Victor Emerson Fiala was born January 3, 1918 to Mary Kubik and Joseph Adam Fiala in Goodnight, Oklahoma a rural farming community located between the towns of Coyle to the west and Perkins to the east all about 40 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. During the 1930 Census taken 2 April 1930 the family is recorded as living in Iowa Township however that township had been dissolved, now only used for Census purposes.

Victor was born into a large family with eleven brothers and sisters, nine older and two younger. After graduating from Goodnight High School Victor attended Oklahoma A&M, (now Oklahoma State University), Class of 1940, where he was a champion of the swim team and a member of the Acacia Fraternity.

According to the 1940 Census taken on 8 April, Victor was living with his older sister Libbie and her husband William Franklin in Great Bend City, Kansas working as an employee of a local lumber yard. On 1 January 1941 Victor enlisted in what was then known as the Army Air Corps nearly a year prior to the Japanese surprise attack at Oahu, Hawaii. Victor entered service at Oklahoma City and because of his college background was enrolled into the Aviation Cadet program, Army Serial Number 18004555. After basic training and aptitude evaluation Victor began his pilot training starting with Primary training at the Spartan School located near Tulsa Oklahoma. Here he learned the principles of flying and first flight in the schools Fairchild PT-19 aircraft. Upon graduation he progressed to Basic training at Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas operating BT-9 aircraft and then on to Advanced training at Kelly Field also located in San Antonio likely operating AT-6 single engine and AT-7 twin-engine advanced training aircraft.

Upon completion of pilot training Victor was commission a Second Lieutenant, and issued a new Army Serial Number O-427484. Soon after graduation Victor was deployed for duty in Alaska assigned to the Alaskan Air Force soon to be designated the Eleventh Air Force, participating in the early Aleutian Islands Campaign to check the Japanese invasion of these islands starting 3 June 1942. This all occurring at the same time as the publicized Battle of Midway. While serving here Victor was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in early July 1942.

By November 1942 Victor was back in Oklahoma, where on November 3, 1942 he married Beverly W Martin who he had met while both were attending Oklahoma A&M. The ceremony was conducted at the First Baptist Church, Ponca City, Oklahoma. They would have one child together named Victor Emerson Fiala, Jr.

During 1943 Victor was promoted to Captain. His exact station assignment path has yet to be recovered. During late 1943 or early 1944 Victor was assigned to the new B-29 project. On 8 April 1944 combat crew training began for the 499th Bomb Group (VH) at Smoky Hill Army Air Field near Salina, Kansas. Here Victor was assigned his combat crew designated for assignment to the 877th Bomb Squadron, 499th Bombardment Group (VH). In September 1944 the 499th began deployed to the Central Pacific Theatre of Operations and was assigned to 20th Air Force, XXI Bomber Command, 73rd Bomb Wing stationed at Isley Field on Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.

On 9 January 1945, Victor flew as the Airplane Commander (pilot) aboard B-29, Serial Number 42-24665, tail identifier V-Square-4. Victor and his crew had complete 12 missions over the Japanese Empire. According to the Missing Air Crew Report No. 10904 this aircraft was not named. Other sources have recorded this ship as being named "Satan's Sister". It was one of 72 aircraft launched in a multi-group formation to bombard the Musashino Aircraft Works and Nakajima Aircraft Engine Factory near Tokyo, Japan from high Altitude. During this mission the group encountered extremely bad weather en route to the target and the formation was broken up by high winds. While over the target area, Victor’s aircraft experience mechanical difficulties and was forced to ditch in the ocean approximately 322 km / 200 miles south of Tokyo. Last radio contact was at a geographic location of 33°N, 141°E.

The next day and days following several search missions were launched by the 73rd Bomb Wing searching for survivors. No survivors were ever found, all were declared killed in action (KIA) one year later, remains not recovered (RNR).

Capt Fiala and crew of B-29-40-BW S/N 42-24665 are remembered at the Honolulu Memorial in the Courts of the Missing, as well as a few home town cenotaph memorials. The Fiala crew memorials are listed as follows:
Capt Victor E Fiala (AC), ASN: O-427484; cenotaph Hawaii; NOK: Ponca City OK
Capt Victor E Fiala (AC), ASN: O-427484; cenotaph Perkins, OK; NOK: Ponca City, OK
2nd Lt Stanley E Shimanek (P), ASN: O-683597; NOK: Phoenix, AZ
2nd Lt Eugene A Lewis (N), ASN: O-698449; NOK: Lititz, PA
2nd Lt Edward C Kuchenbecker, Jr (B), ASN: O-698443; NOK: Spokane, WA
1st Lt Joseph R O'Grady (E), ASN: O-864754; NOK: Jackson Heights, NY
S/Sgt Jack O Goroeoff (Radio), ASN: 39549177; NOK: Los Angeles, CA
Sgt Edward A Hill (Radar), ASN: 14161445; NOK: Millington, TN
S/Sgt James W Babcock (CFC), ASN: 6583502; NOK: Burbank, CA
Sgt Keith A Matthew (RG), ASN: 39083472; cenotaph Hawaii; NOK: Fresno, CA
Sgt Keith A Matthew (RG), ASN: 39083472; cenotaph Fresno, CA; NOK: Fresno, CA
Sgt Herbert O Stoecker (LG), ASN: 37039808; NOK: Toronto, IA
Cpl Frederick H Converse (TG), ASN: 35544778; NOK: Hillsdale, MI

Contributor: Vindicator I (49013635)