Joseph M. Laratta was born on May 22, 1924, in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia. He enlisted in the service on November 16, 1942. He served in the 20th Bomb Squadron, 2nd Bomber Group, as a Staff Sergeant and Waist Gunner of B-17 #44-6359 during World War II.

On August 29, 1944, the 15th Air Force dispatched the 2nd Bomb Group’s 20th Squadron from Amendola, Italy, to strike oil targets near Moravská Ostrava. As the formation’s rear element crossed the White Carpathians along the Czech–Slovak border, it came under a fierce attack by numerous Luftwaffe fighters, including Bf 109s and Fw 190s. Within about twenty minutes, most of the squadron’s B-17s had been destroyed, an engagement now remembered as the “Air Battle over the White Carpathians.” Among the aircraft lost was B-17G 44-6359 of the 20th Bomb Squadron, 2nd Bomb Group, which was shot down by enemy fighters and crashed near Kašava in the Zlín region of the Czech Republic while heading toward the Ostrava area. Several crew members were killed, others captured, and one succeeded in escaping with local help. In total, the battle claimed 41 American lives and decimated the 2nd Bomb Group’s trailing formation.

SSgt Laratta was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Long Island National Cemetery, East Farmingdale, Suffolk County, New York, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, www.leteckabitvakarpaty.cz