Ralph Leonard Lab was born on January 3, 1919, in Dover, Tuscarawas County, Ohio. He was the son of Henry Adam Lab and Mary Anne Rieger Lab. He served in the 533rd Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Sergeant and Top Turret Gunner/ Flight Engineer of B-17F #42-37719 nicknamed "Hellcat" during World War II.

On January 11, 1944, “Hellcat” took part in a major bombing mission targeting German aircraft factories at Oschersleben. This mission was part of the strategic Allied effort to destroy Germany’s aircraft production capability. During the mission, the bomber encountered heavy German anti-aircraft fire (flak), which severely damaged the aircraft and knocked out three of its engines. With the aircraft critically damaged and unable to maintain flight, the crew attempted to escape the combat zone and head toward Allied-controlled territory. However, the extensive damage made it impossible for the aircraft to return safely to England. The pilot ultimately ditched the bomber in the IJsselmeer (then called the Zuiderzee), near Enkhuizerzand in the Netherlands. The crash resulted in heavy loss of life. Of the ten crew members aboard, nine were killed in action, while one survived and was captured after being rescued by Dutch fishermen. The bodies of several crew members were never recovered, and their remains stayed with the wreckage at the bottom of the lake for decades.

Sgt Lab was Killed in Action and his remains were never recovered. His name is memorialized in the Tablets of the Missing in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands. He also has a cenotaph in the Saint Joseph Calvary Cemetery, Dover, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, https://b17flyingfortress.de, weremember.abmc.gov