Billie D. Harris
Billie D. Harris | |
|---|---|
Harris c. 1943 | |
| Birth name | Billie Dowe Harris |
| Born | October 14, 1922 Jackson County, Oklahoma |
| Died | July 17, 1944 (aged 21) Les Ventes, Normandy |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | US Army Air Corps |
| Years of service | 1944 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Commands | 354th Fighter Group 355th Fighter Squadron |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal Purple Heart |
Billie D. Harris (October 14, 1922 - July 17, 1944) was a Lieutenant fighter pilot enlisted in the United States Army Air Force assigned to the 355th Fighter Squadron/354th Fighter Group in southeast England during World War II. His plane was shot down on July 17, 1944, over Les Ventes in the Normandy region in Northern France. He deliberately avoided the town's houses and managed to divert his plane to crash into the forest; he lost his life, while causing no victims among the villagers.