1LT GEORGE ANDERSON PINNER, USAAF
(10 Sept 1915 – 16 Apr 1943)
George Anderson Pinner was born on Sept. 10, 1915, in Portageville, Missouri, to Virgil W. and Lucy Terrett Pinner. He was one of six children and the couple’s fourth son. The family moved to Tipton County about 1917, with George attending and graduating from Byars-Hall High School in 1935.
The April 1943 edition of “Purple and Gold,” BHHS’s school newspaper, had an excerpt from George which read,
“I often think back to those school days of mine that were spent on the football field and am thankful that I was privileged to participate in such a grand game. Little did I know then that some day I would use that knowledge and tactics to fight a war.” George Pinner.
Pinner had two years of college when he enlisted on Dec. 10, 1941. His initial training was held at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. After completion of boot camp, he joined the Air Corps and trained as an aviation cadet, on his way to serving as an officer.
In that same issue of the school paper, underneath a column titled, “Alumni Antics” was, “Lieut. George A. Pinner, a Byars-Hall graduate, is a bombardier in the United States Eighth Air Force. He took part in the air raid on the big German naval base at Wilhelmshaven on March 22 [1943]. Lieut. Pinner said, “most of the bombs were in the clear, and when we left, the target area was obscured by smoke.”
One last article about Lt. Pinner in the BHHS’s Apr. 1943 edition of Purple and Gold told of him being missing in action.
“As Purple and Gold goes to press, news has just been received by Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Pinner that their son, George, is missing in action in the European theatre of war.
George was a first lieutenant and a bombardier on a Flying Fortress. He was mentioned recently in Associated Press reports following the bombing of Wilhelmshaven. He has been on active duty in England for several months and is reported as missing in action since April 16.
George was a member of the class of ’35. A fine athlete, he played basketball, football, and was a middle-distance runner in track. He was rated as one of the best blocking backs the football squad ever had.”
A bombardier with the 409 Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomber Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force, stationed at Hardwick Airfield, Cambridge, England, 1LT Pinner was shot down on April 16, 1943, while serving as the bombardier for “Missouri Sue”, a B-24 (#4124122).
The Missouri Sue was shot in the plane’s tail section by a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger (Fw190A-5 Shrike) and piloted by German Fighter Wing (JG2/8) Luftwaffe pilot, Lt. Josef “Jupp” Bigge. The attack caused the aircraft to ditch into the Bay of Biscay, killing Pinner, along with nine other soldiers.
Lt. George Anderson Pinner is listed on the Tablets of the Missing at Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-James, Department de la Manche, Basse-Normandie, France
Pinner was posthumously awarded the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart. Tipton County VFW Ray-Pinner Post 4840 is named after Lt. George A. Pinner and Sanford Ray, a young Sailor who was also killed during WWII.