We are currently working on a site-wide upgrade which will be completed in September 2022
You will not be able to search, add or edit information in the American Air Museum archive while this takes place.
You can find out more about our plans here
Military
William H. "Bud" Ritzema
2nd Lt William H. Ritzema :- Air medal award card. 351BG
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bernburg in B-17 42-31612 22-Feb-44; shot down by flak, crew baled out and pilot made a wheels up landing near Aachen. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 2657
Awards: AM, GC, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 351st Bomb Group
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. 5 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Bernburg in B-17 42-31612 22-Feb-44; shot down by flak, crew baled out and pilot made a wheels up landing near Aachen. Suffered chest wound from flak. Baled out. Died on...
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 351st Bomb Group
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bernburg in B-17 42-31612 22-Feb-44; shot down by flak, crew baled out and pilot made a wheels up landing near Aachen. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 2657
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 351st Bomb Group
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bernburg in B-17 42-31612 22-Feb-44; shot down by flak, crew baled out and pilot made a wheels up landing near Aachen. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 2657
Awards: AM, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 351st Bomb Group
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bernburg in B-17 42-31612 22-Feb-44; shot down by flak, crew baled out and pilot made a wheels up landing near Aachen. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 2657
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 351st Bomb Group
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bernburg in B-17 42-31612 22-Feb-44; shot down by flak, crew baled out and pilot made a wheels up landing near Aachen. Suffered chest wound from flak. Baled out. Died on ground from wounds....
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 351st Bomb Group
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. Six combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Bernburg in B-17 42-31612 22-Feb-44; shot down by flak, crew baled out and pilot made a wheels up landing near Aachen. Broke leg on landing. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR...
Military | Major General | Co-Pilot | 351st Bomb Group
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bernburg in B-17 42-31612 22-Feb-44; shot down by flak, crew baled out and pilot made a wheels up landing near Aachen. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 2657
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 351st Bomb Group
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bernburg in B-17 42-31612 22-Feb-44; shot down by flak, crew baled out and pilot made a wheels up landing near Aachen. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 2657
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 351st Bomb Group
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bernburg in B-17 42-31612 22-Feb-44; shot down by flak, crew baled out and pilot made a wheels up landing near Aachen. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 2657
Awards: PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Group
The 351st Bomb Group flew strategic bombing missions from their base at Polebrook, Northamptonshire from April 1943 to June 1945. The Group's most famous member was Hollywood actor Clark Gable, who flew four/ five missions with them as an observer...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Mid Continental Airways Modification Center, Denver 28/11/43; Kearney 17/12/43; Syracuse 2/1/44; Presque Is 4/1/44;
...
Military site : airfield
Polebrook was laid down for RAF Bomber Command use in 1940-1941. Built by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd, it had short runways which were lengthened for USAAF heavy bomber use. The RAF used the base for operational trials - including of B-17 Flying...
Other location
Other location
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Greenville, Michigan, USA | 11 August 1918 |
|
Son of James H and Lorene C [Huelster] Ritzema. |
||
| Enlisted | Kalamazoo, MI | 5 August 1941 |
|
Kalamazoo, Michigan |
||
| Based | Polebrook | 1943 – 22 February 1944 |
|
Assigned to 510BS, 351BG, 8AF USAAF. |
||
| Prisoner of War (POW) | Barth, Germany | 22 February 1944 – May 1945 |
|
Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft I. |
||
| Died | Greenville, MI | 15 June 2005 |
| Buried | Rest Haven Memory Gardens Belding, Ionia County, MI | 18 June 2005 |
|
Rest Haven Memory Gardens |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 09 October 2021 14:42:30 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, nickname, service number, biography, awards, events, person associations, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/28615377 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 October 2021 20:43:56 | Douglas P | Changes to service number and highest rank |
| Sources | ||
351st.org |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 October 2021 20:42:29 | Douglas P | Changes to awards |
| Sources | ||
351st BG website |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 October 2021 20:39:21 | Douglas P | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
James Ritzma (son) |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:28:11 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2657 / MACR 2657, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
||
