William E. Metzger Jr.

He stayed in a burning bomber to give a wounded man a chance

William Edward Metzger Jr. was born at Lima, Ohio, on 9 February 1922. He attended Lima Central High School, graduating in 1940, and worked for the Lima Electric Motor Company before entering military service. His working life began in the industrial community where he had grown up, but the war carried him into aviation and then to the strategic bombing campaign over Europe.

He enlisted in October 1942 and trained as an aviation cadet. After earning his commission in 1944, he joined the 729th Bombardment Squadron, 452nd Bombardment Group, in the Eighth Air Force. As a second lieutenant in the United States Army Air Forces, he flew as a B-17 co-pilot alongside pilot Donald J. Gott. Their duties required them to remain at the controls while the other members of the crew navigated, defended the aircraft and operated its equipment.

On 9 November 1944 their bomber approached the railway marshalling yards at Saarbrücken, Germany. Antiaircraft fire struck the aircraft just before bomb release. Three engines caught fire, flames streamed behind the fourth, and fire spread inside the aircraft. The engineer was wounded, the intercom failed and the radio operator suffered a catastrophic arm wound that left him unconscious.

The Medal of Honor citation records the decision Metzger and Gott made in that emergency. They completed the bombing run, then tried to reach friendly territory rather than abandon the unconscious radio operator, who could not safely parachute and needed urgent medical care. Having reached Allied-held territory, they ordered the men able to escape to bail out. The two pilots stayed with their wounded comrade and attempted to bring the burning bomber down. It exploded before they could land, killing all three (https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/william-e-metzger).

Metzger was twenty-two when he died near Hattonville, France. Both he and Gott received posthumous Medals of Honor for their conduct. Their shared award reflects a decision taken together at the controls, with the survival of a helpless member of their crew as their immediate concern.

Metzger was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Lima. Memorials in his home city preserve his name and connect the young factory employee and aviation officer with the final mission in which he chose to remain aboard the damaged aircraft.