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William H. Bilous
| William H. Bilous | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 March 1916 Newark, New Jersey |
| Died | 1995 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Transportation Corps |
| ASN | 01945757 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 16 (6 February – 5 April 1944) |
| Section | 6D |
| Specialty | Aerial photographic interpretation |
| Unit / division | PI Team 135; 103rd / 104th Photographic Intelligence Teams (Pacific) |
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
William H. Bilous (26 March 1916 – 1995) was a U.S. Army photographic intelligence officer. After Camp Ritchie Class 16 he commanded aerial photo teams in the Pacific, including during the Lingayen Gulf / Luzon campaign, and continued Army service through the Korean War era.
Biography[edit | edit source]
William H. Bilous was born in Newark, New Jersey, on 26 March 1916. He enlisted in 1939 and served as a military policeman in the Hawaiian Department, where superiors praised his reliability. In early 1942 he transferred to the 226th Military Police Company at Fort Mason, California, was promoted to corporal (28 March) and sergeant (1 June), then guarded prisoners of war at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation in Pennsylvania.
Commissioned a second lieutenant through Army Administration OCS on 23 June 1943, Bilous returned briefly to Indiantown Gap before orders to Camp Ritchie. He reported on 2 February 1944 for about five months of training focused on aerial photographic interpretation (Class 16; roster PI Team 135), amid a curriculum that by then emphasized specialists rather than generalist intelligence soldiers.
After graduation he staged through Camp Stoneman, California (orders 18 June 1944), and shipped to the South Pacific. Assigned to USAFFE headquarters, he commanded the 104th Photographic Intelligence Team and later both the 103rd and 104th teams supporting the Luzon campaign. His teams helped analyze imagery despite shared aircraft, camera shortages, and developing bottlenecks; they also took part in the Lingayen Gulf landing of 9 January 1945 (Bronze Arrowhead). Bilous was promoted to first lieutenant and, after Japan’s surrender, to captain for efficient leadership of his photo teams.
He returned to the United States aboard the SS Marine Falcon, processed through Fort Dix, and reenlisted. Postwar assignments included MP and prisoner-supervision roles, criminal investigation work in occupied Japan, and photo identification duty in Korea. He retired from the Army in 1959. He died in 1995.
Research notes[edit | edit source]
- Classes 1–31 roster also listed this man as Willian H. Bilous (945757) (Class 16, Transportation Corps, 2nd Lt) — same person as officer ASN 01945757; typo surname spelling "Willian". Duplicate page retired.
- Civilian occupation on import: builder of movie sets.
- Roster lists PI Team 135; Aughinbaugh (drawing on Bilous papers at USAHEC) describes command of the 103rd and 104th Photographic Intelligence Teams in the Pacific.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Technical record[edit | edit source]
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 79 |
| row_source | demographics |
Timeline[edit | edit source]
- 26 March 1916 — Born in Newark, New Jersey.
- 1939 — Enlists; Military Police, Hawaiian Department.
- Early 1942 — 226th MP Company, Fort Mason, California; corporal 28 March; sergeant 1 June.
- 1942 — POW guard duty, Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Pennsylvania.
- 23 June 1943 — Commissioned 2nd Lt (ASN 01945757), Army Administration OCS.
- 2 February 1944 — Reports to Camp Ritchie for aerial photo interpretation training (Class 16 / PI Team 135).
- 18 June 1944 — Orders to Camp Stoneman, California; ships to South Pacific.
- 1944–1945 — Commands 104th (and later 103rd) Photographic Intelligence Team(s); Luzon campaign; Lingayen Gulf landing 9 January 1945 (Bronze Arrowhead).
- Spring 1945 — Promoted to 1st Lt.
- October 1945 — Recommended for / promoted to Captain after Japan’s surrender; returns on SS Marine Falcon; Fort Dix.
- 1945–1959 — Reenlists; postwar MP, Japan criminal investigation, Korea photo identification; retires 1959.
- 1995 — Died.
Sources[edit | edit source]
- Kevin M. Aughinbaugh, “The Castle of Intelligence: Camp Ritchie Maryland and the Military Intelligence Training Center during the Second World War,” The Gettysburg Historical Journal 17 (2018), art. 5 (PDF)
- Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
- Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of William H. Bilous for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Bilous, William H. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: WILLIAM H. BILOUS.doc)