Gile, Ray Jay
Personal Information
Rank | Tech Sgt |
Forename(s) | Ray Jay |
Surname | Gile |
Gender | M |
Age | |
Decorations | Purple Heart |
Date of Death | 25-02-1944 |
Next of Kin |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax III |
Serial Number | LW427 |
Markings | PT-C |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Belgium |
Burial/Memorial Place | Neuville-en-Condroz US Military Cemetery |
Grave Reference | |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 169 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 10601564 |
Service | United States Army Air Force |
Group | 6 |
Squadron | 420 (Snowy Owl) |
Trade | Navigator |
Country of Origin | United States of America |
Other Memorials
Location | Outside former St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Slate Tablet on Memorial Stone |
Memorial Text | In memory of those who served at RAF Croft, 1941-1945 including 420 Sqn RCAF |
Location | Village Green, Tholthorpe, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stone Memorial, inscribed Metal Plaque and Maple Tree |
Memorial Text | A memorial, in English & French, to those Canadians who served at RAF Tholthorpe during WW2, including 420 (RCAF) Sqn |
Location | Former Control Tower, Tholthorpe Airfield, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | A memorial to those Canadians who served at RAF Tholthorpe during WW2, including 420 Sqn |
Miscellaneous Information
Originally joined RCAF under service number R/157466. Transferred to USAAF but continued to fly with RCAF whilst awaiting transfer to USAAF and was killed in action. |
The National Archives
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 24-02-1944 |
End Date | 25-02-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Tholthorpe |
Day/Night Raid | Night (1% moon) |
Operation | Schweinfurt- the first raid on this particular target (the centre of ball-bearing manufacture in Germany). 734 aircraft, 33 losses (4.5%). A new tactic was introduced where the bomber force was split into two waves separated by two hours. The first wave Lost 22 aircraft (5.6%) but the second Lost only 11 (3.2%) of which only 4 were shot down. Poor PFF target marking led to local reports quoting 'nominal damage'. Note that there had been a raid comprising 266 8th Air Force B-17s the night before so it is difficult to attribute damage levels. |
Reason for Loss | Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed neat Ostelheim, Germany |