Ray Friedmann Is Now Staff Sergeant
S/Sgt. Raymond Friedmann
Cpl. Ray Friedmann has been promoted to staff sergeant, according to news received by his wife here. The following was recently received from S/Sgt. Friedmann’s base in England:
Eighth Air Force Bomber Station, England—Corporal Raymond F. Friedmann, 26, of Alton, Iowa, is now in England with the 96th Bomb Group undergoing a pre-combat training period of 10 days in preparation for combat action as nose gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress in Eighth Air Force high altitude bombing attacks on Nazi war targets.
Cpl. Friedmann is now getting the benefit of the combat experience of veteran flyers. His course of instructions includes intelligence class lectures in prisoner of war procedure, aircraft recognition, air-sea rescue methods, flak barrage and new enemy fighter tactics.
The group with which he will fly was cited by the President for its bombing of Focke Wulf aircraft factories at Posen, Poland. The group is a unit of Third Bombardment Division, also cited by the President for its England-to-Africa shuttle bombing of Messerschmitt plane plants at Regensburg, Germany.
An implement dealer and mechanic before entering the Army in September, 1943, Cpl. Friedmann received his gunner’s wings at Las Vegas, Nevada, in May, 1944. His mother, Mrs. Catherine Friedmann, and wife, the former, Miss Ethel L. Britton, live at Alton.
Source: Alton Democrat, Thursday, January 4, 1945
Obituaries.
S/Sgt. Ray Friedmann
Alton: Monday morning, January 15, Mrs. Ray Friedmann received a telegram from the War Department notifying her that her husband was killed in action January 2, in England.
Ray was a nose gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress with the 96th Bombing Group in the Eighth Air Force. Mrs. Friedmann received her husband’s last letter written January 1st, the day before he was killed. He had just returned to the base after a pass spent in London. In previous letters he had mentioned taking part in missions on the 24th and the 28th, and Mrs. Friedmann believes he was on his 3rd mission when he was killed. He left the States on November 13, 1944, after spending a ten-day furlough at home.
Ray Friedmann was born July 2, 1918, and was 26 last July. Six years ago he went into the implement business in Alton.
He was inducted in August, 1943, and received his basic training at Sheppard Field, Texas, advanced technical training at Buckley Field, Denver, Colorado, and received his gunner’s wings and Corporal’s rating at Las Vegas Gunnery School. He was given further training at Tampa and Avon Park, Fla., before going overseas. He was promoted to S/Sgt. on December 15.
On November 4, 1941, he was married to Ethel Britton, who survives him. Also surviving are his mother, Mrs. Catherine Friedmann, two brothers and three sisters, Veronica and Joseph of Alton; Sister M. DeRicci, New Hampton, Iowa; Lillian of Alton; and Cecil of Trinity College, Sioux City. His father, the late Jacob Friedmann, died September 3, 1940.
Requiem mass was held in memory of S/Sgt. Ray Friedmann at St. Mary’s church on Tuesday morning, January 23, at nine o’clock. Floyd Post of the American Legion assisted in the Memorial Service.
Source: Sioux County Capital, January 25, 1945
Here from LeMars for the Ray Friedmann Memorial Services were Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Rees and Mrs. Lena Rees; from Sheldon, Mrs. Gerald Noack. All were callers at the parental, P. Keizer home.
Source: Alton Democrat, January 25, 1945
Alton Sergeant, Fortress Gunner, Killed in England
Alton, Ia.—Special: S. Sgt. Ray Friedmann was killed in action in England, January 2, according to word received by his wife from the War Department.
S. Sgt. Friedmann was a gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress with the Eighth air force and was stationed in England. He entered service August 9, 1943, and took his training in Texas, Colorado, Nevada, and Florida before going overseas in November, 1944.
His survivors include his widow; his mother, Mrs. Catherine Friedmann of Alton; two brothers, Joseph of Alton and Cecil, attending Trinity college at Sioux City; and three sisters, Veronica and Lillian of Alton and Sister De Ricci of New Hampton, Ia.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, January 27, 1945
There is no point in glossing over the fact that we have had casualties from this county in the past two months of hard fighting. Several men have paid the supreme sacrifice and more have been wounded and hospitalized. Closest home and hardest to take was the news that Ray Friedman had been killed in action over England. He had just received his promotion to staff sergeant and had been on only a few missions. Details are still lacking; but the community feels for the breaved wife, mother and family.
Also for two other young war widows who are Alton girls: Mrs. Neal Jager (nee Catherine Cleveringa) whose husband was killed in action in Belgium, Dec. 23rd; and Mrs. Arnold Vander Wilt (nee Lois Reinders) whose husband, a graduate of Alton high school, was killed in a collison of two B24s.
Source: Alton Democrat, February 8, 1945
Sgt. Raymond E. Friedman is buried in Independent Farane Cemetery, Sioux City, IA.
Source: ancestry.com
