Name:
Raleigh R. Palmer
Rank:
Second Lieutenant
Serial Number:
O-784758
Unit:
380th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 310th Bombardment Group (Medium)
Date of Death:
1994-05-05
State:
California
Cemetery:
San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery Santa Nella, Merced County, California
Plot:
C-2, 0, 168
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Purple Heart
Comments:
Raleigh Palmer was born on December 1, 1916 and was from California. He was a crew member (Co-Pilot) on the B-25 (43- 27737) “OKLAHOMA BETSIE”, of the 380th Bomber Squadron, 310th Bomber Group, 57th Bomber Wing, when it crashed on April 4, 1945. “Oklahoma Betsie was part of a 12-plane raid to bomb the railroad bridge at Oberdrauburg, Austria. On the return trip, “Oklahoma Betsie” collided with another B-25 (43-27552) “Pretzel”. “Pretzel” crashed immediately with complete loss of life near Monte Zocolan. Three crew members of “Oklahoma Betsie” perished and four became POWs when it crashed nearby in Lovea. A marker near Lovea remembers the crash site of “Oklahoma Betsie. Palmer became a POW after the plane crashed.