Medal of Honor: William E. Metzger Jr. – World War II (Air Mission) – November 9, 1944
Over Germany’s skies, Lieutenants Donald J. Gott and William E. Metzger Jr. refused to abandon a wounded crewmate. Guiding their burning B-17 to friendly lines, they died ensuring others lived—a final act of courage and loyalty.
November 7, 2025
Name: William Edward Metzger Jr.
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Organization: U.S. Army Air Corps
Unit: 729th Bomber Squadron, 452nd Bombardment Group
Place and Date: Over Saarbrücken, Germany – 9 November 1944
Entered Service At: Lima, Ohio
Born: February 9, 1922 – Lima, Ohio
Departed: Killed in Action – November 9, 1944
Accredited to: Ohio
Summary of Action
On a bombing mission over Saarbrücken, Germany, 2nd Lt. William E. Metzger Jr. served as copilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress when the aircraft took devastating hits from enemy flak. Three engines caught fire, hydraulic fluid flooded the cockpit, and flares ignited — turning the plane into a flying inferno. Amid the chaos, two crewmen were gravely wounded, including one whose arm was torn off.
Knowing the wounded radio operator could not survive bailing out over enemy territory, Metzger and the pilot made a fateful decision — to stay aboard the doomed bomber and try to reach Allied lines. They completed their bombing run under fire, then limped the shattered aircraft toward friendly territory. Once there, Metzger personally ordered the surviving crew to bail out while he and the pilot prepared to crash-land the burning plane to give the wounded man a chance at rescue.
As they descended toward an open field, the aircraft exploded mid-air, killing all three men still aboard. Metzger’s final act of devotion — choosing certain death to save another — remains one of the most selfless sacrifices in aviation history.
Medal of Honor Citation
Place and date: Saarbrücken, Germany, 9 November 1944.
Entered service at: Lima, Ohio.
Born: 9 February 1922, Lima, Ohio.
G.O. No.: 38, 16 May 1945.
Citation:
On a bombing run upon the marshaling yards at Saarbrücken, Germany, on 9 November 1944, a B-17 aircraft on which 2d Lt. Metzger was serving as copilot was seriously damaged by antiaircraft fire. Three of the aircraft’s engines were damaged beyond control and on fire; dangerous flames from the No. 4 engine were leaping back as far as the tail assembly. Flares in the cockpit were ignited and a fire roared therein which was further increased by free-flowing fluid from damaged hydraulic lines. The interphone system was rendered useless. In addition to these serious mechanical difficulties the engineer was wounded in the leg and the radio operator’s arm was severed below the elbow. Suffering from intense pain, despite the application of a tourniquet, the radio operator fell unconscious.
Faced with the imminent explosion of his aircraft and death to his entire crew, mere seconds before bombs away on the target, 2d Lt. Metzger and his pilot conferred. Something had to be done immediately to save the life of the wounded radio operator. The lack of a static line and the thought that his unconscious body striking the ground in unknown territory would not bring immediate medical attention forced a quick decision. 2d Lt. Metzger and his pilot decided to fly the flaming aircraft to friendly territory and then attempt to crash-land.
Bombs were released on the target and the crippled aircraft proceeded along to Allied-controlled territory. When that had been reached 2d Lt. Metzger personally informed all crewmembers to bail out upon the suggestion of the pilot. 2d Lt. Metzger chose to remain with the pilot for the crash landing in order to assist him in this emergency. With only one normally functioning engine and with the danger of explosion much greater, the aircraft banked into an open field, and when it was at an altitude of 100 feet it exploded, crashed, exploded again, and then disintegrated. All three crewmembers were instantly killed. 2d Lt. Metzger’s loyalty to his crew, his determination to accomplish the task set forth to him, and his deed of knowingly performing what may have been his last service to his country was an example of valor at its highest.
