Raymond J. Prozinski, B-17 Tail Gunner, United States Army Air Forces, Eighth Air Force, 486th Bomb Group, 833rd Bomb Squadron, Sudbury, England, 14 Missions (With the Burton D. "Burt" Ward crew): First Mission March 3, 1945, Last Mission April 21, 1945. WWII Veteran, European Theater of Operations, Purple Heart and also Air Force Reserves, Commission 1950, Flew AT-6, T-28, and F-80 (the first operational fighter). Base Exchange Officer, Kimpo AFB, Seoul, Korea 1952. 14 year Air Force career.



Ray was a founder and long time member of the 8th AFHS-MN.

See his 8th AFHS-MN webpage at

https://sites.google.com/site/8thafhsmn/pictures/ray-prozinski-b-17-tai…



Born: January 19, 1926.

Grew up: Minneapolis

Schools: Hamilton Grade School and Patrick Henry High School

Age at Pearl Harbor: 15

Enlisted in Army Air Corps: Sept. 1943

Induction: Ft. Snelling, Mn.

Basic Training: Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Mo.

Aerial Gunner training: Kingman Az.

Crew Assignment: Lincoln, Nebraska

B-17 Combat Crew Training: Alexandria, Louisiana

On leave

Traveled to Sudbury, England (Flew with the Burt Ward crew)

1st Mission: March 3, 1945

Missions: Dortmund, Neinhagen, Oranienberg, Zwikow, Marx, Mulheim, Hamburg, Berlin, Keil, Newburg, Ingalstadt, Royan, Dresden

Purple Heart from the Dresden mission was later awarded in 1994.

Dischraged: Feb. 1946 Camp Atterbury, Indiana

ROTC Air Force Reserves

Commission: 1950

Flew AT-6, T-28, F-80

Base Exchange Officer, Korea 1952

14 years in Reserves ended 1957



Online Article



To read an account of his time in service (with photos), see Don Ward’s book, The Greatest Generation of Silver Wings (2004) pp. 111-113. ISBN 0-9654964-0-8. The Memorial Press.



(See also Harley R. Stroven's narrated 8 mm color movie about the 486th in 1944-45 and

the 2011 video interview of Bob Mallory, Tail Gunner, 486th BG)

Kevin Callahan, 8th AFHS-MN Archivist has the raw VHS tapes and an edited DVD of Ray's B-17 Aircrew Reunions when he was much younger for anyone who is interested.



Ray was featured in a March 2013 Bloomington Sun Newspaper article.