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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
Personal info
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