The following was written by Bill Armstrong, and appeared in the 2 April 2000 edition of the Cumberland Times-News, following the passing of Lt. Col. Ralph H. Brant (USAF Retired) on 19 January 2000. For more on Ralph Brant, and those who served with him, see http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/175640.
With the entry of the United States into World War II against the Axis powers in 1941, a generation of Americans responded to the duty call of their country. From all across this land, young men and women experienced a dramatic change in their lives, either in direct military service or in the multitude of necessary support services. To paraphrase a famous Winston Churchill quotation, never have such a generation of Americans given so much dedication, duty, effort, and lives, and expected so little in return.
Thanks to writers such as Stephen Ambrose and Tom Brokaw, the exploits of this “Greatest Generation” are now being recorded in probably greater historical detail than ever before. These young men and women were drawn from all over the towns, hamlets, and rural areas of this expansive country. Cumberland and our surrounding tri-state area was certainly no exception to this source of manpower. One such couple, Ralph and Mildred Brant, have had long term connections to our area.
Born in Cumberland in 1918, Ralph H. Brant grew up in the northeast section of the city, later lived in LaVale, and was a 1936 graduate of Allegany High School. He was one of the first to enlist in the military, becoming a member of the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941. As a B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber pilot in the European Theater of Operations, Ralph participated in the heavy bombardment of Germany in the spring of 1944.
Mildred Boch, also a Cumberland native, provided administrative support for the war effort by taking a position in the War Department in Washington, DC, a common endeavor by many local women. Ralph and Mildred were married two months prior to his shipment overseas even though it was impossible to get any leave time. After participating in and surviving thirty-one bombing missions, Ralph returned to the States via air even though Mildred anticipated his return by the slower ship route. Arriving in Boston, Ralph placed an early morning call to a surprised Mildred. The matter of fact telephone call was brief and to the point, “Quit your job, I will arrive in Union Station in Washington at 5:30 pm!” Mildred proceeded to work and advised her boss that she was resigning at the end of the day. A visibly upset Major said, “What about the war effort?”, and threatened repercussions but relented. Mildred softened the blow with her response by stating, “My husband’s morale is important too.” The happy and loving union of this couple lasted for 56 years until the death of Ralph Brant in January, 2000.
In 1944 the citizens of Baltimore, in a special War Bond drive, provided the funding for the production of one of the thousands of B-17 bombers, instrumental in the Allies’ eventual winning of the war. This was an undertaking accomplished by many other cities throughout the country. A search found no Baltimore area native available for assignment to this particular aircraft, but a gentleman from Western Maryland was chosen. Ralph Brant, as pilot and aircraft commander of the B-17 designated the “Fortress McHenry”, would fly the majority of his dangerous and harrowing combat missions in that large bomber.
The name, “Fortress McHenry”, was in honor of the battle of Fort McHenry, during the War of 1812, between our forces and the British fleet in the bay area. The renowned B-17, in spite of surviving battle damage on many of its missions, would fly 102 combat sorties before it was rotated back to the states. Its history would be relived as the B-17 was flown and displayed around the country in support of continuing War Bond drives.
The war time training experienced by the aircrews soon to be dispatched to the overseas war theater was intense. It was even more so for the aircraft commanders, then known simply as first pilots. Ralph Brant was the leader of the flight crew of nine young men, all with diverse responsibilities, and as first pilot had to be fully cognizant of the aircraft systems, navigation and bombing procedures, how to sight a ball turret, first aid training, oxygen problems at high altitude, as well as displaying proven capability to fly this large four engine bomber. In short, as first pilot and responsible for the nine warriors, Ralph would be in command and would be the individual to solve problems as they arose. He would be a leader by necessity, hence the long and challenging training days designed to prepare him for that role.
While in England and based at Bury St. Edmunds, Ralph and his crew participated in the huge 1000 plane bombing excursions over Berlin. His unit, the 94th Bomb Group, would record 180 aircraft losses, which resulted in the loss of 156 combat crews. Those tremendous bombing forays are difficult to imagine, but the dedication to the task and the awareness of the danger and the great possibility that an individual, or aircraft, would not be among those safely returning would seem evident. Enemy ground fire, flak, German fighters, fatigue, and cold all were factors that made life perilous. While the British Royal Air Forces would hit Germany at night, the large armadas of United States Army Air Forces flew daylight raids in a continuous onslaught that was instrumental in the final outcome. One of Ralph’s most unusual hazardous missions was caused not by the firepower of the enemy, but when another out of control B-17 inadvertently collided with his own aircraft over the target area. The impact sheared off his top gun turret as the Fortress McHenry’s number one propeller chewed up the other aircraft’s left wing. The two craft dropped another 300 feet before becoming disentangled, with both eventually returning safely to England. Ralph’s flight engineer received a Purple Heart by having a B-17 land on his head – a most interesting tale to relay to his grandkids! On a later mission, Ralph and his crew were forced to fight and extinguish a major fire in the bomb bay at 25,000 feet en route to their target.
At the conclusion of World War II, most of Ralph Brant’s crew returned to civilian life, but he remained in the military, eventually retiring as a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Air Force after 28 years of dedicated service. During the Korean conflict he served as an aircraft Maintenance Officer, and other assignments placed him all over the globe. Ralph and Mildred, with their two children, eventually retired to San Antonio, Texas. After retirement Ralph continued to be immersed in Boy Scout activities, as he had for over fifty years before and during his military tenure. There are a multitude of young Scouts who have looked to Ralph as a leader of boys and men. Local residents know also of Ralph’s life long interest in railroading, as some of his scaled models remain on display at the Cumberland Fairgrounds Railway Building.
Ralph and Mildred maintained contact with their many friends throughout the years, and traveled extensively to visit. They never lost contact with their roots in Cumberland, returning frequently.
Heroes, a description foreign to the young men, was unused among the cadre of soldiers, sailors, and airmen who participated in the largest of all wars, World War II. They were simply responding to the call, and doing their best in an endeavor that none expected. Ralph Brant was one of those young men, and is among those to whom we owe so much.
Wings Over Cumberland 