Ralph J Gaston
MilitaryOn 9 November 1942 assigned target U/B at St. Nazaire, France. On return, crashed into field beyond runway in B-17 #41-24494.
Shot down 18 November 1942 in B-17 #41-24474 'Floozy' while serving as Pilot. Aircraft ditched 2 miles of the Ile d'Oussant on the tip of the Brest Peninsula, France. Prisoner of War (POW).
Prisoner of War (POW) at Stalag Luft 7 from Dec 1942-29 Jan 1945; moved to Stalag Luft 7A 05 Feb 1945 to 29 Apr 1945.
POW
He died 8 November 1996 in Knoxville, TN but lived a number of years in Hawaii.
Connections
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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
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 18 November 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag 7a, Moosburg
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Bedford
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
24 October 1924 | ||
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Moosburg, Germany | 18 November 1942 - 9 July 1945 | Held at Stalag 7A, Moosburg, Bavaria. Officially Returned to Military Control 9-Jul-45. |
Other Ditched |
Ushant, France | 18 November 1942 | Managed to exit the aircraft when he ditched it into the sea. |
Revisions
Added an association to Stalag 7A per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Lee Cunningham 27-Nov-2014. Added aircraft association to 41-24494.
Lee Cunningham 27-Nov-2014. Corrected typo in ditching date year.
Lee Cunningham 27-Nov-2014; Rearranged description to chronological order of events; added ditching event and location per "Losses of the 8th & 9th AIr Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE; made aircraft association per MACR 16448.
Lee Cunningham 4-Nov-2014. National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database.
Lee Cunningham 4-Nov-2014. Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 16448; National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs by Hey and Bishop pp.45-46