Sergeant William L. Cochran was born in Rochester, Pennsylvania in 1915. He is referred to as a Tampa resident and Floridian, but it appears he entered the service on July 27th 1942, out of Texas. William was wounded during the June 13th mission to bomb the German U-boats at Kiel, but he recovered.
He moved to Florida around the age of 9, with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John J. Cochran who lived at 6709 Florida Ave in Tampa. William attended Sacred Heart Academy.
During the June 13th mission to Kiel, the B-17F Blondie piloted by Harry M. Conley and Leslie B. Palmer had to crash land in an English rye field, and William was injured. Thomas R. McArthur, the Ball Turret Gunner, was also wounded on this mission. William wrote a letter to his Mom while he was recovering in the hospital that said:
Don’t worry about me, Mother. I’m o.k. Remember I still love you and I’ll be home as soon as I can.
– SSgt William Cochran
William was killed in action on his fifteenth mission while serving as a Waist Gunner on the Joe Noyes Crew. If you have any other information on him, don’t hesitate to contact me so I can update this page.
Resources
- The 95th Bomb Group (H) Database
- William L. Cochran – The American Air Museum
- William L. Cochran – Find A Grave
