500600 S/Sgt. Ray F. Fortney US Army Air Force 855 Bomb Sqd. 491st Bomb Group (d.30th Mar 1945) I am the younger brother of S/Sgt Ray F. Fortney who was a tail gunner on the Robert Siek crew, which ditched at sea on Mar 30, 1945. The "Heavenly Body" had been losing altitude constinually on the return trip as one engine was out. When ditching became inevitable, the radio operator sent the word out. An Air-Sea Rescue unit saved only two men from the crew. It was the last aircraft from the 491st to be lost on operations.
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