Julian V. Ronder served in the 826th Bomber Squadron, 484th Bomber Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Bombardier of B-24 #42-51882 during World War II.

On February 20, 1945, 2Lt Orgene V. Colvin and his crew took off from Torretto Airfield in the Foggia Complex, Italy, as part of a mission to bomb the marshalling yards at Bolzano. During the attack, their B-24 was struck by six direct hits of enemy flak in the waist section. The blasts ripped the fuselage apart just behind the bomb bays, tearing the aircraft in two. The ball turret broke away and fell, while the forward section, still carrying its bombs, plunged into a dive, ignited near the ground, and exploded against the side of a mountain. The toll was devastating: four crewmen were killed instantly by the flak. Two others died when their parachutes failed to open, and three more perished later from exposure or starvation after bailing out. Only the pilot survived and was taken as a prisoner of war.

2Lt Ronder was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, Florence, Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Toscana, Italy.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, 484th.org/index.htm, weremember.abmc.gov