New information from a new search on Ancestry.com, and new information from military records have provided me with some new and updated information regarding William Alvin Henson II, the navigator flying with the John Oliver Buslee crew of the 544th Bomb Squadron of the 384th Bomb Group of the 8th Army Air Forces in WWII on 28 September 1944. 

To view my original post and other information about William Alvin Henson II, please see the links at the end of this post.

Continuation of William Alvin Henson II, Update – Part 2

William Alvin Henson II

Continued Post-war War Department Correspondence

On 6 May 1946, Brigadier General Leon W. Johnson wrote to Harriet Henson. His letter referenced US Missing Air Crew Report 9753 (MACR9753) and German report KU 3029. He wrote,

I am writing to you in reference to your husband who gave his life in the service of his Country during the European conflict.

In an effort to furnish the next of kin with all available details concerning casualties among our personnel, the Army Air Forces recently completed the translation of several volumes of captured German records.

In regard to First Lieutenant William A. Henson II, these records indicate that he was killed on 28 September 1944, when his B-17 (Fortress) bomber was shot down near Ost Ingersleben, Germany. The geographical location of this village is 52° 13′ North Latitude, 11° 10′ East Longitude, about twenty miles northwest of Magdeburg. These records also state that your husband was interred on 30 September 1944, in the cemetery of Ost Ingersleben.

The Quartermaster General in his capacity as Chief, American Graves Registration Service, is charged with the responsibility of notifying the legal next of kin concerning grave locations of members of the military forces who are killed or die outside the continental limits of the United States. If the report of your husband’s burial has not been confirmed and you have not been notified by the Quartermaster General, that official will furnish you definite information immediately upon receipt of the official report of interment from the Commanding General of the Theater concerned.

May the knowledge of your husband’s valuable contribution to our cause sustain you in your bereavement.

This letter was likely not the first correspondence the Henson family received regarding Bill Henson’s overseas place of burial. A letter from Robert “Bobby” Stearns’ mother indicates her family was informed on 19 December 1945 by the Quartermaster General that,

Bobby is buried in the U.S. Military Cemetery at Margraten, Holland in Plot “L” Row 12, Grave 299 – this is the same location as Lt. Henson’s grave – his is 297.

Bobby Stearns was the bombardier who was flying in the nose of the Buslee B-17 on 28 September 1944 with navigator Bill Henson, and lost his life in the same mid-air collision.

I cannot explain why General Johnson did not include Bill Henson’s burial location at Margraten in his letter to Harriet Henson regarding Bill Henson’s place of interment unless the purpose of his letter was solely to impart more detailed information about the location of the crash site and original cemetery of burial.

Note that at the time of General Johnson’s letter, in May 1946, no mention is made about a process or timeline for returning remains home to relatives. Also note that at the time, World War II was referred to as the “European conflict” and that the reason for Bill Henson’s B-17 going down on 28 September 1944 was that it was “shot down” rather than the actual cause of the mid-air collision with another B-17 of his group.

Return Home for Burial

After William Alvin Henson II was killed in the 28 September 1944 mid-air collision over Magdeburg, Germany, he was first buried on 30 September 1944 in the cemetery at Ost Ingersleben, Germany near where his B-17 crashed. He was later reburied at the U.S. Military Cemetery at Margraten, Holland in Plot “L” Row 12, Grave 297. The Henson family brought him home for final reburial several years after the end of the war with the return of many of America’s World War II dead.

William Alvin “Bill” Henson II now rests in Eastview Cemetery, Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia. Also, a small memorial to Lt. William A. Henson II and other armed forces members of Rockdale County, Georgia lost in World War II is located near the flagpole near the steps leading to the front entrance of the American Legion Post 77 on Legion Road in Conyers, Georgia.

William Alvin Henson II Memorial, Conyers, Georgia

Flashback – Family Before the War

I have one important Henson family fact that I neglected to mention in Part 1.

On 14 June 1942, Bill Henson’s sister, Doris Elizabeth Henson, married Clarence Roland Vaughn, Jr. Clarence Vaughn was house majority leader of the State of Georgia during the Carl Sanders, Jimmy Carter, and George Busbee governorships. He was also a judge and a war hero in his own right. Doris and Clarence lived in Conyers, Georgia all their lives. David Powell, Bill Henson’s grandson, shared this information with me and also told me that Doris could not mention her brother Bill without crying and leaving the room.

After the War

In July 1946, Bill Henson’s parents, William and Gertrude Henson, along with Bill’s sister Jeanne and a Henson relative named Minnie visited John Oliver “Jay” Buslee’s parents, John and Olga Buslee in Park Ridge, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. At the time, George Edwin Farrar (my dad), was working for Mr. Buslee and living at their home in Chicago.

I imagine there were two main reasons for the Hensons’ visit. One, to visit with the family of one of their son’s former crewmates who lost his life in the same mid-air collision as their son. And, two, to visit with my father, the only survivor on the Buslee crew’s aircraft in that tragic air accident.

During the Hensons’ visit to the Buslees and my father in Chicago, they visited the College Inn on 6 July 1946.

The College Inn in Chicago, Illinois on July 6, 1946
Left to right: Ed Farrar, Minnie Henson, Janice Buslee Kielhofer, Gene Kielhofer, Jeanne Henson
Photo courtesy of John Dale Kielhofer, Jay Buslee’s nephew

They also visited Barney’s Market Club on 10 July 1946.

At Barney’s Market Club on July 10, 1946
Left side of table: John Buslee (Jay’s father), Janice Buslee Kielhofer (Jay’s sister), Gene Kielhofer (Janice’s husband), Gertrude Henson (William II’s mother)
Right side of table: Bill Henson (William II’s father), Minnie Henson (a Henson relative), Jeanne Henson (William II’s sister), Ed Farrar (my father), Olga Buslee (Jay’s mother)
Photo courtesy of John Dale Kielhofer, Jay Buslee’s nephew

In May 1947, Bill Henson’s sister Jeanne married Richard Blum Herzog. David Powell, Bill Henson’s grandson, notes that Jeanne lived in the Buckhead area of Atlanta all her life.

On 10 May 1948, Harriet Whisnant Henson remarried. She married David Rogers, who was a Major in the U.S. Army in World War II. David Rogers adopted Bill and Harriet Henson’s daughter Harriet and was a wonderful father to her.

The 1950 Federal Census reported William and Gertrude Henson as residing on a farm in Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia. William Henson’s occupation was as proprietor of a retail furniture store.

On 14 August 1956, Bill Henson’s father, William Alpha Henson, died in Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia. He is buried in Eastview Cemetery, Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia, Plot: Section 13, Lot 14.

On 6 January 1994, Bill Henson’s mother, Gertrude Lena-Milda Sproessig Henson Mitchell, died at the age of 96. She is buried in Eastview Cemetery, Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia, Plot: Section 13, Lot 14.

Long After the War

Even though Bill Henson lost his life on 28 September 1944 in World War II, his legacy lives on through his daughter, Harriet Rogers Powell, and her son, David Powell. David is Bill Henson’s grandson.

A look at the bigger picture shows that even though my father, George Edwin Farrar, was the sole survivor aboard the Buslee crew’s B-17 in the 28 September 1944 mid-air collision, my sister Nancy and I are not the only descendants of the airmen aboard. William Alvin Henson II’s legacy continues also, as does David Franklin Albrecht’s. David Albrecht’s wife Patricia also gave birth to a daughter after David was killed in the collision.

In October 2014, David Powell ran across my previous The Arrowhead Club articles about his grandfather. He and I corresponded and then his mother and I corresponded. Both shared Henson family stories with me and told me about the connection between the Whisnants and the Farrars in Summerville, Georgia. One bit of family information that David shared was that Bill Henson’s nickname for Harriet Whisnant was “Whiz.”

In Summerville, the Whisnant family and the Farrar family lived next door to each other. The “Farrar” relative of the Farrar family was Baker William Farrar. Baker was the brother of Carroll Johnson Farrar, Sr. Carroll Farrar was George Edwin Farrar’s father (and my grandfather), meaning Baker Farrar was Ed’s uncle, and my great-uncle.

The bottom line is that Bill Henson’s wife, Harriet Whisnant Henson, grew up next door to members of my dad’s and my family, the Baker Farrar family.

In August 2015, I returned to the Atlanta area for a family reunion on my father’s side of the family, all descendants of my grandparents. The Carroll Johnson Sr and Raleigh Mae Farrar family was a large family of nine children and some of us, with twenty-five first cousins, had never met before the reunion. The Farrar family reunion was quite the memorable event, but I had also arranged another meeting for that trip back to Georgia.

On 18 August 2015, I met Bill Henson’s wife, Harriet Whisnant Henson Rogers, and their daughter, Harriet Rogers Powell. Daughter Harriet and I rendezvoused north of Atlanta and drove together to Rome, Georgia for me to meet her mother. We had time on the drive to get to know each other and by the time we arrived at her mother’s assisted living facility in Rome, felt like we had known each other all of our lives.

By the time I met her, Harriet Whisnant Henson Rogers was in her 90’s and had dementia. However, she was still in very good shape regardless of losing some of her memories. The three of us had lunch at a restaurant and talked about the past, although the dementia robbed Bill Henson’s wife of remembering much of her past.

Bill Henson’s daughter Harriet told me that my dad visited with her mother after the war and kept in touch with her for some time. I showed her mother wartime photos of Bill and my dad, but she did not recognize or remember either of them.

The most remarkable moment of our visit came when I asked if she remembered living next door to Baker William Farrar and his family.  Her response was, “Why, of course, I remember them.  I lived right next door to them.” If only someone could have captured the expression on my and her daughter’s faces. She didn’t remember her first husband and father of her daughter, but she sure remembered the family of my great-uncle William Baker Farrar.

On 18 August 2016, exactly one year from my meeting with Bill Henson’s daughter and wife, Harriet Whisnant Henson Rogers died at the age of 92. Her memorial service in Rome, Georgia was on 3 September 2016, which would have been my father’s 95th birthday, and was exactly 72 years past the 3 September 1944 WWII mission on which William Alvin Henson II and George Edwin Farrar first flew together with the Buslee B-17 crew. If Henson and Farrar knew of their connection on that or the later two missions on which they served together, I do not know. Harriet is buried in Sunset Hills Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Rome, Floyd County, Georgia.

Notes/Links

Thank you to Harriet Henson Powell (Harriet Henson’s daughter) and her son David Powell for sharing family information.

Previous post, Lt. William Henson Killed in Action

William Henson’s Enlistment Record in the online National Archives (in the Reserve Corps records)

William Alvin Henson’s Personnel Record courtesy of the 384th Bomb Group

Previous post, The Stearns Family Looks for Answers

Previous post, George Edwin Farrar, Update – Part 5

William Alvin Henson II’s Find a Grave memorial

William Alpha Henson’s Find a Grave memorial

Gertrude Henson’s Find a Grave memorial

Harriet Whisnant Henson Rogers’ Find a Grave memorial

© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2023

New information from a new search on Ancestry.com, and new information from military records have provided me with some new and updated information regarding William Alvin Henson II, the navigator flying with the John Oliver Buslee crew of the 544th Bomb Squadron of the 384th Bomb Group of the 8th Army Air Forces in WWII on 28 September 1944. 

To view my original post and other information about William Alvin Henson II, please see the links at the end of this post.

Continuation of William Alvin Henson II, Update – Part 1

William Alvin Henson II

Casualty of War

William Alvin “Bill” Henson II, original Sammons crew bombardier, but participating on the 28 September 1944 mission to Magdeburg, Germany as navigator of the Buslee crew, died on that date, at the age of 21.

The place of Bill Henson’s death, Ost Ingersleben near Magdeburg, Germany, is not much over 100 miles northwest of Nünchritz, Germany, the location of his grandfather’s birth. Bill’s mother Gertrude’s father, Max Alwin Sproessig, was born in Nünchritz in 1866. Max and Gertrude and the rest of the Sproessig family left Germany in 1906 to start a new life in America.

In 1906, Max Sproessig probably thought his family was safe in America. He couldn’t know that Germany would become his new home’s, and world’s, enemy in the future, and that his grandson would have to fly bombing missions over Germany to fight that enemy thirty-eight years after Max arrived on American soil.

Max died in 1935, and didn’t live to see America become involved in WWII, or see his grandson enlist in the military, or see him go to war. In Max’s lifetime, his family was safe in America. Max’s story may be somewhat unique, but I’m sure many American immigrants faced the same nightmare, having to send their sons to war to a place that they felt they had safely escaped.

A Chronology

Bill Henson’s family received telegrams and letters from, and wrote letters to, the United States War Department in the months following his loss in the 28 September 1944 mid-air collision over Magdeburg. Although the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri suffered a catastrophic fire in 1973, almost two hundred of Bill Henson’s military documents survived, while some likely burned, in the fire at that facility. A few of his existing documents were partially burned and show the singed edges indicating that the fire did reach his records.

These documents and letters from Bill Henson’s NPRC personnel record chronicle the release of information, or lack thereof, to his family at home. Among the following letters and documents from Bill Henson’s personnel record, I have inserted some additional family information and wartime news in the timeline where appropriate.

On 9 October 1944, 384th Bomb Group Protestant Chaplain Dayle R. Schnelle wrote to Mrs. W.A. Henson (Bill Henson’s mother) at 172 Milstead Avenue in Conyers, Georgia. Dayle Schnelle wrote the same letter to George Edwin Farrar’s mother, and likely to the families of all of the boys lost on both the Buslee and Brodie crews’ B-17s on 28 September 1944. The Catholic chaplain may have taken care of the letters to any of the Catholic members of the crew.

Chaplain Schnelle expressed the “deepest and heart-felt concern” regarding Gertrude Henson’s son, who was reported missing in action. He offered hope that her son had escaped or was being held prisoner of war and told her not to consider her son as dead.

Chaplain Schnelled ended his letter with,

May I assure you that I believe that our God still answers prayers. I promise that I shall continue to remember him before God as I know that you are also doing. I firmly believe that the hand of God still guides the destiny of His children. May your faith in the ultimate triumph of God’s will give you courage, strength, and grace to meet the burden of this hour of uncertainty.

On 12 October 1944 a Casualty Message Telegram was created and dispatched on 13 October 1944 to Mrs. Harriet W. Henson (Bill Henson’s wife) in Summerville, Georgia. The telegram stated,

The Secretary of War desires me to express his deep regret that your Husband First Lieutenant William A Henson II has been reported Missing in Action since Twenty Eight September over Germany If further details or other information are received you will be promptly notified

The Farrar family’s Missing in Action telegram was received on 14 October 1944, making it likely that Harriet Henson also received hers on the same date.

On 15 October 1944, Major General J.A. Ulio, the Adjutant General, followed up Bill Henson’s Missing in Action telegram with a letter. The Farrar’s follow-up letter was dated 17 October.

Major General Ulio wrote that he would pass along additional information when it was received or within at least three months. He also stated,

The term “missing in action” is used only to indicate that the whereabouts or status of an individual is not immediately known. It is not intended to convey the impression that the case is closed. I wish to emphasize that every effort is exerted continuously to clear up the status of our personnel. Under war conditions this is a difficult task as you must readily realize. Experience has shown that many persons reported missing in action are subsequently reported as prisoners of war, but as this information is furnished by countries with which we are at war, the War Department is helpless to expedite such reports.

On 7 November 1944, Bill Henson’s wife Harriet wrote to Major General Ulio. She wrote,

Thank you for your letter and for the little assistance you were able to give. I realize that under the conditions it is hard to get any more information about the status of my husband.

I feel I would like to write to the families of the boys that he was flying with when he was shot down. I do not know who these boys are or their home addresses, and wondered if you can give them to me, or tell me how I can get them.

I will appreciate it, if, as soon as you hear any more about my husband, to please let me know, as I know you will. Also if you can give me any of this information.

On 15 November 1944, Brigadier General Edward F. Witsell responded to Harriet Henson’s letter of 7 November. He responded,

It is regretted that no information has been received in this office regarding your husband other than the initial message stating that he has been missing in action since 28 September 1944 over Germany. Let me assure you, however, that all means practicable are being utilized by our commanders in the theaters of operations to determine the whereabouts of our military personnel who are reported missing in action and when further information is received, concerning Lieutenant Henson, it will be conveyed to you promptly.

I am requesting the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces to furnish you the names of the crew members associated with your husband on 28 September 1944, and the names and addresses of their emergency addressees, if this information is available and if security regulations permit.

You have my sympathy in your anxiety for your husband and I earnestly hope that a favorable report, concerning him, will soon be received.

On 20 November 1944, Major E.A. Bradunas followed up the letter of 15 November with,

The Missing Air Crew Report which would furnish the details relative to the disappearance of your husband, and the names of the other crew members serving with him when he was reported missing in action on September 28, 1944, has not been received. Consequently, at the present time, we are unable to comply with your request for information. However, as soon as this report is received this headquarters will communicate with you promptly.

You have our sympathy during this period of uncertainty.

On 8 December 1944, Major E.A. Bradunas wrote the following to Harriet Henson,

Further information has been received indicating that Lieutenant Henson was a crew member of a B-17 (Flying Fortress) bomber which departed from England on a combat mission to Magdeburg, Germany, on September 28^th. The report indicates that during this mission at about 12:10 p.m. in the vicinity of the target, your husband’s bomber sustained damage from enemy antiaircraft fire. Shortly afterwards the disabled craft was observed to fall to the earth, and inasmuch as the crew members of accompanying planes were unable to obtain any further details regarding its loss, the above facts constitute all the information presently available.

Due to necessity for military security, it is regretted that the names of those who were in the plane and the names and addresses of their next of kin may not be furnished at the present time.

Please be assured that a continuing search by land, sea, and air is being made to discover the whereabouts of our missing personnel. As our armies advance over enemy occupied territory, special troops are assigned to this task, and all agencies of the government in every country are constantly sending in details which aid us in bringing additional information to you.

Buslee crew waist gunner George Edwin Farrar’s mother received a similar letter dated the same day.

On 9 December 1944, Harriet Henson gave birth to her and Bill Henson’s daughter. Harriet named their new baby Harriet. Harriet took baby Harriet home from the hospital to Bill’s parents’, William and Gertrude Henson’s, Atlanta home on Ponce de Leon Avenue.

On 23 December 1944, just two weeks after baby Harriet’s birth, Harriet Henson received the news that Bill wouldn’t be coming home and she would be raising their daughter alone. The Adjutant General sent a telegram to Mrs. Harriet Henson in Summerville, Georgia,

Report now received from the German Government through the International Red Cross states your husband First Lieutenant William A Henson II who was previously reported missing in action was killed in action on Twenty Eight September over Germany The Secretary of War extends his deep sympathy Letter follows

On 28 December 1944,  Major General J.A. Ulio, The Adjutant General, followed up the latest telegram with a letter.

This letter is being written to confirm the recent telegram in which you were regretfully informed of the death of your husband, First Lieutenant William A. Henson II, 0761431, Air Corps, who was previously reported missing in action since 28 September 1944 over Germany.

The report received from the German Government through the International Red Cross contained only the fact that he died on 28 September 1944. Since it gives the date of his death as the same date he was previously reported missing in action, it has been officially recorded on the records of the War Department that he was killed in action on that date. I wish that there were more information available to give you, but unfortunately reports of this nature do not contain any details or particulars.

I realize the great suspense you have endured and now, the finality to those hopes which you have cherished for his safety. Although little at this time may be said or done to alleviate your grief, it is my fervent hope that later the knowledge that he gave his life gloriously for his country may be of sustaining comfort to you.

I extend to you my deep sympathy.

On 8 January 1945, the Commanding General of the United States Army Air Forces, H.H. “Hap” Arnold, wrote a letter to Harriet Henson. He wrote,

With deepest regret I have learned that your husband, First Lieutenant William Alvin Henson II, missing since September 28, 1944, has been reported as having died in action on that date in the European Area.

My attention has been called to the fine reputation for self-reliance and aggressiveness which Lieutenant Henson enjoyed throughout his military career. In his eagerness to succeed in the Army Air Forces he seriously and energetically applied himself to the training courses, and realized his ambition when he graduated from the Bombardier School at Victorville, California, with a good record. Having an amiable disposition and other admirable traits he endeared himself to the officers and men in his command, and they are saddened by his untimely passing.

Your husband gave to the full measure of his ability for his Country’s cause. I hope the memory of this will help to lessen your grief, and I offer my heartfelt sympathy to you and other members of the family.

On 1 February 1945, Harriet Henson wrote a letter to Mrs. Olga Buslee, John Oliver “Jay” Buslee’s mother. Jay was the pilot of Bill Henson’s B-17 on 28 September 1944. The Buslees had learned on 28 January that their son had been killed on 28 September in the same mid-air collision that claimed the life of Bill Henson. Harriet wrote,

I am so sorry that I have to write this letter. I had prayed that I wouldn’t, because, to say the least, it isn’t very pleasant.

Mrs. Buslee, to say I am sorry is trite, but I really am sorry. To lose a son is different from losing a husband (presuming that we have), and since I have my little girl I feel that I can sympathize with you more, because I just don’t know what I would do if something happened to her.

It isn’t human nature to give up hope. So please don’t, I haven’t. I asked God to bring Bill back to me and I believe He will. Bill has to come back and see his little girl.

Give my best regards to Mr. Buslee and your daughter, and know that I am thinking about you. I feel so close to you even though I do not know you. Maybe when Jay and Bill get back, we can all get together and have a gay time.

On 1 March 1945, Major General Ulio wrote to Harriet Henson regarding her husband’s award of the Distinguished Flying Cross. He wrote,

I have the honor to inform you that, by direction of the President, the Distinguished Flying Cross has been posthumously awarded to your husband, First Lieutenant William A. Henson II, Air Corps. The citation is as follows:

DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS

“For extraordinary achievement while serving as Bombardier of a B-17 airplane on a number of combat bombardment missions over Germany and German occupied countries from 19 May 1944 to 28 September 1944.”

The decoration will be forwarded to the Commanding General, Fourth Service Command, Atlanta, Georgia, who will select an officer to make the presentation. The officer selected will communicate with you concerning your wishes in the matter.

May I again express my deepest sympathy to you in your bereavement.

On 7 May 1945, Germany surrendered to the western Allies at General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Headquarters in Reims, France. German Chief-of-Staff, General Alfred Jodl, signed the unconditional surrender, to take effect the following day.

On 8 May 1945, V-E (Victory in Europe) Day was declared as German troops continued to surrender to the Allies throughout Europe.

On 24 July 1945, Bill Henson’s father, William Henson wrote to Georgia Senator Richard B. Russell of the United States Senate and to the Memorial Division of the War Department. Bill Henson’s personnel record at the NPRC does not contain a copy of his father’s letter, but it does contain responses. It does contain a form noting that William Henson’s correspondence was “relative to the burial of the remains of First Lieutenant William A. Henson II, who was killed in action on 28 September 1944 in Germany.”

On 27 July 1945, Senator Russell wrote to the Memorial Division of the War Department on behalf of William Henson. Bill Henson’s file does not contain a copy of this letter either.

On 8 August 1945, Major General Edward F. Witsell wrote replies to both Bill Henson’s father, William A. Henson, of Conyers, Georgia, and to the Honorable Richard B. Russell of the United States Senate.

In General Witsell’s reply to Mr. Henson, he wrote,

I fully appreciate your desire to be informed of the circumstances attending the death of your son and regret that no further information in this respect has reached the War Department since the official message, received from the German Government through the International Red Cross, which stated only that Lieutenant Henson, who was previously reported missing in action over Germany as of 28 September 1944, was killed in action on that date. Every effort is being made by our military authorities to secure further particulars in these cases about which the bereaved families are so vitally interested. To this end, captured enemy records are being carefully examined and verified; details are obtained from airmen who participated in the same engagement and who have since returned to military control, as well as from the interrogation of prisoners taken by our forces. You may be assured that any additional details concerning Lieutenant Henson’s death which may be forthcoming, will be transmitted promptly.

I understand your wish to be advised of the location of your son’s grave. Permit me to explain that The Quartermaster General, this city [Washington, D.C.], is concerned with matters pertaining to burial of the remains of our military personnel who die overseas. He has, therefore, been requested to make further direct reply to you in this respect.

My deepest sympathy is with you in your bereavement.

General Witsell’s reply to the Honorable Richard B. Russell of the United States Senate stated the same information as his letter to Mr. Henson.

On 14 August 1945, Japan agreed to an unconditional surrender, but surrender documents would not be signed until 2 September. Some consider the 14 August 1945 date to be V-J (Victory over Japan) Day, but others consider it to be 2 September 1945, when the surrender document was signed.

World War II had ended in both the European and Pacific theaters, but the bodies of America’s World War II dead remained on foreign soil, far away from grieving families. Their war continued.

More about William Alvin “Bill” Henson II in my next post…

Notes/Links

Thank you to John Dale Kielhofer, John Oliver “Jay” Buslee’s nephew, for sharing Harriet Henson’s letter to Olga Buslee with me.

Previous post, Lt. William Henson Killed in Action

William Henson’s Enlistment Record in the online National Archives (in the Reserve Corps records)

William Alvin Henson’s Personnel Record courtesy of the 384th Bomb Group

Harriet Henson’s letter to John Oliver “Jay” Buslee’s mother

National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) 1973 Fire

Previous post, A Letter from the 384th BG Chaplain

William Alvin Henson II’s Find a Grave memorial

© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2023

William Alvin Henson II

New information from a new search on Ancestry.com, and new information from military records have provided me with some new and updated information regarding William Alvin Henson II, the navigator flying with the John Oliver Buslee crew of the 544th Bomb Squadron of the 384th Bomb Group of the 8th Army Air Forces in WWII on 28 September 1944. 

To view my original post and other information about William Alvin Henson II, please see the links at the end of this post.

Henson Family

William Alvin “Bill” Henson II was born 8 June 1923 in Atlanta, DeKalb County, Georgia to father William Alpha Henson (1896 – 1956) and mother Gertrude Sproessig Henson (1897 – 1991). In 1923 the family lived at 235 E. Georgia Avenue in Atlanta, DeKalb County, Georgia, in or near the Grant Park neighborhood.

Note: William Alpha Henson’s middle name is sometimes reported as Alvah or Alfred, but the spelling is confirmed as “Alpha” through both Bill Henson’s birth certificate and Aviation Cadet Personnel Qualification Questionnaire.

Bill’s father, William Alpha Henson, was born in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee on 28 January 1896. Since the younger William was a “II” rather than a “Jr.,” he apparently was named after another family William. His grandfather was Henry Hamilton Henson. His great-grandfather was named William Henson, possibly the William Alvin Henson for whom William II (Bill) was named. Bill noted on a military service form that his father’s ancestry was Scotch and Irish.

William Alpha Henson fought in WWI. His service number was 1862756. He was a PVT 1st Class and fought with Battery “B,” 317th Field Artillery. At the end of his military service, he returned to his home at 29 Rossville Avenue in Chattanooga, Tennessee on the ship U.S.S South Carolina, departing Brest, France on 27 May 1919.

Bill Henson’s mother, Gertrude Lena Sproessig, was born in Germany and immigrated to America in 1906 according to the 1930 census and her father’s, Max Alwin Sproessig’s, Petition for Naturalization. Her father listed her given name as Milda Lina Gertrude on his papers.

Max Sproessig’s naturalization papers note he was born in Nünchritz, Germany, which is a municipality in the district of Meißen (Meissen), in Saxony, Germany. He, his wife, and two daughters (including Gertrude) immigrated to America, departing Bremen, Germany on 5 April 1906 and arriving in Baltimore, Maryland on 17 April 1906 aboard the ship Gueissenau. The Sproessig family moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee after immigrating to America. The papers also note Max’s wife died in November 1911.

William Alpha Henson and Gertrude Lena Sproessig married on 23 February 1920 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Bill was one of three children of William and Gertrude Henson. The Henson children were,

1. Doris Elizabeth Henson (Vaughn) (1921 – 2004)
2. William Alvin “Bill” Henson II (1923 – 1944)
3. Milda Jeanne Henson (Herzog) (1925 – 2017)

Gertrude Lena Sproessig Henson, born in Germany, became a naturalized citizen through her marriage to William Alpha Henson.

The 1930 Federal Census reports that the Henson family lived at 177 North Main Street in Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia. The household included father William A (age 34), mother Gertrude L (age 32), daughter Doris E (age 8), son William A (age 6), and daughter Milda J (age 5). William’s parents owned a furniture store and both worked in the store.

A “Physical Examination for Flying” military form noted that Bill Henson broke his left forearm in 1934. He would have been ten or eleven years old at the time.

The 1940 Federal Census reports that the Henson family lived on Milstead Avenue in Conyers, and had lived there since at least 1935. Bill’s parents still owned the furniture store in 1940. Bill’s military records (Aviation Cadet Personnel Qualification Questionnaire) confirm the Henson’s exact street address in the 1940’s as 172 Milstead Avenue.

On 14 June 1942, Bill Henson’s sister, Doris Elizabeth Henson, married Clarence Roland Vaughn, Jr. Clarence Vaughn was house majority leader of the State of Georgia during the Carl Sanders, Jimmy Carter, and George Busbee governorships. He was also a judge and a war hero in his own right. Doris and Clarence lived in Conyers, Georgia all their lives. David Powell, Bill Henson’s grandson, shared this information with me and also told me that Doris could not mention her brother Bill without crying and leaving the room.

The Hensons had two homes in 1944, a city home at 2398 Ponce de Leon Avenue, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia, and a country home/farm at 172 Milstead Avenue in Conyers, Georgia.

George Edwin Farrar’s parents (my grandparents), Raleigh Mae and Carroll Johnson Farrar, lived fairly close to the Henson’s Ponce de Leon address at 79 East Lake Terrace in the Kirkwood neighborhood of Atlanta.

Education and Civilian Employment Prior to Military Service

William Alvin Henson II graduated from Conyers High School on 10 June 1940. Following high school, he attended The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina for two years, where he majored in Business Administration and participated in R.O.T.C. (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps). He also served for four months in the Georgia State Guard.

On military service forms, he noted he participated in the sports of baseball, tennis, equitation (horse riding or horsemanship), and basketball. His active hobbies were photography and rifle or pistol shooting.

Bill Henson’s civilian employment included working at his parents retail business, Henson Furniture Company, from June 1936 to January 1943, mostly during school vacations. He earned $192 per month selling furniture and collecting (payment) for merchandise.

Entry into World War II Military Service

Draft Registration

On 30 June 1942, exactly the same day 384th Bomb Group navigator Chester Anthony Rybarczyk registered for the WWII draft, William Alvin Henson II registered at Local Board No. 1 at the Rockdale County Courthouse in Conyers, Georgia. Bill Henson registered just two weeks after his sister Doris got married. Note: William Alvin Henson II replaced Chester Anthony Rybarczyk as navigator on the Buslee crew’s B-17 on the fateful mission of 28 September 1944.

Bill Henson listed his Place of Residence as Milstead Avenue, Rockdale County, Georgia. He noted his Mailing Address was the same. William’s Employer’s Name was noted as Student, Charleston, but Place of Employment was Conyers, Rockdale County, Georgia. He was 19 years old and born on 8 June 1923 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mrs. W.A. Henson I (his mother) of Conyers, Georgia was the person who would always know his address. (I find it odd that he would note his father as “I.” Was using “I” and “II” the family’s way of naming William II (Bill) after his father, but with a different middle name? Gertrude’s father’s middle name was “Alwin” and it was sometimes written as “Alvin,” so perhaps Bill Henson was named after both his father and his maternal grandfather and the “II” was not used in the traditional way).

In his draft registration form, Bill Henson described himself as 5′ 10″ tall, 135 pounds, with gray eyes, brown hair, and a ruddy complexion. He noted no “other obvious physical characteristic that will aid in identification.”

Application for Appointment as Aviation Cadet

On 5 October 1942, William Alvin Henson II filled out an Application for Appointment as Aviation Cadet. He noted on his Aviation Cadet Personnel Qualification Questionnaire that he was single with no dependents and was living at his parents’ address. His mother, Gertrude Lena Henson, was his emergency contact.

Bill Henson’s mother and father signed the form giving their consent to the application. The presidents of two local banks and a local attorney wrote recommendation letters for him. The attorney noted in his letter that,

There is no one more loyal to Government than he and his family, for some time he has been endeavoring to obtain his parents consent to enter the service, this having been withheld only on account of his youth.

On 6 October 1942, the Aviation Cadet Examination Board met in Atlanta, Georgia to examine William Alvin Henson II, applicant for Aviation Cadet appointment. The board found him mentally, morally, and physically qualified for appointment as an Air Crew Aviation Cadet and recommended his appointment.

Enlistment

On 6 October 1942, William Alvin Henson II enlisted in the Air Corps Enlisted Reserve in Atlanta, Georgia. His enlistment record notes his residence as Rockdale County, Georgia, and that he was born in Georgia in 1923. His Army Serial Number at the time of enlistment was 14147774. Note: Officers were reassigned with a new serial number when they were commissioned and Bill’s later become O-761431.

At the time of his enlistment, the record notes William Henson II had completed 1 year of college and was single, having no one dependent on him for support. His Civilian Occupation was noted as Salesperson.

Note: Bill Henson’s enlistment record is found in the Reserve Corps Records, rather than in the Enlistment Records file, link below.

Military Training

Effective 31 January 1943, William Alvin Henson II was called to Active Duty at AAFBTC No. 9, Miami Beach, Florida.

William Alvin Henson II’s Chronological Statement of Service and Training notes,

• From 2-1-43 to 2-28-43. Private. Miami Beach, Florida. Air Corps. Basic Training. Active.
• From 3-1-43 to 5-1-43. Private. Air Corps, Knoxville, Tennessee. C.T.D. Active.
• From 5-1-43 to 6-7-43. Private. Air Corps, Nashville, Tennessee. Classification. Active.
• From 6-11-43 to 9-9-43. Aviation Cadet. Aviation Cadet detachment., S.A.A.A.B. (San Antonio, Texas). Pre-Flight. Active.
• From 9-11-43 to 12-4-43. Aviation Cadet. Aviation Cadet detachment., V.A.A.F., (Victorville, California). Bombardier Training. Active

From 11 September 1943 to 4 December 1943, William Alvin Henson II attended Bombardier School at Victorville Army Air Field in Victorville, California. He took the 12 week/3 month Bombardier training course, which included instruction on the Norden bombsight.

He graduated from Bombardier School at Victorville Army Air Field, Victorville, California, Class #43-17, 4 December 1943 and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant. Upon release from the Bombardier School at Victorville, William Henson was assigned to the 2nd AF, 18th Replacement Wing, Salt Lake City, Utah on 4 December 1943.

Bill Henson’s continued training chronology includes,

• 15 January 1944 HBC, AAF, Alexandria, Louisiana. Bombardier, (Phase Training), 105 hours, MOS 1035 Bombardier. The Alexandria location was the home of the 469th Combat Crew Training School.
• 2 April 1944 AL 4-2 Prov GP, Bombardier
• 5 April 1944, KAAF Kearney, Nebraska (a last stop in the States on the way into combat in the European Theater)

William Alvin Henson’s mother, Gertrude Lena Sproessig Henson, left Germany on 5 April 1906 at the age of eight to begin her journey to America. Exactly thirty-eight years later, on 5 April 1944, her son William began his journey in a brand new B-17 his crew picked up in Kearney, Nebraska on his way to England to fight in the air war against his mother’s native country of Germany.

How would a mother feel knowing her son’s job would be dropping bombs on her homeland, the place of her ancestors and likely still home to many relatives? How would she go to sleep every night and wake up every morning without thinking about this aspect of her life and her world, but mostly worrying about the life of her son whom she could not keep safe while he fought in this horrific war which ravaged her native land and people?

World War II was a very personal war to many, but not many were as personally immersed in it, or as deeply, as Gretrude Sproessig Henson.

Marriage

As of 19 November 1943, while at Bombardier school in Victorville, William Alvin Henson II considered his permanent home address (the one to which he intended to return to upon relief from active duty) to be 172 Milstead Avenue, Conyers, Georgia.

However, less than a month later, on 15 December 1943, just eleven days after his Bombardier School graduation, Lt. William Alvin Henson II married Harriet Taylor Whisnant in Summerville, Chattooga County, Georgia.

Harriet was born in Summerville on 24 November 1923. She was the daughter of John Black Whisnant and Sarah Faye Taylor Whisnant. Harriet had an older brother named John Whisnant, Jr. Before marrying, Harriet attended Shorter College (now Shorter University) in Rome, Georgia.

Harriet Whisnant, Shorter College 1943 Yearbook

Bill Henson’s sister, Jeanne Henson, attended Shorter College at the same time as Harriet. While Harriet was in the Junior class in the 1942 – 1943 school year, Jeanne was in the Sophomore class. It’s likely that Bill Henson met Harriet Whisnant through his sister Jeanne, as Harriet and Jeanne were schoolmates at Shorter.

Jeanne Henson, sister of William Alvin Henson II
Sophomore at Shorter College – 1943 Yearbook

According to the 1930 and 1940 Federal Censuses, the Whisnant family lived on Washington Street West next door to the Baker W. Farrar family. Baker Farrar was George Edwin Farrar’s uncle, his father’s (Carroll Johnson Farrar’s) older brother. Also living with the Baker Farrar family in 1940 was Pearl Farrar, Baker’s and Carroll’s older sister. (For context, George Edwin Farrar was my father, Carroll was my grandfather, and Baker was my great-uncle).

Although George Edwin Farrar and William Alvin Henson II were not assigned to the same air crew in the 384th Bomb Group, they were both assigned to the same Bomb Squadron, the 544th, and both served at Grafton Underwood at the same time.

Military Service/Combat Duty in World War II with the 384th Bomb Group

William Henson’s 384th Bomb Group Individual Sortie record indicates that his duty was Bombardier, one month’s pay was $247.50, and his home address was Mrs. W. A. Henson (his mother), 172 Milstead Avenue, Conyers, Georgia.

William Henson was credited with twenty-six missions with the 384th Bomb Group, ten as bombardier and sixteen as navigator. His first mission as bombardier was on 19 May 1944 and his last was on 21 June 1944. His first mission as navigator was on 20 July 1944 and his last was on 28 September 1944 as navigator on the Buslee crew’s B-17 on that date’s mid-air collision.

Morning Reports of the 384th Bombardment Group and other military documents indicate the following for William Alvin Henson II

Sammons Crew
Back row, L to R: Arthur Thompson (WG), Lawrence Feyerabend (RO), Redin Kilpatrick (WG), James Placer (BT), Walter Schneider (TT), Stanley Schwartz (TG)
Front row, L to R: Gerald Sammons (P), Oliver Pryor (CP), Jack Dashev (N), William Henson (B)
Photo courtesy of Ken Decker’s “Memories” book

• On 6 MAY 1944, 2nd Lt. William Alvin Henson II was assigned to the 544th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #85 dated 6 May 1944 as Bombardier with the MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) of 1035 of the Gerald Sammons crew.
• On 21 JULY 1944, William Henson overslept and was late to his B-17 for the day’s mission. Taking off late, as crew navigator, he was unable to locate the formation and the crew had to return to base. He received punishment of having to fly one extra sortie (mission) to complete his tour.
• On 28 AUGUST 1944, William Henson was appointed 1st LT. per Eighth Army Air Forces Special Orders Number 233 date 28 August 1944.
• On 26 SEPTEMBER 1944, William Henson was ordered per Item #9 of Special Orders #190, AAF Station No. 106, APO 557, dated 26 September 1944 from duty to Moulsford Manor (a flak house/rest home), AAF Station 511, to arrive prior to 1800 hours on 28 September 1944, TD to carry out instructions of CG, period not to exceed seven (7) days. Will leave Rest Home on 5 October 1944 to return to proper Station.
• On 28 SEPTEMBER 1944, on Mission 201 to Magdeburg, Germany, Target of Industry, Steelworks, William Henson went from duty to MIA (Missing in Action). He was subsequently declared KIA (Killed in Action) on that date. The 28 September mission was the third time William Henson had flown with the Buslee crew. He had replaced Chester Rybarczyk as navigator just the day before on 27 September and a few weeks earlier on 3 September.
• On 11 OCTOBER 1944, 384th Bomb Group Commanding Officer, Colonel Dale O. Smith, recommended William Henson for the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). (Alternately, his Individual Sortie Record notes the date recommended for the award as 4 October 1944).

Medals and Decorations

William Alvin Henson II was awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), and the Purple Heart.

He was awarded the Air Medal at the completion of 6th sortie (mission) – GO#98, Hq 1st BD, 6-14-44. He was awarded three oak leaf clusters for completion of (1) his 12th sortie – GO#234, Hq 1st BD, 8-11-44, (2) his 18th sortie – GO#318, Hq 1st BD, 9-9-44, and (3) his 24th sortie – GO#342 Hq 1st BD, 9-18-44.

Also, an unnamed/unnumbered military service form notes in the Awards & Decorations section,

Authorized Bronze Star to ETO Ribbon, Sec 1, Par 7b (1) WD Cir 195 1944. Auth 2nd Bronze star to ETO Ribbon per Ltr Hq ETOUSA, Sub:  “Battle Participation Awards.” dtd 19 July 1944.

Bill Henson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for completion of his 25th Sortie (mission). Commanding Officer Colonel Dale O. Smith’s recommendation letter for William Alvin Henson II’s Distinguished Flying Cross stated,

1st Lt. William A. Henson, II has completed twenty-five operational bombing missions as Bombardier and Navigator over Germany and enemy occupied country between 19 May 1944 and 27 September 1944. Lt. Henson was lost in action over Magdeburg, Germany, 28 September 1944, on his twenty-sixth mission.

Many of these missions were among the longest and most viciously opposed dispatched by this organization during that period of time, among which were Berlin, Germany, 19 May and 21 June, Mannheim Germany, 27 May, Krzesinski, Poland, 29 May, Peenemunde, Germany, 4 August, Merseburg, Germany, 13 September and Magdeburg, Germany, 28 September 1944.

Lt. Henson entered this organization as a Bombardier but due to his exceptional intelligence and unusual ability was trained and checked out as a Lead Navigator and carried out his dual duties in a highly efficient manner. His initiative, determination and high degree of technical skill as both Bombardier and Navigator have contributed greatly to the successful conclusion of many of the missions on which he was dispatched. He has flown as Deputy Combat Wing Lead Navigator three times, Deputy Group Lead Navigator three times and Group Lead Navigator once.

Lt. Henson’s willing assumption of responsibility, his high degree of technical skill, his courage and coolness under conditions requiring initiative and determination to reach and bomb the designated enemy objective in spite of heavy opposition and unfavorable weather have set a high standard of achievement for this entire organization.

More about William Alvin “Bill” Henson II in my next post…

Notes/Links

Previous post, Lt. William Henson Killed in Action

Previous post, A B-17 Navigator Oversleeps

William Henson’s Enlistment Record in the online National Archives (in the Reserve Corps records)

William Alvin Henson’s Personnel Record courtesy of the 384th Bomb Group

MOS means Military Occupational Specialty

Previous post, Assigned Military Occupational Specialties of the Buslee and Brodie Crews

Previous post, Timeline for Buslee Crewmembers and Substitutes, 544th Bomb Squadron

Previous post, Chester Anthony Rybarczyk, Update

William Alvin Henson’s Find a Grave memorial

© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2023