William D. Sells
Alumni Directory › World War II Honor Roll › William D. Sells
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| Pre-War: | Taylor Instrument Companies (Ames St. Plant) |
| Residence: | 100 Normandy Ave., Rochester, NY |
| Branch: | U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) |
| Rank: | First Lieutenant (1st Lt.) |
| Service ID: | O-724325 |
| Unit: | 9th Fighter Sqdn. (“Flying Knights”), 49th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force |
| Aircraft: | Lockheed P-38G Lightning (#42-12849) |
| Killed in Action: | April 14, 1943 (Milne Bay, New Guinea) |
| Burial: | Arlington National Cemetery (Sec. 12, Site 4031) |
| Decorations: | Silver Star (Posthumous), Purple Heart |
William D. Sells (d. 1943)
Taylor Instrument craftsman and U.S. Army Air Forces P-38 fighter pilot awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in World War II.
Pre-War Life & Career at Taylor Instrument
Before enlisting in military aviation, William D. Sells lived at 100 Normandy Avenue in Rochester, New York, and was a member of the civilian workforce at the main Ames Street manufacturing campus of the Taylor Instrument Companies.
Combat Pilot in the Fifth Air Force
Sells volunteered for flight training in the United States Army Air Forces, commissioning as an officer and combat pilot (Service Serial No. O-724325).
He deployed to the Southwest Pacific Theater, assigned to the renowned 9th Fighter Squadron (“The Flying Knights”), part of the 49th Fighter Group in the Fifth Air Force. Operating from forward primitive airstrips, Sells flew the twin-engine Lockheed P-38G Lightning fighter and flew combat missions alongside legendary Pacific aviators, including future top American ace of aces Richard Bong.
The Air Battle of Milne Bay & Final Sacrifice
On April 14, 1943, 1st Lt. Sells scrambled from Gurney Airfield near Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, flying P-38G Lightning #42-12849 on an interception mission against a massive incoming formation of Japanese bombers and escorting A6M Zero fighters.
During the intense aerial combat, Sells' fighter was ambushed and heavily damaged by Japanese Zero cannon and machine-gun fire. Displaying remarkable airmanship, Lieutenant Sells broke contact, utilized heavy tropical cloud banks for evasion, and nursed his crippled aircraft back toward the Allied airstrip at Gurney.
As he entered his final landing approach, his right engine seized completely. At that critical moment, an Allied Australian P-40 Kittyhawk inadvertently drifted into the landing pattern directly in his path. Rather than risk a catastrophic mid-air collision that would destroy both aircraft and cost his fellow pilot's life, Lieutenant Sells deliberately banked his losing plane away from the runway. His P-38 crashed into the dense jungle perimeter at high speed and was consumed by fire, killing him instantly.
Honors & Resting Place at Arlington
For his selfless heroism, devotion to duty, and extraordinary gallantry in steering away from a fellow Allied pilot, First Lieutenant William D. Sells was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.
Following the war, Lieutenant Sells was repatriated to the United States. On July 1, 1948, he was interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia (Section 12, Site 4031).
Just three months after his death, on July 28, 1943, Taylor Instrument Companies honored Sells alongside E. Doty and R. H. Mosher on Page 11 of the Army-Navy “E” Award program as one of three plant employees who had made the supreme sacrifice in World War II.
- Headquarters, Fifth Air Force, General Orders (Posthumous award of the Silver Star to 1st Lt. William D. Sells, O-724325, 9th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group).
- Arlington National Cemetery National Graves Registration (Section 12, Site 4031; interred July 1, 1948).
- Rochester Public Library, Local History & Genealogy Division, World War II Master Card File Index (Monroe County service record: Sells, William D.; Lieut.; 100 Normandy Ave.; KIA Pacific area April 14, 1943; reported April 21, 1943).
- Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, NY), casualty notice, April 21, 1943.
- Taylor Instrument Companies, Army-Navy “E” Award Presentation Program, July 28, 1943, Page 11 (“Let us pause in our celebration tonight... Three have already made the supreme sacrifice • ★ W. D. Sells”).
