Ralph Paul Ackerman
Technical Sergeant Ralph P. Ackerman was an enlisted pilot who served with VMSB-233 during the campaign for the Solomon Islands.
His bomber was shot down near New Georgia on 23 January 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 294851
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
19 September 1919
at Detroit, MI
Parents
Paul & Louise Ackerman
Education
High school graduate
(details unknown)
Occupation / Employer
Bookkeeper
Henry Ehms Sausage Company
Service Life
Entered Service
25 August 1940
at Chicago, IL
Home Of Record
9416 Beaconsfield
Detroit, MI
Next Of Kin
Boot Camp
Officer School
Specialty
Pilot
Primary Unit
VMSB-233
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands
Individual Decorations
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 23 January 1943, TSgt. Ackerman was part of a strike force assembled to search out a pair of Japanese ships spotted in “The Slot” near New Georgia.
Ackerman sighted in on the freighter Toa Maru 2 and pushed Dauntless #33 into a dive, twisting through a hail of 20mm anti-aircraft fire. Hits were observed on his aircraft, but Ackerman “rode it on down” for 7,000 feet before pulling the lever to release his bomb. The plane lurched immediately after the drop; onlookers surmised that Ackerman had been hit and killed, for the bomber plummeted into the sea.
The squadron’s War Diary commented that “The courage displayed by Ackerman and his gunner [PFC Benton J. Hill] is of a type that demands commendation.” Hope was held out for their safe return until 24 January 1944, when both Marines were declared dead.
Burial Information or Disposition
Not recovered following plane crash at sea.
