Joseph Bryan Ramsey
Military388th 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
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.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- 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
- Site type: Airfield
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
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