Merlyn Dale Rukes
Military ROLL OF HONOURFrom his Great Nephew Bryan Rukes via the Fans of the B17 Flying Fotress Facebook page
Shot down 3 January 1943 in B-17F 41-24526 "Leapin Liz" while serving as Tail Gunner. Target was U/B yards (submarines) at St. Nazaire, France. Killed in Action (KIA). Participated in 7 Operations - 2 Aborts (See Biography events)
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Leapin Liz
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Sky Wolf
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hellcat Agnes : No Monkey Business
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 3 January 1943
- Date: 20 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 12 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 6 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 23 November 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
El Reno, Canadian County, Oklahoma, USA | 26 May 1920 | |
Other Mission #1 S/SGT Merlyn Dale Rukes w/41-24562 |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 17 November 1942 | Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24562 "Sky Wolf" on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #2 S/SGT Merlyn Dale Rukes w/B-17F 41-24580, 303BG/358BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 | Served as Right Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24580 "Hell Cat", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. (RTB OK). |
Other Mission #4 S/SGT Merlyn Dale Rukes w/B-17F 41-24562, 303BG/358BS |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Right Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24562 "Sky Wolf", 303BG/358BS. Mission was to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission. (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #5 S/SGT Merlyn Dale Rukes w/B-17F 41-24526, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Tail Gunner on B-17F 41-24526 "Leapin Liz", 303BG/358BS. Mission was to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France by mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission. |
Other Mission #6 S/SGT Merlyn Dale Rukes w/ B-17F 41-24526 |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Tail Gunner on B-17F 41-24526 "Leapin Liz", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur Seine, France (RTB OK). |
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 | Killed in Action when shot down by anti-aircraft fire. His remains have never been recovered. |
Other Mission #7 S/SGT Merlyn Dale Rukes w/B-17F 41-24526, 303BG/358BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 | Served as Tail Gunner on B-17F 41-24526 "Leapin Liz", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the torpedo storage areas at St. Nazaire, France. (KIA) |
Other Commemorated |
Saint-James, France | Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Brittany American Cemetery |
Revisions
Lee Cunnningham 10-Aug-2015. Made connections to Aircraft and Missions and added Mission events #1 thru #6 per 303BG website Mission Reports, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/
Lee Cunningham 13-Jan-2015. Added SN and KIA event per MACR 7650; added decorations and Commemoration event per American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) record; made connections to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data; added crew position and made minor edits to biography.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 7650 / MACR 7650, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 60, WW II Memorial web site / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database