Ray Fitzgerald was born in March 1922 in Union County in North Mississippi. He grew up there in a rural home. The draft would eventually take him away from that location. When Pearl Harbor was attacked [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], Fitzgerald was at church on that Sunday morning. He learned of the attack from someone who owned a radio. He felt badly because one of his school friends was a sailor on the battleship Arizona [Annotator's Note: USS Arizona (BB-39)] which was destroyed there. The friend aboard the Arizona was well known by the local populace so everyone was concerned. The young man apparently went down with the ship. In July 1942, Fitzgerald reached 20 years of age and had to register for the draft. He was married at that time. He was called up for duty in October of the same year. He missed his wife dearly when he had to go into the Army.

After a few days at Camp Shelby [Annotator's Note: near Hattiesburg, Mississippi], Ray Fitzgerald was sent to Saint Petersburg, Florida to fill out papers to determine his classification. He was then sent to Sheppard Field, Texas for airplane mechanics school. There was a need for aerial gunners and Fitzgerald found himself selected for that position. He was sent for training to Harlingen, Texas. He spent several weeks there and was introduced to flying aircraft although he had been taught about the B-25 [Annotator's Note: North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber] and B-26s [Annotator's Note: Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber] at Sheppard. Fitzgerald assumed after completion of the mechanics school that he would be assigned to either a B-25 or B-26. Fitzgerald's older brother had completed a similar school and was in service in Alaska as a B-25 crew chief. Fitzgerald's assumption was before he was sent to the gunnery school. After Harlingen, Texas, Fitzgerald was sent to Boise, Idaho. There was a major climate change in the two stations. It was at Boise that he was introduced to a new airplane, the B-24 [Annotator's Note: Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber]. Because of his prior training, he was made flight engineer. A combat veteran from flights in the South Pacific was assigned to advise the new flyers of what to expect. The new crew flew their B-24 to Wendover, Utah where they landed on a salt flat with no landing strip. Fitzgerald learned to work on a B-24 there. He next flew to Kansas where he boarded a new airplane. The final members joined the ten man crew and completed their crew training there. After flying the new B-24 to California, they went on to Hawaii near Pearl Harbor. Fitzgerald saw the battleship Arizona [Annotator's Note: he had lost a school friend aboard the USS Arizona (BB-39) which was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941] there. After making two more stops, the crew reached Australia. That was not before the new B-24 was taken from them and substituted with a war weary Liberator. After a few weeks in Australia, he was flown in a three engine Dutch seaplane to New Guinea. It labored under mechanical problems but finally took off. He reached Port Moresby, New Guinea on the south side of the island.

Ray Fitzgerald started his combat flights [Annotator's Note: as a flight engineer aboard a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber with the 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force based in Port Moresby, New Guinea] and kept a record of all his 60 missions. He offered the record to the Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana]. The Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] were driven to the opposite side of the island and the airmen were based in new locations. Mosquitos were a major problem at Port Moresby even with nets. When the airmen moved, they encountered rats as a problem. The next relocation was to a base that was very nice about 20 miles from Lae, New Guinea. Lae was the last place Amelia Earhart [Annotator's Note: Amelia Mary Earhart; famous female aviator of the 1930s; lost during a flight across the Pacific Ocean in 1937] was seen. A good many missions were flown out of there with some being very rough. On one mission, antiaircraft fire penetrated the plane and exploded 20 feet above the ship. Some of the controls were severely damaged. The pilot, who was from Mississippi, did a good job of flying the plane. Fitzgerald and the copilot tried to repair the damage but did little good. Though controls were limited, the pilot managed to reach the base. It was a hot landing with the hydraulics shot away. Fitzgerald looked to the Lord for help and He gave it. The pilot was a good pilot. While flying combat, there were few enemy airplanes to oppose them, but the antiaircraft fire was heavy. A mission over Hollandia [Annotator's Note: Hollandia, New Guinea] was meant to drive the enemy back before hitting the American base. Few enemy bombs were dropped on the American camp. The weather over Hollandia grew so bad that the target was not visible. The B-24's bombs were dropped in the ocean. The clouds became so dense that it was difficult to see the wing tips on the bomber. Engines were feathered [Annotator's Note: an engine being intentionally cut with the propeller allowed to rotate freely] to reserve fuel. Navigation of the plane became an issue. It took a while to get a proper heading. The remaining fuel was transferred until finally an opening for a landing in the jungle was discovered. On the path down another engine died. Only one engine was left operable. The plane had to land. By the time the ship landed, the fuel had been exhausted. The crew had reached a spot somewhere near Lae. Most of the bombing objectives were enemy ground positions with some shipping being targets. Flight times were often ten or 12 hours. [Annotator's Note: Fitzgerald refers the interviewer to his flight records showing various times and objectives on his missions.] The crew managed to find gasoline and fly back to their base. That was the two closest calls Fitzgerald experienced. He did fire on an enemy airplane along with other gunners on his plane. Fitzgerald had at least an assist on the downing of an enemy plane high over the water. At this point, most targets were ground positions and not shipping. Island hopping was going on and new bases were constantly being established for his bomb group. The goal was to get to Manila [Annotator's Note: Manila, Philippines]. Fitzgerald made it as far as Biak island [Annotator's Note: Biak, New Guinea] before he had a chance to return home. He had spent 12 months in combat. His time on Biak was limited and did not include any combat time.

Ray Fitzgerald was right behind the pilot and copilot in the top turret in the B-24 [Annotator's Note: he was the flight engineer aboard a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber in the 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force based in New Guinea]. The fuel sight gauge system on the plane was very primitive. Fitzgerald's responsibilities included transferring fuel as well as maintenance of the generator switches. He manned the guns in the turret also. He also assisted with air speed call-outs for the pilot and copilot on takeoffs and landings. When the plane crashed at Wendover Field [Annotator's Note: no details were provided concerning the crash at Wendover Field in Utah], he received injuries. No crashes occurred after deployment. His aircraft had nose art but planes were changed frequently based on which ones were ready to fly. His ground crew was excellent. While on Biak [Annotator's Note: Biak, New Guinea], Fitzgerald flew with a high ranking naval officer who was very nice. A ship was tied up close to the island. The water was very blue and deep. The island was rocky and like a mushroom in the ocean. Fitzgerald's pilot was from Mississippi. His name was Henry Garner [Annotator's Note: unsure of spelling]. His family owned a funeral home and he drove an ambulance. In Wendover, the pilot had a terrible time passing target practice until Fitzgerald helped him. Fitzgerald was a skilled hunter in the woods back home. With Fitzgerald's help, the officer scored high on the firing range. Fitzgerald's copilot was 21 years old and from Ohio. The 90th Bomb Group [Annotator's Note: 90th Bombardment Group, 5th Air Force] continues to have reunions but attendees are few now. The copilot made a career of the service and perhaps flew commercial. He was not much of a talker. He lived in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tailgunner was from Alabama and the youngest man on the crew. He was a good farm boy. The assistant engineer was from Oklahoma. He knew his job and his guns. He was a quiet and easy going man. The crew went to Sydney, Australia when Fitzgerald had a chance to go home. The waist gunner was from San Francisco, California and was a University of California graduate. He was a smart boy but a loner. He knew his gun and liked to sleep when off duty. The nose gunner smarted off at Fitzgerald before deployment. Assigned to do work, there was a misunderstanding between the men. The man outranked Fitzgerald but, as a flight engineer, Fitzgerald was considered more senior. The gunner did not get along with anybody. He ended up going to the hospital to work on his discharge. The radio operator was happy go lucky individual from Ohio. He was a bad gambler who frequently lost all his money. He requested Fitzgerald help him hold on to his money. They had a argument over it. Fitzgerald made the gambler go to payroll and send some of his money home to his mother. [Annotator's Note: Fitzgerald laughs.]

Ray Fitzgerald rested when he went on leave in Sydney, Australia. The other crewmen sent a woman into his room and he sent her away. It was easy to fool with women but he had promised his wife he would be faithful. He wrote to her from New Guinea while based there. He had several furloughs [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] to Australia during his deployment. His orders came in to return home while his crewmates remained and were separated from him. He has maintained a faithful relationship with his wife. His daughter was born just before his discharge in October 1945. He was drafted in October 1942 and went overseas in October 1943. He returned home in October 1944. Fitzgerald feels it is important for young people to understand what happened during the war. Many do not know what went on. Fitzgerald lost a younger brother who was shot down in his B-17 [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] over Germany while on his third mission. Fitzgerald made 60 missions and returned home. The B-24 looked like a flying boxcar compared to the B-17 but it carried more load for a farther distance than the latter. Fitzgerald has contributed to The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] because he feels it is important. He pays his membership dues as a result. He appreciates the Museum and being interviewed.