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One In A Thousand
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In early November of 1944 during a briefing in Columbia, South Carolina, just prior to being sent overseas, we were informed that we'd be flying the new and improved B-25J's. These new bombers had all electrical systems which included two separate bomb releases, one on each side of the airplane (no more manual release for emergency back-up). Someone asked "what if both systems fail?" The speaker answered, "There is a one in a thousand chance of this happening. That's why we put them on different sides of the plane." |
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Above is the actual notice that was posted in the small town paper where Vic's wife and newborn daughter lived. |
Well, this DID happen to myself and my crew on our plane. So, I guess WE were the "one in a thousand." It was my 39th mission, on March 30th of 1945, and our target was the ORA rail bridge, in the Brenner Pass of Northern Italy. We got hit by anti-aircraft fire over the target which damaged one engine, and the electrical systems with a full bomb load. Since we could not jettison our bombs, we attempted to fly our plane back to friendly skies. From the area over the Brenner Pass, we were able to get as far as Venice, Italy, where the entire crew bailed out. Unfortunately, we were all captured, and taken prisoner that same day. Believe it or not, we were all forced to hike almost 200 miles back up the Brenner Pass to a German Prison camp in Mooseberg, Germany where our home was Stalag 7A for the remainder of the war. Thankfully, it was liberated by Patton's troops sometime in late May of 1945.
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Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, young men were eager
to enlist and fight for their country. So, in the spring of 1942, Victor
not yet 21 had to take the enlistment papers to his father to be signed,
but his dad refused. Being persistent and having the strong desire to
become a pilot, he again approached his father in the summer of 1942.
At this time, he told his father that he wasn’t going to leave until
he agreed to sign the papers, and if he chose NOT to sign them, then he
would forge his signature. Manuel Ramirez finally agreed to sign the enlistment
papers. In September 1942 Victor enlisted in the reserve corps, and waited
for an opening in the cadet training program.
In March 1943, he was accepted to begin preflight training in Santa Ana, California, but during the physical it was determined that he was under the minimum weight necessary for his height. So, prior to arriving in Santa Ana, Victor ate large quantities of bananas and milk in effort to add the extra pounds needed. Next, was primary training at Hemet Field, California were he trained in a PT-21. His basic training continued at Marrana Field, a base located outside Tucson, Arizona, where he moved up to a BT-13. Advance training was in Marfa, Texas where he flew his first twin-engine aircraft, an AT17, and experienced the coldest weather ever. In January, he graduated with the class of 44A, and was assigned to B-25 training at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, California.
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While on a weekend leave, he attended a dance at the Memorial Auditorium where he met Mary Olivas, his future wife. During their courtship, to impress his new girlfriend’s mother, he and his co-pilot Charles Raney (who was later the best man at his wedding), buzzed the main street in Lincoln, California with a B-25. Shortly after their marriage in April of 1944, he was reassigned to Colombia, South Carolina where he was introduced to the men that would comprise his crew, Naron, Wilkerson, Jackson, Shipley, and Newson. During their training at Colombia, they flew several different models of the B-25 (H, C and D). It was at this time, they were informed of the new and improved B-25J model, which is the basis of the “One In A Thousand” story found elsewhere on this web page. Also, during this time, he found |
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out that his wife was expecting
their first child which made leaving the states even more traumatic.
The port of embarkation was in Newport News where he departed U.S.
soil aboard a Liberty Ship in route to the Mediterranean theater,
because the new B-25J’s were not yet available to the Air Force.
Consequently, Vic was disappointed because he wasn’t able to
fly his B-25overseas, which would have included a stop-over in Brazil
where he had plans to buy “jodhpurs”, an ankle-high boot
fastened with |
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| a strap. Instead, Thanksgiving of 1944 was a delicious dinner complete with all the trimmings enjoyed on the high seas of the Atlantic. The first European stop was in Naples, Italy where he boarded a transport to Corsica, and was assigned to the 488th Squadron on December 9th. | 1 Jan 1945 "8B" Palozzolo RR Bridge Crew from left to right: Charlie Kirklowski, Jerry Rosenthal, Vic Ramirez, Norm Rosenthal, and Snake Miller, (Fready Bouttle-missing) |
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