William Seelos: WWII POW

 

                                                      William Seelos and "Montana Power"

Granite county demonstrated their patriotic spirit enthusiastically during World War II, just as they had in WWI, and not only lost sixteen of our young men, but had a number captured and held as prisoners of war. William Robert Seelos was one of those brave men. Born to Marie and Sebastian Seelos on May 22,1920 in Philipsburg, he joined his sister Marian and lived the life of a small town boy until his father was killed in a motor vehicle accident on December 21, 1934. This accident happened on what we called “suicide curve’ on Flint Creek Hill and as a child I remember my father pointing out Sebastian’s car mostly hidden by brush far down the steep hillside just west of the hairpin curve, whenever we drove to Anaconda for school clothes. I have to assume William moved into the role of “Man of the House” after this accident and assisted his mother any way he could. 

William enlisted at Missoula, Montana on August 18, 1941 (before America joined the War) as an Aviation Cadet in the Air Corp. He progressed rapidly to becoming a B17 pilot, flying the “Montana Power” and on his 19th mission was shot down when hit with fighter flak on April 3, 1943 while flying to the ERLA Works in Antwerp, Belgium, MACR 15534. William parachuted unto Wuustwezel, north of Antwerp and was immediately captured as a Prisoner of War. He was interned at Stalag Luft I and was liberated at Stalag Luft VIIA (7A) on Moosburg, Germany by Patton’s 3rd Army and returned to Military control on July 6, 1945 He returned home to Philipsburg to spend a long furlough with his mother and after discharge from the Army-Air Corp moved to the Los Angeles, California. 

Of interest, his Philipsburg Mail obituary, May 26, 2005 stated : He died May 16, 2005 in Los Angeles and was 85 years old. He was raised in Philipsburg and attended and graduated locally. He served as a bomber pilot in World War II where he was shot down over enemy territory in Europe and was held as a prisoner of war until the end of WWII. Afterward William moved to L.A. to start a business. He is survived by his wife Mary and many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. At present I have not identified his children.