World War II Honoree

Norman Wallace Nelson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Saint Louis, Missouri

Honored By

Sam E. Pennartz

ENLISTED IN THE ARMY AIR FORCES ON 23 OCTOBER 1943 AT JEFFERSON BARRACKS, MISSOURI. UNDERWENT B-29 AIRCRAFT TRANSITION AND COMBAT CREW TRAINING AT PRATT ARMY AIR FIELD, KANSAS. DEPLOYED TO THE CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATRE OF OPERATIONS AND WAS ASSIGNED TO 20TH AIR FORCE, XXI BOMBER COMMAND, 73RD BOMB WING, 497TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP, 870TH BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT ISLEY FIELD ON SAIPAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS. ON 22 DECEMBER 1944, HE FLEW AS AN AERIAL GUNNER IN THE STARBOARD SCANNER BLISTER STATION ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS, NICKNAMED 'NEW GLORY' (SERIAL #42-24733) TAIL CODE A-SQUARE-31. IT WAS ONE OF 78 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD THE MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES COMPANY AND AIRCRAFT ENGINE PLANTS NEAR NAGOYA, JAPAN. FLAK FROM ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY WAS HEAVY AND JAPANESE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT ATTACKS WERE DESCRIBED AS MODERATE, WITH 508 PASSES REPORTED. HIS AIRCRAFT SUFFERED ENGINE FAILURE, AND WAS FORCED TO DITCH APPROXIMATELY 125 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTH OF IWO JIMA. HE DID NOT SURVIVE THE CRASH AND THE AIRCRAFT SANK IN THE OCEAN AT A GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF 22 DEGREES +42 MINUTES NORTH AND 141 DEGREES +37 MINUTES EAST.