Lt. Ramon Nogales Flores – Born May 31st, 1918, in High Rolls, NM
Ramon Flores was the first child of Donaciana (Chana) Nogales Flores and Manuel B. Flores. During this period, they lived with Chana’ parents in High Rolls, NM. Ramon went to the local grammar school and attended Alamogordo high school.
In 1942, Ramon was accepted to the Army Pilot Cadet training program to become a 4-engine bomber pilot. By late 1943 Ramon was in the Army Air Forces Training Command in Roswell, NM learning how to fly B-17 Flying Fortresses. In May 1944, 2nd Lt. Ramon N Flores and his assigned bomber crew was shipped off to England to join the 8th Air Force. They were assigned as a B-17 “replacement” crew for the 332nd Bomb Squadron which was one of four bomb squadrons which made up the 94th Bomb Group, stationed at Bury St. Edmunds, England.
Lt. Ramon Flores and his crew’s first mission was on 22 Jun 44 against a railyard facility near Nucort, France. The Allied armies in Normandy were having a difficult time advancing on Wehrmacht positions from Caen to Saint-Lo in France. The 8th Air Force bombers continuous attacked supply chain positions (railroads, fuel dumps, key road intersections) in Northern France to prevent troops and supplies from re-enforcing German positions in Normandy. So, five of the next six missions flown by Ramon and the crew were against German positions in northern France. On 11 July the 94th bomb group returned to bombing strategic locations in Germany.
Munich, Germany 11 Jul 44, Today the 8th Air Force would launch 1,176 B-17 and B-24 bombers to targets around the Munich area. It was a sight to behold for Lt. Flores and his crew, hundreds of bomber and fighter formations all heading to the same area! The German anti-aircraft fire (called flak) over the target was moderate to intense and no enemy fighters were encountered. By this period of the 8th Air Force bombing campaign on German war factories and military infrastructure, the bombers had American fighter escorts protecting them to the deepest targets in Germany. Lt Ramon Flores and the rest of the bombing formation were able to release their bomb ordnance on the target. Good mission with all 94th BG formations returning to base with no losses.
Regensburg, Germany 21 Jul 44, Today’s mission was to the industrial area of Regensburg, Germany. The specific target for the 94th BG was a Messerschmitt aircraft factory. During the bomb run over Regensburg the flak shells were exploding all around Ramon’s formation (12 bombers per attack formation). The B-17 flying in front of Lt. Ramon Flores suddenly staggered from a flak shell hitting its right wing. The stricken B-17, piloted by Lt Kenneth Gregg, with engines on fire rapidly dropped from the formation. Ramon and his crew had witnessed fellow crew members being “blown out of the sky”. Lt Kenneth Gregg and his entire crew were killed.
Merseburg, Germany, Leuna Oil Complex – 28 Jul 44 - As the formations approached the “initial point” to start the bomb run all hell broke loose. The flak explosions started and quickly became intense, surrounding the bombers with continuous flak explosions, and there was nothing the airmen could do but sweat and “hang on”. Ramon saw the sky covered with black and red explosions, and his B-17 was flying through the center of this gantlet. It was by far the most intense flak storm these airmen had ever experienced. Somehow Lt Flores’s B-17 survived the bomb run with no injuries and returned to base.
August 1944 was very busy for Ramon and the crew. They completed 12 missions over enemy territory and the crew began to realize that they may possibly complete the required 35 mission and make it out alive. They also knew that the level of stress would become much greater as they got close to the last missions.
Ramon Flores had transition from working at a movie theater in Alamogordo, NM three years ago, to flying a B-17G four-engine bomber, responsible for 8 airmen under the most horrible conditions one could ever imagined. He questioned if he would make it back to his wife Daria and his 3-month son he had never seen.
By the beginning of September, Lt Ramon Flores had completed 26 missions. Nine more missions and his combat tour would be complete. During this month the Lt Ramon Flores crew and the 94th Bomb Group would attack major industrial complexes at Gustavsburg, twice at Bohlen (just south of Leipzig), and Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Bohlen, Germany 11 Sept – As the bomb group was over the target Ramon witnessed a horrible accident involving two of his fellow pilots when the B-17 piloted by 2nd Lt. Merle Green slid over and struck another B-17 in the same formation. The 2nd B-17 was piloted by 2nd Lt. Charles Duda and was rammed near the ball turret causing the B-17 to fracture into two parts! The two sections of the plane dropped from the sky and no parachutes were witnessed. Unfortunately, midair collisions within bomber formations were not uncommon!
Berlin, Germany 6 Oct – Lt Ramon Flores’ B-17 was part of three formations in a group when 30 or more Luftwaffe Fw 190 fighters aggressively attacked. The enemy fighters concentrated on the “high” formation which lagged behind the lead and low formation.
Multiple squadrons of German fighters were able to isolate, swarm and shoot down all of 11 B-17s in the high formation.
Of the 101 airmen on those aircraft, 35 survived and became prisoners of war (POW) and 66 American airmen were killed in action (KIA). The Luftwaffe was still able to inflict major damage to the 8th Air Force over Germany.
Due to very poor weather, Lt Flores and the crew didn’t fly until 30 Oct. On that day the 94th bomb group returned to bomb the oil production facility at Merseburg, Germany. Despite the extreme concentration of flak zones the group sustained minimal damage. On 4 Nov the crews 34th mission was to Hamburg, Germany to bomb railroad facilities.
Saarbrucken, Germany 9 Nov 44 - This was it! Mission number 35 and if they survive, they will complete their tour of combat. The target was Saarbrucken which was on the German French border. Due to heavy cloud cover the 94th formations needed to use “lookdown” radar called Mickey equipment which the lead and “deputy lead” B-17s had on board. As they approached the bomb run it was reported the Mickey equipment on BOTH planes had failed. The formations turned back and returned to England with all bombs still on board.
After landing, the crew was informed that this mission was credited as a sortie! Time to pop the champagne. Lt Ramon Nogales Flores and his crew had completed 35 missions over enemy territory. On 11 November 1944 Ramon was officially removed from combat status and preparations started for him to return to Alamogordo, NM to his young wife, baby boy and a loving family.
Lt Ramon Flores piloted 35 combat missions in a B-17G Flying Fortress against enemy targets.