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| Lt. William Emanuel flew the Beaufighter night fighter for the 415th Fighter Squadron. This painting by James Dietz shows other men from his unit. 1937 Tulane University Yearbook https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11222434/william-e-emanuel https://www.pinterest.com/pin/417568196692378617/?lp=true |
William Edgar Emanuel never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on October 7, 1918 in Louisiana. His parents Simeon and Lena were also both born in Louisiana. His father worked as a electrical contractor and later an electrical supplies salesman. William had an older brother and a younger brother. By 1940 he had completed at least two years of college at Tulane University. He worked as a clerk for the Civil Service Commission.
He enlisted in the Army Air Forces on March 24, 1941. He became a first lieutenant and pilot in the 415th Night Fighter Squadron. The 415th NFS was activated in February 1943 and was equipped with P-70s (a version of the A-20 Havoc). It was assigned to Tunisia in May 1943. It also flew the English-made Bristol Beaufighter. The unit moved up through Italy and Southern France as the war progressed. By March 1945 it was operating out of St. Dizier, France.
Lt. Emanuel was killed on April 1, 1945 near Wessembourg, Germany when he unsuccessfully bailed out of his Beaufighter.
His grave is at Greenwood Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Last year on this date I profiled Vernon Wells, 2nd Marine Division, who fought at Tarawa. You can read about Vernon here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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