First Lieutenant Ira Leonard Ball, Army serial number O-761848, was born at home in western Major County, Oklahoma on July 13, 1922, near a town called Fairbanks (which no longer exists). His family called him Leonard. His parents were Ira Robert Ball (22 Jul 1888 – 2 Nov 1980), who was born at Glen Elder, Mitchell County, Kansas; and Ruth Elizabeth (Lemmons) Ball (6 Mar 1896 – 29 Dec 1988), who was born in Kansas. His parents married at Fairbanks, Major County, Oklahoma on December 24, 1914. His father was a farmer.
His siblings were Robert Ball (1915 – 1915), who died as an infant; Elsie Isabelle (Ball) Conaway (4 Sep 1917 – 28 Nov 1990); Charles Linzy Ball (24 Jan 1920 – 10 May 1962) (called Linzy); Mary Leota (Ball) Gibson (abt 1924 – unk); and George Alfred Ball (5 May 1926 – 17 Jan 2016) (called Alfred). In 1942 the family lived 3 miles north and 26 miles west of Fairview, in Major County, Oklahoma.
He completed one year of college, and worked as a farmer. He registered for the draft at Fairview, Oklahoma on June 29, 1942. He was 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighed 180 pounds, and had brown eyes and black hair. At that time he worked for a Mr Raymond Harmon in Belva, Oklahoma. He was single and resided in New Mexico when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Enid, Oklahoma on August 14, 1942. His home of record was Fairview, Major County, Oklahoma.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training, and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group (Heavy). This Group was based at U.S. Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on August 30, 1944. Here is Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. Lt Ball and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
Lt Ball is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium in Plot A, Row 7, Grave 11.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Bishop Township. Ball, Ira R. 20 Jan 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Jones Township. Ball, Ira R. 9 Apr 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Jones Township. Ball, Ira I [sic]. 18 Apr 1940 (his father)
5. American Battle Monuments Commission
6. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enid News & Eagle. Obituary of Albert Ball (1926–2016). Enid OK, 21 Jan 2016 (his brother)
8. Enlistment Record of Ira L. Ball
9. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
10. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
11. HQ, AAF Station 137, APO 559. Roster of Officers This Headquarters [487th Bomb Group and supporting units]. 30 Nov 1944 (1/Lt Ira L. Ball, date of rank 30 Aug 1944)
12. Oklahoma, County Marriages, 1890–1995: Ira Robbert Ball [sic] married Ruth Elizabeth Lemmons at Fairbanks, Major County, Oklahoma on 24 Dec 1914. (his parents)
13. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
14. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
15. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
16. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
17. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
18. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
19. World War I Draft Registration of Ira Robert Ball. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
20. World War II Draft Registration of Ira Robert Ball. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
His siblings were Robert Ball (1915 – 1915), who died as an infant; Elsie Isabelle (Ball) Conaway (4 Sep 1917 – 28 Nov 1990); Charles Linzy Ball (24 Jan 1920 – 10 May 1962) (called Linzy); Mary Leota (Ball) Gibson (abt 1924 – unk); and George Alfred Ball (5 May 1926 – 17 Jan 2016) (called Alfred). In 1942 the family lived 3 miles north and 26 miles west of Fairview, in Major County, Oklahoma.
He completed one year of college, and worked as a farmer. He registered for the draft at Fairview, Oklahoma on June 29, 1942. He was 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighed 180 pounds, and had brown eyes and black hair. At that time he worked for a Mr Raymond Harmon in Belva, Oklahoma. He was single and resided in New Mexico when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Enid, Oklahoma on August 14, 1942. His home of record was Fairview, Major County, Oklahoma.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training, and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group (Heavy). This Group was based at U.S. Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on August 30, 1944. Here is Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. Lt Ball and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
Lt Ball is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium in Plot A, Row 7, Grave 11.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Bishop Township. Ball, Ira R. 20 Jan 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Jones Township. Ball, Ira R. 9 Apr 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Jones Township. Ball, Ira I [sic]. 18 Apr 1940 (his father)
5. American Battle Monuments Commission
6. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enid News & Eagle. Obituary of Albert Ball (1926–2016). Enid OK, 21 Jan 2016 (his brother)
8. Enlistment Record of Ira L. Ball
9. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
10. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
11. HQ, AAF Station 137, APO 559. Roster of Officers This Headquarters [487th Bomb Group and supporting units]. 30 Nov 1944 (1/Lt Ira L. Ball, date of rank 30 Aug 1944)
12. Oklahoma, County Marriages, 1890–1995: Ira Robbert Ball [sic] married Ruth Elizabeth Lemmons at Fairbanks, Major County, Oklahoma on 24 Dec 1914. (his parents)
13. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
14. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
15. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
16. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
17. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
18. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
19. World War I Draft Registration of Ira Robert Ball. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
20. World War II Draft Registration of Ira Robert Ball. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
First Lieutenant Ira Leonard Ball, Army serial number O-761848, was born at home in western Major County, Oklahoma on July 13, 1922, near a town called Fairbanks (which no longer exists). His family called him Leonard. His parents were Ira Robert Ball (22 Jul 1888 – 2 Nov 1980), who was born at Glen Elder, Mitchell County, Kansas; and Ruth Elizabeth (Lemmons) Ball (6 Mar 1896 – 29 Dec 1988), who was born in Kansas. His parents married at Fairbanks, Major County, Oklahoma on December 24, 1914. His father was a farmer.
His siblings were Robert Ball (1915 – 1915), who died as an infant; Elsie Isabelle (Ball) Conaway (4 Sep 1917 – 28 Nov 1990); Charles Linzy Ball (24 Jan 1920 – 10 May 1962) (called Linzy); Mary Leota (Ball) Gibson (abt 1924 – unk); and George Alfred Ball (5 May 1926 – 17 Jan 2016) (called Alfred). In 1942 the family lived 3 miles north and 26 miles west of Fairview, in Major County, Oklahoma.
He completed one year of college, and worked as a farmer. He registered for the draft at Fairview, Oklahoma on June 29, 1942. He was 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighed 180 pounds, and had brown eyes and black hair. At that time he worked for a Mr Raymond Harmon in Belva, Oklahoma. He was single and resided in New Mexico when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Enid, Oklahoma on August 14, 1942. His home of record was Fairview, Major County, Oklahoma.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training, and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group (Heavy). This Group was based at U.S. Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on August 30, 1944. Here is Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. Lt Ball and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
Lt Ball is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium in Plot A, Row 7, Grave 11.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Bishop Township. Ball, Ira R. 20 Jan 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Jones Township. Ball, Ira R. 9 Apr 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Jones Township. Ball, Ira I [sic]. 18 Apr 1940 (his father)
5. American Battle Monuments Commission
6. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enid News & Eagle. Obituary of Albert Ball (1926–2016). Enid OK, 21 Jan 2016 (his brother)
8. Enlistment Record of Ira L. Ball
9. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
10. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
11. HQ, AAF Station 137, APO 559. Roster of Officers This Headquarters [487th Bomb Group and supporting units]. 30 Nov 1944 (1/Lt Ira L. Ball, date of rank 30 Aug 1944)
12. Oklahoma, County Marriages, 1890–1995: Ira Robbert Ball [sic] married Ruth Elizabeth Lemmons at Fairbanks, Major County, Oklahoma on 24 Dec 1914. (his parents)
13. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
14. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
15. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
16. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
17. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
18. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
19. World War I Draft Registration of Ira Robert Ball. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
20. World War II Draft Registration of Ira Robert Ball. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
His siblings were Robert Ball (1915 – 1915), who died as an infant; Elsie Isabelle (Ball) Conaway (4 Sep 1917 – 28 Nov 1990); Charles Linzy Ball (24 Jan 1920 – 10 May 1962) (called Linzy); Mary Leota (Ball) Gibson (abt 1924 – unk); and George Alfred Ball (5 May 1926 – 17 Jan 2016) (called Alfred). In 1942 the family lived 3 miles north and 26 miles west of Fairview, in Major County, Oklahoma.
He completed one year of college, and worked as a farmer. He registered for the draft at Fairview, Oklahoma on June 29, 1942. He was 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighed 180 pounds, and had brown eyes and black hair. At that time he worked for a Mr Raymond Harmon in Belva, Oklahoma. He was single and resided in New Mexico when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Enid, Oklahoma on August 14, 1942. His home of record was Fairview, Major County, Oklahoma.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training, and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group (Heavy). This Group was based at U.S. Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on August 30, 1944. Here is Lt Ball's crew roster on December 24, 1944:
B-17G 43-37569 – 836th Bomb Squadron (839th Bomb Squadron aircraft)
• Ball, Ira L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Tomea Jr, Gordon R – 1/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Sperber, Harold P – 1/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Broom, John C – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Parks, Warren H – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Lull, Robert H – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Gaudin Jr, Duffy J – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Conery, John J – S/Sgt – Waist gunner – KIA
• Becker, Cuno V – 1/Lt – Officer Tail Gunner – KIA
On December 24, 1944, the 8th Air Force launched mission #760, the largest aerial mission of the war, which involved more than 2000 heavy bombers. The mission was to bomb German airfields and supply lines to stop the German offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. The 487th Bomb Group led the entire 8th Air Force on this mission. Lt Ball's crew flew B-17G 43-37569 in the number five position of the 487th Bomb Group's Low Squadron. The 487th Bomb Group's target was the airfield at Babenhausen, Germany, but the formation was attacked by German fighters before reaching the target. Lt Ball and six of his crewmates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. The aircraft broke up and most of the wreckage fell in the Ambleve River at Gouffre d'Aywaille, at about 50.4763°N, 5.6577°E. (Gouffre d'Aywaille is the gulf of the Ambleve River near Aywaille—a wider, deeper section of the river just west of Aywaille.) The tail section fell in a small stone quarry near the hamlet Chambralles, just west of Septroux, Belgium. Two men survived.
Lt Ball is buried at Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Belgium in Plot A, Row 7, Grave 11.
A monument to the Ira L. Ball crew was dedicated at Aywaille, Belgium on December 19, 2015. The monument is the result of efforts by 40-45 Memories Museum of Aywaille and its founder, Mr. Frédéric Winkin.
Sources:
1. 487th Bomb Group Association
2. 1920 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Bishop Township. Ball, Ira R. 20 Jan 1920 (his father)
3. 1930 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Jones Township. Ball, Ira R. 9 Apr 1930 (his father)
4. 1940 US Census; Oklahoma; Major County; Jones Township. Ball, Ira I [sic]. 18 Apr 1940 (his father)
5. American Battle Monuments Commission
6. de Jong, Ivo. The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H). Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
7. Enid News & Eagle. Obituary of Albert Ball (1926–2016). Enid OK, 21 Jan 2016 (his brother)
8. Enlistment Record of Ira L. Ball
9. Henry, René. Aywaille: Chronique illustrée du XXe siècle. pp 141–143 [Aywaille: Illustrated Chronicle of the 20th Century]. Liege, Belgium: Editions Dricot (contains information about the loss of B-17G 43-37569; available through Google Books; search for Noël 1944)
10. Karp, Shane S. Coming full circle: A chief uncovers great-uncle's WWII crash site, 70 years later. 8 Dec 2015 (story about Chief Master Sergeant James McCloskey, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, a great nephew of Lt Cuno Becker)
11. HQ, AAF Station 137, APO 559. Roster of Officers This Headquarters [487th Bomb Group and supporting units]. 30 Nov 1944 (1/Lt Ira L. Ball, date of rank 30 Aug 1944)
12. Oklahoma, County Marriages, 1890–1995: Ira Robbert Ball [sic] married Ruth Elizabeth Lemmons at Fairbanks, Major County, Oklahoma on 24 Dec 1914. (his parents)
13. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 11559
14. U.S. Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949 (ancestry.com)
15. U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939–1945
16. U.S. War Department. World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel. Washington, D.C., June 1946
17. U.S. World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 (ancestry.com)
18. Vlan (Belgian newspaper). 19 Nov 2015. (Article about a monument to the Ira L. Ball crew dedicated on 19 Dec 2015; provided by Monsieur Benoît Noël of Aywaille, Belgium)
19. World War I Draft Registration of Ira Robert Ball. 5 Jun 1917 (his father)
20. World War II Draft Registration of Ira Robert Ball. 27 Apr 1942 (his father)
Research by:
Paul Webber
Find A Grave member ID 47577572
Inscription
IRA L. BALL
1 LT 836 BOMB SQ 487 BOMB GP (H)
OKLAHOMA DEC 24 1944
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