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name
WHITCOMB, Ralph Hess - Date of
birth
29 January 1922 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Montana -
Hometown
Bozeman, Gallatin County, Montana
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-771183 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
350th Bombardment Squadron,
100th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
31 December 1944 - Place of
death
Landkreis Rothenburg, north of Wehldorf, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 41 | 14 |
Immediate family
-
Members
William O. Whitcomb (father)
Abigail H. Whitcomb (mother)
Olive R. Whitcomb (sister)
Margaret (Mills) Whitcomb (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-38535 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Hamburg, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the Rheunania Ossag oil refinery
MACR: 11357
More information
Ralph H. Whitcomb graduated Gallatin County High School and attended Kinman Business College in Spokane and was a paymaster.He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Portland, Oregon on 11 November 1942. He was commissioned on 12 March 1944, and was married the same day to Miss Margaret Mills.
The aircraft was hit by fighters (FW-190´s) at about 1148. It caught fire (Right wing and inside of nose) and started to go down in a spin about two minutes later. It blew up in the air.
Four crew members were taken prisoner, five were killed. They were initially buried at the community cemetery of Hetzwege.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.ancestry.com, The Independent Record, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.8thafhs.com, www.newspapers.com - The Montana Standard / Arizona Republic
Photo source: Michel Beckers, 100th Bomb Group Association (Facebook 19 October 2024)