William C. Ziemer
Person TypeIndividual
BiographyWilliam C. Ziemer served as a fighter pilot with Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18). The squadron was embarked on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid (CV-11) in the fall of 1944, during World War II. On October 12, 1944, Intrepid's air group was launching strikes against Formosa (Taiwan). The pilots encountered opposition from Japanese fighter aircraft. Ziemer bailed out of his F6F Hellcat. After about a day of attempting to hide, Ziemer was captured and taken prisoner. He was transferred to Camp Ofuna, a prisoner of war (POW) camp outside of Tokyo. Ziemer died of illness due to the conditions in the prison camp on August 2, 1945.
