William W. Bartling was born in 1914 and hailed from Middletown, Indiana.
He was the Flight Leader in the 1st Squadron of the AVG and an Ace credited with 5 victories. After the AVG disbanded, Bartling stayed in China and flew for the CNAC from 1942-1945 but it is not known how many missions he had over The Hump. Bill returned the the US in 1945 and, along with Robert Prescott and 8 other AVG pilots, was an original investor with the new cargo airline that was to become the Flying Tiger Line. Although he didn’t fly for the new fledgling airline, Bartling was a Vice President and involved in flight operations.
Bill Bartling passed away November 19, 1979.