Name:
Robert James Ball
Rank:
Staff Sergeant
Serial Number:
13200525
Unit:
565th Bomber Squadron, 389th Bomb Group
Date of Death:
1991-10-26
State:
Cemetery:
Seattle, Washington
Plot:
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal w/3OLCs.
Comments:
Born 2 October 1925. Entered the service on 26 October 1943. He was the nose turret gunner of the B-24 “King Size, 42-50612, which took off from Hethel Airbase in England on a mission to bomb an industrial zone in Wahlen-Kall, Germany. After successfully dropping their bombs, the King Size was attacked by German fighters and went into a spin and started burning. This caused them to fall behind their formation, and they were attacked again and crashed. Of the crew of nine, only two survived. Ball successfully bailed out and was picked up by an American patrol. He survived the war though suffered from PTSD.