Virgil Wayne Register was born on February 12, 1924, in Tennessee. He was the son of William Moody Register and Ada Mae Graft Register. He served in the 603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Waist Gunner of B-17 #43-38671 nicknamed ''Lehner's Raiders'' during World War II.

On November 21, 1944, Lehner’s Raiders participated in a bombing mission targeting the synthetic oil plant in Merseburg, Germany. After completing the bombing run, the formation was attacked by German fighter aircraft. Lehner’s Raiders sustained critical damage during this engagement and crashed near Zimmernsupra, close to Erfurt, Germany. Tragically, four crew members were killed in action; the remaining five crew members survived and were captured by German forces, becoming prisoners of war.

SSgt Register was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Arlington Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, Maury County, Tennessee, USA. Virgil W. Register's name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 3 (right), on Butterfly 23, in the top left wing (section A).

Source of information: www.americanairmuseum.com, www.398th.org