Pete Samaniego Villalobos was born December 11, 1920 in Los Angeles, California to Pedro Villalobos and his wife Nieves (Samaniego) Villalobos. His parents were born in Mexico and Texas, respectively. Pete had one younger brother and one younger sister. In 1930 the family was living in Santa Rita, Grant County, New Mexico where his father worked as a laborer in a copper mine. In 1940 Pete was living in Banning, Riverside County, California and working for Southern Pacific Railroad.

Pete enlisted in the US Army Air Forces 27 February 1942 at Los Angeles, California. His enlistment record indicates that he was single and had a grammar school education. After basic training James evidently received aerial gunnery training, and upon completion was assigned as a Staff Sergeant to one of the initial crews of the 349th Bomb Squadron of the 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force, which flew B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers.

The 100th BG was activated 27 October 1942 at Gowen Field, Idaho then moved to Walla Walla Army Air Base, Washington. After receiving crews and aircraft, the group relocated again on 30 November 1942 to Wendover Field, Utah, where it added additional personnel, aircraft, and crews, and began operational training. On 1 January 1943, the aircraft and aircrews moved to Sioux City AAB, Iowa where they assisted in training of other groups bound for overseas. In mid-April 1943, the aircrews moved to Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska and received brand new B-17s. After additional operational training, the group's aircrews departed Kearney on 25 May 1943, flying the North Atlantic route to England, where the group was based at Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk.

On 25 June 1943, the 100th BG flew its first combat mission, sending nineteen B-17s to bomb the U-boat yards in Bremen, Germany. In foreshadowing of dreadful things to come for the group, three aircraft and 30 men did not return from the mission. SSgt Villalobos was a waist gunner aboard B-17F #42-29986 (known as Bluebird “K”) that fateful day. On the way to the target, the unescorted formation of B-17s was not properly assembled, likely due to a combination of the inexperienced crews and poor weather, making it especially vulnerable to attack by enemy fighters. As the scattered formation approached the coast of Germany, SSgt Villalobos’ aircraft was seen to fall out of formation and disappear into the undercast, likely the victim of an enemy fighter. All ten crewmen aboard were either killed by the enemy fighters or perished when the aircraft crashed into the North Sea. No bodies were ever found.

Pete Samaniego Villalobos is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing in the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Cambridgeshire, England.

Thank you SSgt Villalobos for your service and your sacrifice, you will not be forgotten.

Crew of B-17F 42-29986

Pilot, Captain Oran E. Petrich (KIA)
Copilot, 2nd Lt Bluford B. Mullins (KIA)
Navigator, 1st Lt Edward N. Jones (KIA)
Bombardier, 2nd Lt. Stanley Morrison (KIA)
Top Turret Gunner/Engineer, TSgt Max P. Brim (KIA)
Waist Gunner, SSgt Joseph D. Bieu (KIA)
Radio Operator/Gunner, TSgt Edward I. Zerblis (KIA)
Ball Turret Gunner, SSgt Henry H. Rutherford (KIA)
Waist Gunner, SSgt Pete S. Villalobos, Jr. (KIA)
Tail Gunner, SSgt James M. Strong, Jr. (KIA)

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story. SBTSProject/California/Riverside.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at bob.al@storiesbehindthestars.org.

Sources:

1930 United States Federal Census
1940 United States Federal Census
U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
100th Bomb Group Foundation, https://www.100thbg.com/
Missing Air Crew Reports, #269

Pete S Villalobos