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| Sgt. William Hammack was an engineer on B-17s in the 26th Bomb Squadron such as these. http://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/b-17-flying-fortress/b-17f-of-the-26th-bs-11th-bg-enroute-to-raid-on-buka-airfield/ |
William L. Hammack could have been 100 years old today.
He was born on April 20, 1917 in Indiana. His parents were also both born in Indiana. His father was a farmer and later a bus driver. William had two younger brothers and two younger sisters.
William became a sergeant in the Army Air Corp. He was part of a B-17 crew in the 26th Bombardment Squadron, 11th Bombardment Group.
On August 4, 1942 Sgt. Hammack was the engineer on a B-17 that took off from Espiritu Santo on a bombing mission against Tulagi in support of the Guadalcanal invasion. Japanese fighters intercepted the B-17s. One damaged Japanese fighter collided with Sgt. Hammack's bomber sending both planes crashing into the sea below. There were no survivors. This was the first US plane lost in the Guadalcanal campaign.
Sgt. Hammack is memorialized at Deer Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Tell City, Indiana. The year after his death, his father died at age 50.
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