WAUCOMA YOUTH ESCAPES DEATH
Sgt. Tomasek, 9 Others Bale Out of Fortress
Waucoma—Sgt. William F. Tomasek, son of Mrs. Margaret Tomasek, assistant engineer and gunner and 9 others, aboard an AAF Flying Fortress, ran out of gas when attacked by the Germans, but luckily they were near the English coast when they baled out. At one time, Pilot Lt. Robert W. Moyers, of Vincennes, Ind., flew only 10 feet over the water after the plane was attacked.
Sergeant Tomasek landed on a hill near a steep slope of a 200 foot cliff and one man landed in the water, but all the crew were reunited the next day, uninjured, at Penzance, a coast town.
Sergeant Tomasek entered the service Sept. 23, 1942, and before that ran the Tomaseck meat market.
Source: Mason City Globe-Gazette, February 4, 1944 (photo included)
William Francis Tomasek was born Sept. 18, 1916 to Frank J. and Margaret “Maggie” Dunn Tomasek. He died May 18, 1993 and is buried in Saint Marys Cemetery, Waucoma, IA.
William served with the U.S. Army Air Corps in England and completed 25 missions over Germany. He received various medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medals and Oak Leaf Clusters.
Source: ancestry.com
