The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Lieutenant William P. Tanner, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in action against eight or more enemy fighters over the Bay of Biscay, 1 August 1943. Lieutenant Tanner enabled his gunners to inflict serious damage and force one enemy plane to land. With his engine controls shattered and his plane ablaze, he made a crash landing in the sea and helped three of his crew abandon the craft.