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Personal info

Full name
RAMELOT, George Henry
Date of birth
8 January 1917
Age
26
Place of birth
East St. Louis, St. Clair County, Illinois
Hometown
St. Clair County, Illinois

Military service

Service number
O-735923
Rank
Second Lieutenant
Function
Bombardier
Unit
550th Bombardment Squadron,
385th Bombardment Group, Heavy
Awards
Purple Heart

Death

Status
Killed in Action
Date of death
28 July 1943
Place of death
North Sea, off Heligoland, Germany

Grave

Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
Plot Row Grave
A 31 1

Immediate family

Members
Frank P. Ramelot (father)
Rose (Helig) Ramelot (mother)
William L. Ramelot (brother)
Frank C. Ramelot (brother)
Lucille M. Ramelot (sister)
Margaret J. (Hamilton) Ramelot (wife)

Plane data

Serial number
42-30285
Data
Type: B-17F
Destination: Oschersleben, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Focke Wulf aviation industry
MACR: 189

More information

2nd Lt George H. Ramelot attended was a statistician.

He volunteered for the Army Air Corps on 16 May 1942 in St. Clair, Illinois.

Airplane 42-30257, 42-3316 and 42-30285 were flying in an echelon on a combat mission. Off Heligoland, at a time when visibility was poor, ship 30257 was struck by flak at a point in the fuselage about where the Navigator sits. Part of the fuselage was blown away, and the plane was thrown up into ship 42-3316. These two planes locked together for probably 30 seconds and fell into ship 42-30285. All went down together and blew up.

The plane was split into two just behind the pilot's and co-pilot’s seats. The co-pilot (2nd Lt Henry A. Wilczyk) and the pilot (1st Lt John H. Noel) went out an opening, after the collision. They fell in the North Sea about 50 miles northwest of the Frisian Island Chain. Both were picked up 6 hours later by a German patrol plane. The other eight crew members were killed.

The body of 2nd Lt. George Ramelot was found on the German coast.

Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Astrid van Erp, Stephen E. Jenkins, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com – MACR , www.ancestry.com – Headstone and Interment Record / Enlistment Record / Montana County Marriage, www.findagrave.com, WWII Draft Card

Photo source: Peter Schouteten - www.findagrave.com, Stephen E. Jenkins