Though once lost, 1st Lt. Jack McWilliams will not be forgotten
1st Lt. Jack McWilliams of Somers crashed in France in 1945 while flying a P-47 Thunderbolt. Declared dead in 1946, his remains were discovered in 1951. Today the nearby town of Kauffenheim boasts a memorial to the downed flier. (Photo courtesy of Janice Sterner Jones)
Janice Sterner Jones of Kalispell holds the officers hat that belonged her uncle, 1st Lt. Jack McWilliams. A resident of Somers, McWilliams was shot down in Europe in January 1945. (Heidi Desch/Daily Inter Lake)
1st Lt. Jack McWilliams of Somers. McWilliams, a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot, was shot down over Europe in January 1945. (Photo courtesy Janice Sterner Jones)
The article was sandwiched between the war news that dominated the front page of the Feb. 8, 1945 Daily Inter Lake, bounded by larger headlines trumpeting the First Army’s push through the Siegfried line, plans for paratroopers to jump across the Rhine and diplomatic talks about a post-war Europe.
The headline read simply: “Lt. Jack McWilliams is reported missing after ariel foray.”
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