William Ellsworth served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a Major during World War II. The pilot of a B24 Liberator Bomber "Belle Star", he was reported as missing in action on August 8, 1943 near Hankow, China. He had been returning from a bombing mission when his aircraft was shot down by Japanese Zeros. Surviving members of the crew said he had no chance to escape as the plane was on fire.
