Robert served as a Technical Sergeant & Radio Operator / Gunner on B-24D #41-24220, 493rd Bomber Squadron, 7th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Yakima County, Washington prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 29, 1941, prior to the war, in Seattle, Washington. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Stock clerk and also as Single, without dependents.
Robert was promoted to Technical Sergeant on June 23, 1943.
B-24D #41-24220 took off, with a crew of 10, from India on a bombing mission over Rangoon, Burma. After a successful bombing mission they were attacked and shot down by Japanese aircraft 30 miles west of Rangoon. The aircraft was hit in the bomb bay and a fire erupted. The fuselage broke in half and disintegrated. Five crew members were killed in the crash and five were able to parachute out and all became POW's of the Japanese.
Robert was "Killed In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on September 9, 1949.
Service # 19059282
Son of John Keith Witte and Vona P Witte.
The reason he is named on a group headstone is because when soldiers & sailors were killed in close proximity to each other they were unable, at that time, to identify them separately and interred their remains together in one grave.
( Bio & Family Link by : ShaneO & Russ Pickett )
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24D #41-24220:
Austin, Omar A. ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, VT
Chiarello, Frank J. ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, CT
Marshall, George H. ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, PA
Peters, Frank A. ~ Sgt, Waist Gunner, NM
Witte, Robert W. ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, WA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24D #41-24220:
Gebert, Russell C. ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier
Goad, Harold W. ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, OH
( Harold's wife, thinking he had died ... married Robert A. MacDowell )
King, Clarence A. ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, CA
Sawyer, Francis E ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, WI
Schrader, William G. ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot
( Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Yakima County, Washington prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 29, 1941, prior to the war, in Seattle, Washington. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Stock clerk and also as Single, without dependents.
Robert was promoted to Technical Sergeant on June 23, 1943.
B-24D #41-24220 took off, with a crew of 10, from India on a bombing mission over Rangoon, Burma. After a successful bombing mission they were attacked and shot down by Japanese aircraft 30 miles west of Rangoon. The aircraft was hit in the bomb bay and a fire erupted. The fuselage broke in half and disintegrated. Five crew members were killed in the crash and five were able to parachute out and all became POW's of the Japanese.
Robert was "Killed In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on September 9, 1949.
Service # 19059282
Son of John Keith Witte and Vona P Witte.
The reason he is named on a group headstone is because when soldiers & sailors were killed in close proximity to each other they were unable, at that time, to identify them separately and interred their remains together in one grave.
( Bio & Family Link by : ShaneO & Russ Pickett )
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24D #41-24220:
Austin, Omar A. ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, VT
Chiarello, Frank J. ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, CT
Marshall, George H. ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, PA
Peters, Frank A. ~ Sgt, Waist Gunner, NM
Witte, Robert W. ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, WA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24D #41-24220:
Gebert, Russell C. ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier
Goad, Harold W. ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, OH
( Harold's wife, thinking he had died ... married Robert A. MacDowell )
King, Clarence A. ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, CA
Sawyer, Francis E ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, WI
Schrader, William G. ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot
( Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert served as a Technical Sergeant & Radio Operator / Gunner on B-24D #41-24220, 493rd Bomber Squadron, 7th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Yakima County, Washington prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 29, 1941, prior to the war, in Seattle, Washington. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Stock clerk and also as Single, without dependents.
Robert was promoted to Technical Sergeant on June 23, 1943.
B-24D #41-24220 took off, with a crew of 10, from India on a bombing mission over Rangoon, Burma. After a successful bombing mission they were attacked and shot down by Japanese aircraft 30 miles west of Rangoon. The aircraft was hit in the bomb bay and a fire erupted. The fuselage broke in half and disintegrated. Five crew members were killed in the crash and five were able to parachute out and all became POW's of the Japanese.
Robert was "Killed In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on September 9, 1949.
Service # 19059282
Son of John Keith Witte and Vona P Witte.
The reason he is named on a group headstone is because when soldiers & sailors were killed in close proximity to each other they were unable, at that time, to identify them separately and interred their remains together in one grave.
( Bio & Family Link by : ShaneO & Russ Pickett )
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24D #41-24220:
Austin, Omar A. ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, VT
Chiarello, Frank J. ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, CT
Marshall, George H. ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, PA
Peters, Frank A. ~ Sgt, Waist Gunner, NM
Witte, Robert W. ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, WA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24D #41-24220:
Gebert, Russell C. ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier
Goad, Harold W. ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, OH
( Harold's wife, thinking he had died ... married Robert A. MacDowell )
King, Clarence A. ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, CA
Sawyer, Francis E ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, WI
Schrader, William G. ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot
( Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Yakima County, Washington prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 29, 1941, prior to the war, in Seattle, Washington. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Stock clerk and also as Single, without dependents.
Robert was promoted to Technical Sergeant on June 23, 1943.
B-24D #41-24220 took off, with a crew of 10, from India on a bombing mission over Rangoon, Burma. After a successful bombing mission they were attacked and shot down by Japanese aircraft 30 miles west of Rangoon. The aircraft was hit in the bomb bay and a fire erupted. The fuselage broke in half and disintegrated. Five crew members were killed in the crash and five were able to parachute out and all became POW's of the Japanese.
Robert was "Killed In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on September 9, 1949.
Service # 19059282
Son of John Keith Witte and Vona P Witte.
The reason he is named on a group headstone is because when soldiers & sailors were killed in close proximity to each other they were unable, at that time, to identify them separately and interred their remains together in one grave.
( Bio & Family Link by : ShaneO & Russ Pickett )
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24D #41-24220:
Austin, Omar A. ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, VT
Chiarello, Frank J. ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, CT
Marshall, George H. ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, PA
Peters, Frank A. ~ Sgt, Waist Gunner, NM
Witte, Robert W. ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, WA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24D #41-24220:
Gebert, Russell C. ~ 2nd Lt, Bombardier
Goad, Harold W. ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, OH
( Harold's wife, thinking he had died ... married Robert A. MacDowell )
King, Clarence A. ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, CA
Sawyer, Francis E ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, WI
Schrader, William G. ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot
( Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inscription
TSGT, 493 AAF BOMB SQ, 7 BOMB GP WORLD WAR II
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