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Walter Eppes Dooley

Walter Eppes Dooley

April 29, 2026

headshot photo of Walter Eppes Dooley

Rank: 1st Lieutenant
Branch: Army Air Corps
UT Major/Affiliation: Engineering 1938 – 1941, 2 semesters from completion
Hometown: Knoxville, TN

  • November 4, 1920 – May 14, 1943
  • 1st Lt Army Air Corps
  • Engineering 1938 – 1941, 2 semesters from completion
  • 1938 graduate of Knoxville High School
  • Trained in Biggs Field, Texas
  • 359 Bomber Squadron 303 Bomber Group, 8th Air Force flying out of Molesworth, England
  • Aircraft B-17F with serial number 42-5243 departed from England, and the aircraft failed to return from a bombing mission to Kiel, Germany after their formation was attacked by German fighters.
  • Burial at Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridgeshire, England Tablets of the Missing
  • Marker at Greenwood Cemetery in Knoxville

Walter Eppes Dooley (Nov. 4, 1920 – May 14, 1943) was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. He graduated from Knoxville High School in the class of 1938 before attending the University of Tennessee. As an Engineering student, Dooley was two semesters short of graduating when he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps at the start of 1942. He trained at Biggs Field in Texas where he became an officer in the 359th Bomber Squadron of the 303rd Bomber Group flying B-17 Flying Fortresses. In 1943, the 359th was stationed in Molesworth, England as part of the 8th Air Force. 1st Lieutenant Dooley was flying missions targeting air fields, submarine bases, and other strategic targets against the Germans. On May 14, he and the 359th took part in a bombing mission targeting Kiel, Germany, one of the largest bombing missions by the Allies since the start of the war. After successfully hitting their targets, the 359th were attacked by an estimated forty enemy fighter aircraft. Lt. Dooley’s B-17, serial number 42-5243, failed to return back to the airfield at Molesworth, reportedly shot down over the North Sea. 1st Lieutenant Walter Dooley is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery in Cambridgeshire, England and at Greenwood Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Back to Veterans Memorial Page

Picture of Dooley's flight crew in front of aircraft.
Memorial about missing crew members such as Dooley.
Dooley grave marker

Tennesseans and War

College of Arts and Sciences

217 Hoskins Library
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Knoxville, TN 37996 – 4008

Email: cmagra@utk.edu

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Knoxville, Tennessee 37996
865-974-1000

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