Raymond C. Loll - B29 Bomber Pilot

Raymond C. Loll the son of Francis G. Loll and Elizabeth Hartle was born 1922 in Pennsylvania. On February 20, 1943, at age 21, Raymond enlisted with the Air Corps in Miami Beach, Florida.

Raymond was trained as a B-29 pilot and assigned to the 43rd Bomber Squadron and the 29th Bomber Group designated 'Very Heavy'. The main base for the 29th Bomber group between January 17, 1945 and May 20, 1946 was North Field in Guam. [Reference 1]

Raymond was a member of the The Fritschel Crew.  Records indicate the crews aircraft arrived in Guam February of 1945. The aircraft had a tail number 43-65312. The number on the plane was 0-33. The original name of the plan was Ingrid. The plane was also known as Battlin Boomerang. The city name recorded on the plane was "City of Sweetwater". [Reference 2]

On April 14, 1945 the plane was lost and the crew perished on a Mission to Tokyo.  The members of the air crew present:

• Robert L. Fritschel, Airplane Commander, 1st Lieutenant
• Raymond C. Loll, Pilot, 2nd Lieutenant
• Seymour H. Feigleman, Radar, 2nd Lieutenant
• James N. Wilkerson, Jr., Bombardier, Cpt
• Franklyn C. Wallace, Navigator, 2nd Lieutenant
• John Volpe, Flight Engineer, Sergeant
• Archie L. Smith, Jr, Radio Operator, 
• Marshall B. Wade, Top Gunner, Sergeant
• James R. Snyder, Right Blister, Sergeant
• Wiley S. Munsey, Jr., Tail Gunner, Sergeant

After the plane was lost only two members of the crew were recovered Robert L. Fritschel and Marshall B Wade. Both are buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific also known as the Punchbowl.

A photo of The Fritschel Crew can be viewed at the Prairie Bombers website maintained by the B-29 Museum, Inc. Raymond C. Loll is shown in the back row, second to the left.

The remainder of the crew including Raymond were recorded as Missing in Action or Buried at Sea. Raymond was 23 years old at the time of his death. He was awarded a Purple Heart and an Air Medal for his service. He is also honored in the Tablets of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Memorial Wall, Honolulu, HI 

Raymond C. Loll is my 3rd cousin 2x removed. The common ancestors that link us together are the French immigrants Antoine Loll and Mary Ann (Tehl) (Kehl), my 4th great grandparents.

References:

1. Rickard, J (19 March 2013), 29th Bombardment Group, http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/USAAF/29th_Bombardment_Group.html
2. 29th Bomber Group - http://www.29bg.com/planeinfo.cfm?pid=10
3. B-29 Museum, Inc. - http://prairiebombers.org/eng/Army-Air-Fields/Kansas-AAF/Pratt/29th-BG/43rd-SQ-Original-Crews/Fritschel-Crew 
4. Ancestry.com. Honolulu, Hawaii, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), 1941-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
5. Ancestry.com. WWI, WWII, and Korean War Casualty Listings [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
6. National Archives and Records Administration. World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.