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Ralph Kaplowitz
RALPH KAPLOWITZ, born May 18, 1919 on the east side of New York. At age six, moved to the Bronx where he attended schools. Got interested in sports and specialized in basketball. Wason City Championship team at Creston Jr. H.S. as well as De Witt Clinton H.S. Got a scholarship at New York University, and as a sophomore in 1940 the team was considered the number one team in
the nation. Was named to the All American,
All Eastern, All Metropolitan, and All Madi.
son Square Garden teams. During freshman
year at N. Y.U., he set a javelin throwing
record in the I.C.4A championships of 164
feet.
Kaplowitz enlisted in service during his
senior year then applied for Aviation Cadet
training. Graduated in class 42G. Ultimately
wound up on Ie Shima in the Pacific with the
464th Squadron, 507 Fighter Group. He
won the Air Medal three times flying P-47's.
The first time for sinking a Japanese destroyer with two 500 lb. bombs. The second and
third for the number of missions flown. His
Squadron also won a Presidential Unit Citation for the longest fighter mission ever made
at that time - a 2200 mile flight from the
island of Ie Shima to Korea and back. "The
day they dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima, I was flying a 'recon' mission over
Japan," he recalls, "I saw the mushroom
cloud but didn't know what made it until I
returned to base and heard the news."
Discharged in 1946, Kaplowitz went back
to N.Y.U. to complete his B.S. degree in
accounting. He was signed by the N.Y.
Knickerbockers for the 1946-47 season to
play professional basketball, and later was
purchased by the Philadelphia Warriors. The
Warriors won the World Championship that
season and in 1947-48 they were runners-up
to Baltimore.
Kaplowitz joined the Equitable Life as a
salesman in 1948 and as a result of his success
was subsequently inducted into Equitable's
Hall of Fame.
Ralph enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in
1957 as a Captain and was shifted to the
Rainbow Division's 42nd Aviation Co. based
at Zahn's Airport, Amityville, Long Island,
N.Y.
Currently, Kaplowitz's activities involve
golf and tennis. Playing to a five handicap, he
has won the club championship at his club,
Old Westbury Golf and C.C., four times.
Kaplowitz lives in Floral Park, N.Y. with
his wife, Norma. They have two children,
Barbara 36 and Marsha 32. No grandchildren. Maybe later.
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Pilot Name
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Biography Summary
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John Abbotts
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P-47 transition followed at Pocatello, Idaho and Greenville, Texas after which he was assigned to the 56th Fighter Group in England. When the news of his arrival reached Berlin, Hitler retired to his bunker with his cyanide capsule and revolver. Eva found the news equally depressing.
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Asa A. Adair
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He returned to the States in August of 1944 after participating in the invasion "D" Day. He flew P-63's, P-51's, F-80's, T-33's, F-84's, T-38's, P-47's in numerous assignments during the following twenty years in in, Japan, U.S.A. and Europe before retiring after twenty-six years of Active Duty.
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Edward B. Addison
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The 507th Fighter Group, equipped with P-47N's, won the Presidential Unit Citation for destroying 32 Japanese aircraft in the air on one mission to Seoul, Korea. The average flying time for raids to Korea and Japan would be 7 to 9 hours flying time. In a total of 31 months, the 507th not only provided top cover for B-29's, but also
dive-bombed, napalm-bombed and flew low-level on strafing missions.
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Levon B. Agha-Zarian
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It is rumored that he, took his primary training on a flying rug. He flew Spits, briefly, in England, but as the, war moved to the East, he was sent to India as a Sgt. Pilot and first saw action from Ceylon, flying the Curtiss P.36, the Brewster Buffalo, and the Hurricane. At this point he might have opted for the rug! This was at the time of the fall of Singapore and the sinking of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse.
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George N. Ahles
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Posted to A-20 light bomber squadron Barksdale Field, Louisiana. . Group moved to Hunter Air Base Savannah, Georgia. Qualified for Pilot training November 1940. Entered Aviation Cadets January 1942. Presented wings November 1942 class of 42-J. Married Mary Louise while in Advanced Pilot Training at Craig AFB, Selma, Alabama, September 1942.
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Roy J. Aldritt
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Shortly after the group moved to France he ran into some unseen flak and was forced to make a nylon descent behind the lines; some evasion and a lot of luck had him back with his unit
in 24 hours.
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Eugene J. Amaral
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After graduation from Stonington High School he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in December 1942 and was called to active duty in March, 1943. He received his wings and commission at Spence Field, Georgia as a member of the Class of 43-C.
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Talmadge L. Ambrose
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Flew 84 missions thru VE Day, was downed by 22mm ground fire over Siefried Line. He destroyed 11 enemy aircraft, 9 known confirmed in air and on
ground, including 4 FW 190-D's in one afternoon over Hanover, Germany, April 8, 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross,
Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, 17 man, Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal, Pacific Theatre and European Theatre Meda1s with 5 Battle
Stars and Unit Citation Medal.
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John C. Anderson
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After P-47 transition he was assigned to the 406th Fighter Group, 512th Fighter Squadron. (E.T
.0.) He flew 56 missions through January, 1945 destroying supply routes, bridges, and railroads; he also flew close support missions with the ground forces, with attacks on tanks, artillery and enemy positions.
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William Anderson
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It was not always flak,two ME-109's beat the hell out of me one day. The central controller called me and said "Basher-Red Leader do you have contact Bandits," I replied, "I sure do, I'll bring them over the field in 3 minutes, they're chasing me home." Got all the usual medals including two Belgium and two French but one I'm most proud of is the Silver Star -it is the greatest.
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