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Military
Navigator 2LT Rollin P. Ball, 324th Bomb Sq, 91st BG, survived the ditching of his ship, B-17F 41-24464 "Excalibur" (coded OR-J, borrowed from the 323rd Bomb Sq) returning from the 4 March 1943 mission to Hamm. Less than three months later he would be declared MIA; returning from the 21 May trip to Wilhelmshaven aboard B-17F 41-24515 "Jersey Bounce" with LT Phillip S. Fischer & crew, they would disappear over the North Sea; no trace was ever found.
These are four of seven survivors of an 8AF Flying Fortress [ B-17F 41-24464 "Excalibur" coded OR-J ] which crashed in the North Sea on its way home from a bombing mission over Germany 4-Mar-43. They are, L to R: 1st Lt Robert F Brubaker, [ Clearwater, Fla ]. Bombardier; T/Sgt. William G G Dickson waist gunner, T/Sgt Edwin L Barber tail gunner, Navigator 2nd Lt Rollin P Ball. They are stood in front of B-17 41-24485 'Memphis Belle'. NARA Ref 342-FH-3A09113-56500AC.
Navigator 2nd Lt. Rollin P. Ball, 324th BS, 91st BG, survived the ditching of his ship, B-17F 41-24464 "Excalibur" returning from the 4 MAR 1943 mission to Hamm. Less than three months later he would be declared MIA; returning from the 21 MAY 1943 trip to Wilhelmshaven aboard B-17F 41-24515 "Jersey Bounce" with Lt. Phillip S. Fischer and crew, they would disappear over the North Sea; no trace was ever found.
Headstone for 2nd Lt. Rollin P. Ball in the Netherlands American Cemetery. Name is also included in Tablets of the Missing.
2nd Lt. Rollin P. Ball, Navigator, 324th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group
Rollin Ball, Navigator, 41-24464 "Excalibur" and 41-24515 "Jersey Bounce" 324th BS, 91st BG
Rollin Ball, Navigator, 41-24464 "Excalibur" and 41-24515 "Jersey Bounce" 324th BS, 91st BG
Rollin Ball, Navigator, 41-24464 "Excalibur" and 41-24515 "Jersey Bounce" 324th BS, 91st BG
Rollin Ball, Navigator, 41-24464 "Excalibur" and 41-24515 "Jersey Bounce" 324th BS, 91st BG
2LT Rollin P. Ball was Navigator on two differentt B-17s that were lost.
On 4-Mar-43 in B-17F #41-24464 "Exbalibur" 91BG/324BS while serving as Navigator the aircraft sustained damage from fighter attacks and was forced to ditch 40 miles west of Texel Island, Holland. He was rescued by a Royal Navy destroyer after spending seven hours in a life raft and Returned to Duty (RTD) He was incorrectly listed on the report as 'Roland P. Ball'
Killed in Action (KIA) on 21 May 1943 in B-17F #41-24515 'Marie Jane', 91BG/324BS while serving as Navigator. The aircraft sustained damage from AA fire and crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 3458
Air Medal, Purple Heart w/ OLC
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Assigned to 324BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. Killed in Action (KIA) on 4-Mar-43 in B-17 41-24464 'Excalibur', 91BG/324BS while serving as Pilot. Aircraft was ditched into North Sea 40 miles west of Texel Island, Holland after repeated fighter attacks. Plane...
Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated at Harding Field, Louisiana on 15-April-1942 and went to MacDill Field, Florida for the first phase of training from 16-May-1942 to 25-June-1942. The Group was then assigned to 2nd Air Force at Walla...
Squadron
Home of the Memphis Belle
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 367BS/306BG Westover 17-Aug-42; Thurleigh 13-Oct-42; transferred 324BS/91BG [DF-J] Bassingbourn 20-Feb-43; Missing in Action (MIA) 2m Hamm 4-Mar-43. Shot down by Lt Kostler (IV/NJG1) in Me 110, KO’d #1 & #3, oil pouring away before #4 was...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 324BS/91BG [DF-H] Bangor 2-Sep-42; Bassingbourn 26-Sep-42; Missing in Action (KIA) 24+m Wilhelmshaven, Germany 21-May-43. Aircraft sustained damage from flak & enemy aircraft, crashed into the North Sea, 10KIA Missing Air Crew Report 3458 ...
4 March 1943
After several weather-caused aborted attempts in attacking the marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany, the 8th Air Force is finally successful in attacking this target. A total of 71 B-17s are despatched: 91BG (20); 303BG (18); 305BG (12) amd 306BG (21)....
21 May 1943
The German naval and port facilities at Wilhelmshaven and Emden, Germany are the two primary targets for this mission. Once again, there is a two-fold strategic objective: entice the Luftwaffe to commit its fighter forces; and further degrade the naval...
Military site : airfield
Now home to a museum all about the aifield and its USAAF residents (http://www.towermuseumbassingbourn.co.uk/) , Bassingbourn opened in 1938 as part of the RAF's pre-war expansion programme. The RAF continued to use it until late in 1942 when its long...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Talbot City, Maryland | 3 April 1905 |
| Rescued | Texel, Netherlands | 4 March 1943 |
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Rescued from the North Sea by a Royal Navy destroyer when his aircraft B-17F 41-24464 was forced to ditch because of battle damage from fighter attacks. |
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| Killed in Action (KIA) | North Sea | 21 May 1943 |
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Killed when his aircraft B-17F 41-24515 sustained damage from AA fire and crashed into the North Sea. |
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| Commemorated | Netherlands American Cemetery, AM Begraafplaats 1, 6269 NA Margraten | 1945 |
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Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Netherlands American Cemetery. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 23 February 2022 21:59:47 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Removed some punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 July 2016 15:56:24 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
Associated media from http://www.findagrave.com |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 June 2015 21:37:27 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 23-Jun-2015. Added note to Summary Biography concerning service on two aricraft. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 June 2015 21:08:32 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to service number, biography, awards, events, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 23-Jun-2015. Added Decorations and Commemorated event per American Battle Monumnet Commission (ABMC) records; made connections to Place and both Aircraft and both Missions within existing website data and MACR 3458; Added Rescued event and edited Summary Biography based on "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:24:27 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3458 / MACR 3458, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I p.87, p. 128 by Bishop and Hey / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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