Lt. Robert N. Bulloch

Mid-Air Collision, February 12, 1944, Mill Creek, Oklahoma

Lt. Robert N. Bulloch, 25, of Cedar City, Utah, was co-pilot of B-17G, (42-30481), the Ardmore Army Air Field aircraft that was cut-in-two in a mid-air collision near Mill Creek, Oklahoma, February 12, 1944.

Ten crewmembers died at 5:30PM when the aircraft plummeted to earth just north of Mill Creek. One member, Cpl. Joseph (Jack) W. McClanahan, the tail gunner, survived without injury after parachuting from the severed tail section. Other crewmembers included Captain William R. Heck, pilot; Lt. Collins O. Gerstner, 24, Minneapolis, Minnesota;  Lt. Jack L. Rider, 27, Glendale, California; Captain Oswald L. Bernich, 28, Biloxi, Mississippi;  Sgt. Albert  F. Franczyk, 20, E. Vandergrift, Pennsylvania;  Cpl. Anthony T. Casino, 21, Follansbee, W. Virginia; Sgt. Ray N. Wise, 20, Texarkana, Arkansas;  Sgt. Leslie C. Hill, 21. Medford, Oregon and Sgt. John W. Ashba, Jr., 26, Steubenville, Ohio

The 12 planes, in tight formation, were turning and descending from 14,500 feet when the collision occurred under turbulent air conditions. They had been in the air for four-plus hours and were returning to Ardmore Army Air Field, located approximately 15 miles southwest of Mill Creek.

The other B-17F, (42-30752), though severely damaged, landed safely at Ardmore. None of its crew was injured. Several weeks after the accident, the crew was shipped to England, serving with the 8th Air Force. A few days after arriving, the pilot of the surviving aircraft, Lt. Verne H. Lewis, flying as co-pilot with another crew for experience, was shot down, June 14, 1944, and became a prisoner of war. 

Sgt. Edward M. Ragsdale, Radio Operator

Mr. & Mrs. John Paul Ragsdale

In 1944, Sgt. Edward M. Ragsdale, Radio Operator,succumbed to his death by Parachuting from Aircraft, in a "round robin cross-country camera bombing exercise to Wichita, Kansas to Salina, Kansas to Kansas City, Missouri and return to Ardmore, Oklahoma. Sgt. Edward M. Ragsdale was the last to parachute. He was found the next day.

Gary D. Simmons in Southern Oklahoma sent us the following information concerning the death of a WW II Sgt. Edward M. Ragsdale who died in a parachute accident, in Kansas, five months prior to the story that appeared in the  Life Magazine, dated November 20, 1944. There are two other articles of other WW II servicemen who had died following this one.

Note: Picture of Sgt. Edward M. Ragsdale not available. Sgt. Ragsdale’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Paul Ragsdale (on the left), were featured in Life Magazine, November 20, 1944, page 32, along with several other parents who had lost son/s in WWII. At the time of the story, "Families Speak for Their War Dead," a son, Lt. John Paul Jr., had been killed earlier on a bombing mission over Germany. Sgt. Ragsdale had died parachuting in Kansas five-months prior to the story. Another son, 19, was also an Army flier. It is unknown if the remaining son survived the War. Mr. Ragsdale was a veteran of WWI. In the previous month of October alone, 19,183 Americans had died. Roosevelt and Truman had just been reelected as President and Vice-President previous to this issue of Life.

Aircraft B-17F, 42-29929, departed Ardmore, June 14, 1944, at 1130 Central War Time (CWT) on a high-altitude, seven plane formation training flight. They were to fly a “round robin” cross-country camera bombing exercise to Wichita, Kansas to Salina, Kansas to Kansas City, Missouri and return to Ardmore. At the controls were 2nd Lt. Padrial B. Evans, pilot, and 2nd Lt. Harold R. McGahan, co-pilot. When the aircraft was approximately 35-miles south of Salina, near McPherson, Kansas, Number 2 engine began surging and the oil temperature started to rise. After several unsuccessful attempts to correct the performance of the engine, Lt. Evans and Lt. McGahan concurred that they could not maintain speed to keep up with the other aircraft. They lowered the landing gear to signal the leader that they were leaving the formation.

After aborting the formation, they feathered Number 2 engine and headed for Smoky Hill Army Air Base, Salina, approximately 35 miles north. When they were north of Salina, Number 3 engine began detonating badly with smoke coming from the top of the cowling. They reduced the throttle setting but the cylinder head temperature went to 300-degrees. Unable to correct the problem, they attempted to feather the propeller and oil began to come out freely where the smoke had been. The propeller would not feather due to low oil pressure. Lt. Padrial had alerted the crew previously to prepare to go overboard and sounded the alarm to parachute immediately when the engine did not respond. The parachuting was underway, approximately 1410 CWT, five to eight miles north of Smoky Hill Army Air Base.

The aircraft reached Smokey Hill Army Air Base on engines Number 1 and 4 and landed without incident. They were informed shortly that seven of the eight men who parachuted had been found and were being brought by a farmer to the airfield.

Sgt. Edward M. Ragsdale, radio operator, who was last to jump, he wasn’t found on the day of the incident but was located the next day. He was observed to be adjusting his parachute harness by the last man to leave the aircraft. No one saw him jump. Attempts to locate him were hindered by darkness and his body and open parachute were not found until late the next day.

After inspection of Sgt. Ragsdale’s parachute, it was the opinion of the Accident Investigation Committee that the parachute deployed and opened properly after the rip-cord had been pulled. They speculated that since he had the heavy winter flying jacket over the parachute harness and had on heavy bulky gloves, he did not get the rip cord pulled in time for the chute to open fully to break his fall to the ground.

2nd Lt. Leland D. Jewell

[Summary of Death - Jewel Death by Propeller Contact, Galveston Army Air Field. ]

Here is another death of a serviceman, 2nd Lt. Leland D. Jewell, whose death by propeller contact, occurred November 17, 1943, at Galveston Army Air Field.

Waiting in line for takeoff at Galveston Army Air Field, instructor pilot, 2nd Lt. Frank P. Hill and 2nd Lt. Lyle W. Scott, pilot, B-17F, 42-5270, were attempting to make radio contact with B-17F, 42-30599, the aircraft in front of them. This aircraft was holding up take-off of 42-5270 and others behind it. Not able to make radio contact, Lt. Hill asked Lt. Leland D. Jewell, co-pilot, who was standing behind the pilot seat, to go check on the problem with 42-30599. Following the suggestion, Lt. Jewell exited the aircraft through the bombardier’s escape hatch on the left front of the aircraft. In less than two or three minutes, they felt a vibration of Number 2 propeller. Looking out his window, Lt. Scott saw Lt. Jewell lying on the ramp. Lt. Hill, the instructor pilot, immediately cut the ignition, killing the engines and alerted the control tower of the accident. Exiting the aircraft, they found Lt. Jewell had been struck on the right side of his skull and was bleeding profusely from the major wound. The accident happened at approximately 0830 Central War Time.

The ambulance and flight surgeon, Major Leo J. Cogan, arrived quickly. Lt. Jewell had major head injuries requiring hospital service beyond that available at Fort Crockett Hospital, Galveston, where he was first taken. From there, he was rapidly transported to the Scott-White hospital in Temple, Texas where he died.

The Accident Investigation Committee speculated that the accident, based on information from the Flight Surgeon, probably happened thusly: “Lt. Jewell emerged from the hatch with his back toward the nose of the plane while all four engines were idling. While in a crouched position, he is presumed to have turned to the right and was struck on the right side of his head by the tip of one blade of Number 2 propeller. Due to the nature of the accident, no statement of responsibility or recommendation can be made.” Common sense indicates carelessness played a big part in the tragedy.

Death by Friendly Fire

January 16, 1944 - Staff Sergeant Elmo A. Hagen, Gunnery Instructor, dies by friendly fire, on a high altitude formation gunnery training mission over the Bay area, near Galveston, Texas.

2nd Lt. Ryan J. Lancaster’s crew of nine, plus a gunnery instructor in B-17F, 42-30761, took off from Galveston Army Air Field, second in line with six other B-17s from Ardmore Army Air Field. After reaching altitude, they formed up to participate in a high altitude formation gunnery training mission over the Bay area. They were to fire at sleeve towed targets from an echelon “up to the right” stacked formation. Lt. Lancaster’s aircraft was in the Number 2 position off the right wing of the lead aircraft at approximately 10,000 feet altitude.

When the signal was given to fire, all gun positions except the ball and top turrets fired when the towed target was in an advantageous position to their station. When the gunners of 42-30761 had fired approximately 1,000 rounds, the target towing aircraft came in low at a 7 o’clock position passing directly under Lancaster’s aircraft. At this time, Lt. Lancaster felt a pull on the controls and thought his aircraft might have received 50-caliber fire from another aircraft.

In a few minutes, Sgt. Herschell L. Moore, flight engineer, came forward to report that S/Sgt. Elmo A. Hagen, gunnery instructor, had been severely injured from at least one stray bullet. S/Sgt. Hagen, who was shot in the back, had been standing between the ball turret and waist guns. The incident happened approximately 100-miles south of Galveston Army Air Field.
Lancaster immediately left the formation and landed at Galveston at approximately 1805-hours Central War Time (CWT). The aircraft was met by an ambulance and Sgt. Hagen was transported to the Infirmary where he was pronounced dead. It was apparent that he was deceased soon after the bullet struck him.

Lt. Lancaster’s aircraft received at least ten hits to the wing, gas tanks and fuselage; damaging and cutting cables to the rudder and elevator in the central control cable. Gunners in each of the other aircraft in the formation were questioned as to whether they might have been responsible for the accident. No one accepted responsibility for the damage to 42-30761 and death of S/Sgt. Elmo A. Hagen. Since there was no definite proof and no admittance by any of the gunners of the aircraft, the accident was declared to be accidental or due to carelessness.

Lt. Loren Crites, Died April 24, 1944

The 11-member crew of B-17G (42-102786) from Ardmore Army Air Field died, April 24, 1944, at approximately 3:40PM. Lt. Loren Crites, 25, who previously served with the Royal Canadian Air Force, was the assigned co-pilot for the aircraft. He was from Cape Girardeau, Missouri. It is assumed that he was not occupying that position on this flight. An instructor pilot, Lt. Milton Hansberry, 23, who flew with different crews each day, was at the controls.  Lt. Charles H. Boyer, Jr, 27, the assigned pilot of the training crew, was probably flying as co-pilot. It is not known if Lt. Crites was standing behind one of the seats, flying as assigned co-pilot or was elsewhere in the plane. The aircraft had left the base ten minutes earlier with full fuel tanks on a crew indoctrination training flight. This flight was probably the first flight of this aircraft with a training crew. It was delivered new a few weeks earlier and only had 85 hours on the aircraft and engines. The plane was circling the Dornick Hills Golf Course, north of Ardmore, at an estimated altitude of 800 to 1,000 feet, apparently sightseeing. After a few circles, the heavy aircraft exceeded 90-degrees of bank, spun into the ground and burst into flames. Hoping to prevent similar accidents, the base commander, Colonel Donald W. Eisenhart, used this crash as an example of “what not to do” in a heavy aircraft close to the ground.

Ralph D. Johnson & April 22 1966 Crash

Jean Johnson Marston says, "Once in awhile, when I get reflective about my life, I start Googling the date (Friday, April 22, 1966) and location (Oklahoma) of the military plane crash that took my brother's life.

Yesterday, I came upon the American Flyers Memorial Park site, where they asked about a survival list. My brother Ralph D. Johnson, age 19, from Yonkers, New York survived the initial crash but died on Mother's Day, May 8, 1966, 16 days later. There was no feedback of information in those days. No one ever knew he died. So he should not be on the list.

"My parents, Bill and Ann Johnson flew to his bedside at Brooke Army Medical Center. I believe that is part of Fort Sam Houston Medical Center. I only found out about the amazing Memorial Butch Bridges put together about 20 months ago. I have been saving up and plan to visit Oklahoma this Memorial Day. My brother's death shaped my life good and bad. Now with that Memorial, there has finally been closure for me, something to the end of my mother's life, she asked for ... and never had.

"I remember my brother told my Mom, "It was awful." He woke up propped against a tree with a deceased soldier on his lap. It was raining and everything was on fire. There was a wonderful Nurse or maybe a local mother that spent some time with my brother. She wrote some comforting words to our family. I don't remember her name but know that we Thank You!"

WWII - Captain Pierce & Lt. Lester's aircraft 41-34770

"Six B-26 Martin "Marauders" of the 585th Squadron, 394th Bombardment Group, were flying, July 12, 1943, in a loose, three element, two plane formation from MacDill Field, Tampa, Florida to Ardmore Army Air Field, Oklahoma.

The 394th was in the process of moving troops and aircraft to their new assignment. Pilots and crews were flying the 33 aircraft of the 585th, 586th and 587th Squadrons to Ardmore while the support personnel were traveling to Ardmore on two troop trains.

The six aircraft were flying under “radio silence” and visual flight rules at 2,500 feet. Captain Edward B. Saxon was leading the No. 1 element. Captain Shelton H. Pierce and Lt. William M. Lester, co-pilot, were on his left wing and Lt. William T. White, Jr. was on his right wing. Lt. George C. Pinyerd was leading the No. 3 element with Lt. Francis M. Kirby on his left wing.

The planes were to land at DeRidder Army Air Base before proceeding to Ardmore. Prior to their arrival there, Captain Pierce and Lt. Lester's aircraft, 41-34770, and Lt. Pinyerd's plane dropped out of formation. Due to radio silence, Captain Saxon physically signaled them to return to their positions. He checked a short time later and had four planes on his right, assuming they had followed his instructions. When they landed at DeRidder, it was discovered that 41-34770 was missing. The aircraft had crashed approximately 26-miles southeast of Harding Field, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. All seven crew members perished. Accident investigators could not discover the cause of the crash, declaring it "100% undetermined."