Following recent government announcements the museum is currently closed, there is plenty to explore in our online archive.
The American Air Museum is a charity - Find out how you can support us
Military
Orginally assigned with the 92BG at Bovingdon, UK as an Aerial Gunner with the rank of Sergeant. He flew his first mission (and the only one with the 92BG) on 21-Oct-42.
On 4-Jan-43 he was transferred to the 303BG/359BS at Molesworth, UK and promoted to Staff Sergeant. He participated in 24 missions with the 303BG/359BS (See Biography events UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
13-Jan-43 Lille; 23-Jan-43 Lorient; 27-Jan-43 Wilhelmshaven; 4-Feb-43 Hamm; 4-Mar-43 Rotterdam; 6-Mar-43 Lorient; 13-Mar-43 Amiens; 18-Mar-43 Vegesack; 22-Mar-43 Wilhelshaven; 28-Mar-43 Rouen; 31-Mar-43 Rotterdam; 4-Apr-43 Paris; 5-Apr-43 Antwerp; 16-Apr-43 Lorient; 17-Apr-43 Bremen; 14-May-43 Kiel; 15-May-43 Wilhelmshaven; 19-May-43 Kiel; 21-May-43 Wilhelmshaven; 11-Jun-43 Wilhelshaven; 22-Jun-43 Huls; 25-Jun-43 Hamburg; 26-Jun-43 Paris; 28-Jun-43 Beaumont.
AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ DFC/ GC
Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New...
Group
The 92nd Group sometime after arrivial in the UK converted to the role of in-theater combat crew indocrination and training. For this role, the Group traded its B-17F complement and obtained the B-17E, mostly from the 97th BG which was departing for...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F #41-24603 "Green Hornet" [BN-Y], 303BG/359BS was assigned with a combat crew on 10-Sep-42 at Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas then moved to Dow Field, Bangor, Maine 9-Oct-42; Arrived at Molesworth, UK on 22-Oct-42.
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned to the 359BS/303BG [BN-R] Bangor 22-Sep-42; Molesworth 22-Oct-42; First 8th Air Force aircraft to complete 50, then 75 missions- 27-Mar-44; with M/Sgt Buford Pafford as crew chief; 1 Base Air Depot, Burtonwood 5-Jun-44; Reconstruction Finance...
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 41-24609 'Holy Mackerel' assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-Q] Bangor 3-Oct-42; Molesworth 22-Oct-42. On 23-Nov-43 the aircraft flown by Maj. George L. Robinson was the lead aircraft of the 303BG formation in the attack on the U-Boat Pens at St. Nazaire,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-O] New Castle 6/10/42; Molesworth 21/11/42. Flown by Captain William R. Calhoun on the 4 May 1943 mission to the Ford and General Motors works, Antwerp, Belgium, with Clark Gable on board for his first mission (slightly damaged...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 6/10/42; New Castle 19/10/42; Assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-U] Molesworth 1/2/43; battle damaged Bremen 28/11/43 with Harry Bolsover, Co-pilot: Chas Rice, Navigator: Byron Clark, Bombardier: Chas McLain, Flight engineer/top turret gunner:...
21 October 1942
German U-Boat pens are Lorient, France are the Primary (P) targets for this mission along with the German airfield at Cherbourg, France. 93BG despatches 24-B-24s to Lorient, but cloud cover prevents them from bombing. The main attack force to Lorient...
13 January 1943
The primary target for this mission is the Atclier d'Hellemmes locomotive works, associated steel works and the railroad marshalling yards at Lille, France. The attacking force is composed of 72 B-17s from: 91BG (13); 303BG (19); 305BG (23) and 306BG ...
23 January 1943
The port area and U-Boat pens at Lorient, France are the primary target for this mission. 305th Bombardment Group is selected as the lead group, but condensation on the bombsight of the lead aircraft in the Group prevents the 305BG from bombing Lorient...
27 January 1943
First successful attack by 8th Air Force into Germany. The 306th Bomb Group gets the distinction of being the first American Bomb Group to drop bombs on Germany. O Original target was Vegesack but clouded over. Col. Frank Armstrong lead the group. Two...
2 February 1943
All six 8th Air Force Bomb Groups operting from Great Britain are ordered on a mission to bomb the marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany. 61 B-17s and 22 B-24s are despatched but the formation runs into severe weather over the North Sea and the mission in...
4 February 1943
The marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany are again designated as the primary target for this mission follwing the abortive attempt of 2-Feb-43. However, weather and extreme cold frustrate this operation also. The main attacking force consists of 65 B-17s...
Military site : airfield
Bovingdon, in Hertfordshire (often confused with Bovington, Dorset), was built in 1941-42 as a bomber station but was never developed into a fully-fledged heavy bomber airfield as it did not have the required 2,000 yard runway.
...
Military site : airfield
Molesworth was one of the early stations used by the Eighth Air Force in the UK, first occupied by the 15th Bomb Squadron’s Douglas Bostons in June 1942. Built in 1940 and extended and improved in 1942, Molesworth is most associated with the 303rd...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Roanoke, Virginia | 18 March 1920 |
| Mission #1, SGT Ralph B. Adams - 92BG | Cherbourg, France | 21 October 1942 |
|
Served as an Aerial Gunner on this mission to bomb the German airfield at Cherbourg, France. Historcally listed as being flown by the 11th Combat Crew Replacement Center which would was operated by the 92BG. |
||
| Transferred to 303BG/359BS | Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 4 January 1943 |
|
Transferred to the 303BG/359BS at Molesworth, UK as an Aerial Gunner and was promoted to Staff Sergeant. |
||
| Mission #2, SSGT Ralph B. Adams, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS | Lille, France | 13 January 1943 |
|
Served as the Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the Lille Fives Locomotive Works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
||
| Mission #3, SSGT Ralph B. Adams, w/B-17F 42-5177, 303BG/359BS | Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 |
|
Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 42-5177 "Fast Worker II", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. RTB OK. |
||
| Mission #4, SSGT Ralph B. Adams, w/B-17F 41-24609, 303BG/359BS | Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 27 January 1943 |
|
Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24609 "Holy Mackerel", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the naval facilities and U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. RTB OK. |
||
| Mission #5, SSGT Ralph B. Adams, w/B-17F 41-24635, 303BG/359BS - Aborted | Hamm, Germany | 2 February 1943 |
|
Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24635 "Eight Ball II", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK. |
||
| Mission #6, SSGT Ralph B. Adams, w/B-17F 41-24605, 303BG/359BS | Osnabrück, Germany | 4 February 1943 |
|
Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24605 "Knockout Dropper", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas of Osnabruck, Germany. RTB OK. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 06 January 2020 18:27:35 | jmoore43 | Changes to awards |
| Sources | ||
Added the awards listed in his description section. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 March 2017 19:40:38 | SavvyGA | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Spelling amended |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 March 2016 17:59:18 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 15-Mar-2016. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 4-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/014.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 March 2016 17:56:23 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 15-Mar-2016. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 2-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/013.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 March 2016 17:51:41 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 15-Mar-2016. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 237-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/012.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 March 2016 17:45:03 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 15-Mar-2016. Made connections to Aircraft 41-24605, 41-24609, 41-24635 and Missions of 27-Jan-43, 2-Feb-43 and 4-Feb-43 per 303BG wesbsite, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Reports of dates stated: http://www.303rdbg.com/ |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 December 2015 22:34:12 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 17-Dec-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 December 2015 22:26:03 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 17-Dec-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 December 2015 22:17:56 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 17-Dec-2015. Added Transferred to 303BG event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Personnel Roster: http://www.303rdbg.com/ |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 December 2015 22:13:48 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 17-Dec-2015. Added Mission #1 based on content of Summary Biography and added description base on my database of 8th Air Force missions. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 December 2015 22:05:58 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography, unit associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 17-Dec-2015. Edited Summary Biography with assignment to 303BG/359BS and promotion to Staff Sergeant; converted dates in the mission list to USAAF military-style signification DD/MM/YY; made connections to 303BG aircraft and confirmed missions. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:21:45 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self, http://303rdbg.com/rost-ab.html">http://303rdbg.com/rost-ab.html> |
||
