This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Michael D. Withers (Mike), OSCS
to remember
Stambaugh, William Henry, ARM1c.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Martin, KY
Last Address 8612 Fir St Los Angeles, CA
Casualty Date Jun 04, 1942
Cause KIA-Body Not Recovered
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii
Wall/Plot Coordinates Court 2 (cenotaph)
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
On the fateful morning of June 4, 1942, ARM1 Stambaugh was the rear seat radioman-gunner of a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber of Scouting Squadron 6 (VS-6) that flew from the USS Yorktown. The pilot was LT Charles Rollins Ware, the flight's division leader. The planes launched at an extreme distance from the Japanese, not all details of the launch went smoothly and a command decision resulted in American squadrons launching piecemeal and proceeding toward the target in several different groups. Some flights also had difficulty locating their target due to wrong headings. Upon arrival of the VS-6 flight over the Japanese, their carriers were being attacked by American torpedo bombers. Unfortunately, only one plane from VS-6 returned from the battle. Stambaugh was listed as missing in action and later declared dead.
