Willis Franklin Hargis (1920 - 1948)

Born 20 Dec 1920 in Mount Enterprise, Rusk, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Died 5 Dec 1948 at age 27 in Faßberg, Celle, Niedersachsen, Germany

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Biography

Willis was born in 1920. He was the son of George Hargis. He passed away in 1948. ^[1]

He attended Austin State Teachers College and joined the Air Corps in 1942. It appears he did not go overseas to Germany until after the war during the Occupation of Germany. ^[2]

Willis Hargis was the Provost Marshal of the Oberwiessenfeld Air Base in 1947 before being reassigned to the Berlin Airlift in 1948. During his time at the Oberwiessenfeld Air Base, he took what is now a historic photograph of the original Air Base as seen from a plane. The original photo, given by the Hargis family, was presented to the District deputy commander at the new location of the base, along with a photo of 1LT. Willis Franklin Hargis. ^[3]

Willis died on December 5, 1948 during the Berlin Airlift of Berlin, Germany. He plane was leaving from Fassberg, Germany to take supplies to Berlin, but crashed during the take off. Also killed aboard were Capt. Billy E. Phelps and TSgt Lloyd G. Wells. They were aboard a C-54 aircraft, Tail Number 42-72698. ^[4]

Birth

Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997
Name: Willis Franklin Hargis
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 20 Dec 1920
Event Place: Rusk, Texas
Certificate Number: 69215 ^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37387323/willis-franklin-hargis
2. ↑ http://www.accident-report.com/crews/1944/NAME44H.html
3. ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/europedistrict/6002027104
4. ↑ https://media.defense.gov/2018/Jan/24/2001869016/-1/-1/1/The%20Air%20Force%20Can%20Deliver%20Anything%20a%20History%20of%20the%20Berlin%20Airlift.PDF Page 118
5. ↑ "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VDG1-HBK : 1 January 2015), Willis Franklin Hargis, 20 Dec 1920; from "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2005); citing Texas Department of State Health Services.