William Harrell Nellis

William Harrell Nellis (March 8, 1916 - December 27, 1944) was a United States Army Air Corps First Lieutenant who was killed during the World War II Battle of the Bulge. He flew 70 combat missions and was shot down three times, the last time fatally. Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada is named for him.

Nellis was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico. His family soon moved to Searchlight, Nevada and moved again to Las Vegas, Nevada, when he was 13. He graduated from Las Vegas High School School.

Nellis joined the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps on December 9, 1942 and trained in Albany, Georgia. He was commissioned a flight officer on January 7, 1944. [ [http://www.nellis.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4095 LIEUTENANT WILLIAM HARRELL NELLIS =- nellis.af.mil - Retrieved September 18, 2008] ]

On July 9, 1944 Nellis was assigned to the 513th Fighter Squadron, in support General George Patton's Third Army. On December 27, 1944, flying a P-47, he was shot down by ground fire while strafing a German convoy in Luxembourg. He was too low bail out. Nellis's body was recovered from his wrecked aircraft the following April.

On April 30, 1950, the Las Vegas Air Force Base was renamed in his honor.

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