The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to First Lieutenant (Air Corps) William Saunders Buttfield (ASN: 0-818592), United States Army Air Forces, for gallantry in action against the enemy in an aerial flight while serving with the 6th Bombardment Squadron, 29th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), TWENTIETH Air Force, on 7 April 1945. Lieutenant Buttfield was an Airplane Commander of a B-29 Superfortress flying from a base in the Mariana Islands against the Mitsubishi aircraft engine plant, the largest factory in the Japanese Empire, at Nagoya, Japan. As the formation assembled off the Japanese coast approximately seventy-five enemy fighters joined in attacks to prevent assembly. As the formation approached the initial point, intense and deadly accurate enemy anti-aircraft fire enveloped them. Lieutenant Buttfield maintained his position as deputy leader while the formation, despite the extreme opposition, stayed straight and level to obtain maximum accuracy on the long treacherous bombing run. Approximately one minute before bombs away, Lieutenant Buttfield’s airplane suffered a direct hit which knocked off about eight feet of the left wing tip. In that critical moment, he did not salvo his bombs in the fear that the entire formation would drop their bombs with him. His wing went down and the aircraft swerved toward the lead B-29. Although the controls were ineffective due to the heavy bomb load and damaged wing, Lieutenant Buttfield skillfully chopped back his throttles and managed to lift the nose enough to just barely miss taking the lead plane down with him. This highly skillful maneuver put Lieutenant Buttfield’s aircraft over on its back and into a spin. Fire broke out and the plane crashed in flames. The heroic act at this critical time not only saved another bomber, but prevented the mission from being a complete failure. The formation dropped their bombs on the objective, and other formations already on the deadly approach devastated the target. Final damage assessment showed this large, extremely vital plant to be ninety-four percent destroyed. Lieutenant Buttfield’s gallantry in this heroic act greatly contributed to this stunning blow on the enemy’s ability to wage war. (Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Bobby J. Butner (ASN: 0-703130), United States Army Air Forces, for