Ralph J Gaston

Military

On 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

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

Official insignia of the 306th Bomb Group, approved 6 January 1943, and updated 2 October 1951.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Floozy
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 367th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 367th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag 7a, Moosburg

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

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added an association to Stalag 7A per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).

 

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added punctuation to the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.

Date
ContributorHelen
Changes
Sources

306th Echoes July '97

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 27-Nov-2014. Added aircraft association to 41-24494.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 27-Nov-2014. Corrected typo in ditching date year.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

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.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 4-Nov-2014. Mission connection.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 4-Nov-2014. National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 4-Nov-2014. Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 16448; National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

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