Joseph Bryan Ramsey

Military
media-6380.jpeg UPL 6380 Lowell Watts Crew
388th BG - 562nd BS

Standing Left to Right: Lowell Watts (P), Robert M. Kennedy (CP), Emmett Murphy (N), Edward J. Kelley (B)

Kneeling Left to Right: Joseph B. Ramsey (FE), Raymond Hess (WG), Ivan Finkle (R/O), Robert Sweeney (BTG), Harold A. Brassfield (TG), Donald W. Taylor (WG)

466th BG Historian

Object Number - UPL 6380 - Lowell Watts Crew 388th BG - 562nd BS Standing Left to Right: Lowell Watts (P), Robert M. Kennedy (CP), Emmett Murphy (N), Edward J. Kelley...

On the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G 42-37886 'Blitzing Betsy' was severely damaged by attacks from several FW190s causing it to collide with another 388th B-17, exploding in mid-air and crashing near Emmen, Holland. Prisoner of War.



Ramsey was pinned to the side of the fuselage with Raymond Hess pinned on top of him when the aircraft went into a spin. When the aircraft exploded, Ramsey and Hess were blown clear of the fuselage. Ramsey, though seriously injured was able to open his parachute. Hess was found away from the wreckage with an unopened parachute.

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Units served with

The insignia of the 388th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 388th Bomb Group 562nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16150159
  • Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
  • Role/Job: waist gunner, Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 388th Bomb Group 562nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-742396
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Blitzing Betsy
  • Unit: 388th Bomb Group 562nd Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Timpson, Texas 1 December 1919

Enlisted

Tyler, Texas 14 September 1940

Other

Prisoner of War

Tychowo, Poland 6 March 1944 - 31 May 1945 Stalag Luft IV

Died

Georgetown, Texas 15 September 2003 (09/21/2003) Joe Bryan Ramsey passed away on Monday, September 15, 2003, at the Wesleyan Nursing Home in Georgetown. He was born on December 1, 1919, in Timpson, Texas, and married Margie Lee Lansford on July 29, 1945, in Kilgore, Texas. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corp and served during World War II. He was a former POW in Germany. Mr. Ramsey retired from Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in Austin in 1982. He was an active member of Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Austin. Joe is survived by his wife of 58 years, Margie; and two sons, Ronald L. Ramsey of Colorado and Kevin Bryan Ramsey and wife, Susan of New Mexico; grandchildren, Augustine Ortiz and Allan Ortiz; brother, Bishop Ramsey and wife, Dee; sisters, Willie Vernon Lee and Maxine Hamilton and husband, Delbert. He is also survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and many dear friends. Graveside funeral services were held on Thursday, September 18, 2003, at the Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Cemetery in Pflugerville. For those desiring, memorials are suggested to the Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Austin, Texas.

Buried

Cook Walton Cemetery, Pflugerville, Texas 18 September 2003 Cook-Walden Capital Parks Cemetery and Mausoleum Pflugerville, Travis County, Texas, USA Plot Sec J

Revisions

Date
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
Sources

Chris Brassfield

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3089 / MACR 3089, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

Joseph Bryan Ramsey: Gallery (2 items)