Robert served as a Staff Sergeant on B-24 "Cisco Kid II" (#42-73307), 31st Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
Robert has been noted by family members as not being a regular crew member of the "Cisco Kid II". It is thought that he volunteered for this mission trying to earn enough flight time to go home.
He resided in Dunn County, Wisconsin prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 16, 1941 in Wausau, Wisconsin. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Machinist and also as Single, without dependents.
Robert was "Killed In Action" when his B-24, while taking off from Momote Airdrome, encountered an engine problem. The B-24 took a nose dive and crashed into a Seabee camp.
The fuel on the plane immediately ignited and within seconds the nine 500 pound bombs exploded. The entire crew of the "Cisco Kidd II" along with 165 Seabees were killed.
To see some of the names of Seebees that were killed see the record for T/Sgt Neil M. Mauderer below.
Robert was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 16023193
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-24 (#42-73307):
Campbell, Alden M., S/Sgt, Maine
Butler, Willis L., S/Sgt, California
Gilb, John W., T/Sgt, Radio Operator, Kentucky
Johnson, George W., S/Sgt, Georgia
Martin, Leon C., 1st Lt, Pilot, New York
Mauderer, Neil M., T/Sgt, New York
Pappas, Thomas C., 2nd Lt, Maryland
Rawleigh, Walter R., Indiana
Russell, Robert O., S/Sgt, Wisconsin
Schrebe, Henry A., 2nd Lt, West Virginia
Wolf, Arthur C., Jr., 1st Lt, Kentucky
(Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert has been noted by family members as not being a regular crew member of the "Cisco Kid II". It is thought that he volunteered for this mission trying to earn enough flight time to go home.
He resided in Dunn County, Wisconsin prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 16, 1941 in Wausau, Wisconsin. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Machinist and also as Single, without dependents.
Robert was "Killed In Action" when his B-24, while taking off from Momote Airdrome, encountered an engine problem. The B-24 took a nose dive and crashed into a Seabee camp.
The fuel on the plane immediately ignited and within seconds the nine 500 pound bombs exploded. The entire crew of the "Cisco Kidd II" along with 165 Seabees were killed.
To see some of the names of Seebees that were killed see the record for T/Sgt Neil M. Mauderer below.
Robert was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 16023193
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-24 (#42-73307):
Campbell, Alden M., S/Sgt, Maine
Butler, Willis L., S/Sgt, California
Gilb, John W., T/Sgt, Radio Operator, Kentucky
Johnson, George W., S/Sgt, Georgia
Martin, Leon C., 1st Lt, Pilot, New York
Mauderer, Neil M., T/Sgt, New York
Pappas, Thomas C., 2nd Lt, Maryland
Rawleigh, Walter R., Indiana
Russell, Robert O., S/Sgt, Wisconsin
Schrebe, Henry A., 2nd Lt, West Virginia
Wolf, Arthur C., Jr., 1st Lt, Kentucky
(Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert served as a Staff Sergeant on B-24 "Cisco Kid II" (#42-73307), 31st Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
Robert has been noted by family members as not being a regular crew member of the "Cisco Kid II". It is thought that he volunteered for this mission trying to earn enough flight time to go home.
He resided in Dunn County, Wisconsin prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 16, 1941 in Wausau, Wisconsin. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Machinist and also as Single, without dependents.
Robert was "Killed In Action" when his B-24, while taking off from Momote Airdrome, encountered an engine problem. The B-24 took a nose dive and crashed into a Seabee camp.
The fuel on the plane immediately ignited and within seconds the nine 500 pound bombs exploded. The entire crew of the "Cisco Kidd II" along with 165 Seabees were killed.
To see some of the names of Seebees that were killed see the record for T/Sgt Neil M. Mauderer below.
Robert was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 16023193
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-24 (#42-73307):
Campbell, Alden M., S/Sgt, Maine
Butler, Willis L., S/Sgt, California
Gilb, John W., T/Sgt, Radio Operator, Kentucky
Johnson, George W., S/Sgt, Georgia
Martin, Leon C., 1st Lt, Pilot, New York
Mauderer, Neil M., T/Sgt, New York
Pappas, Thomas C., 2nd Lt, Maryland
Rawleigh, Walter R., Indiana
Russell, Robert O., S/Sgt, Wisconsin
Schrebe, Henry A., 2nd Lt, West Virginia
Wolf, Arthur C., Jr., 1st Lt, Kentucky
(Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert has been noted by family members as not being a regular crew member of the "Cisco Kid II". It is thought that he volunteered for this mission trying to earn enough flight time to go home.
He resided in Dunn County, Wisconsin prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on December 16, 1941 in Wausau, Wisconsin. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Machinist and also as Single, without dependents.
Robert was "Killed In Action" when his B-24, while taking off from Momote Airdrome, encountered an engine problem. The B-24 took a nose dive and crashed into a Seabee camp.
The fuel on the plane immediately ignited and within seconds the nine 500 pound bombs exploded. The entire crew of the "Cisco Kidd II" along with 165 Seabees were killed.
To see some of the names of Seebees that were killed see the record for T/Sgt Neil M. Mauderer below.
Robert was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 16023193
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Airmen who perished on B-24 (#42-73307):
Campbell, Alden M., S/Sgt, Maine
Butler, Willis L., S/Sgt, California
Gilb, John W., T/Sgt, Radio Operator, Kentucky
Johnson, George W., S/Sgt, Georgia
Martin, Leon C., 1st Lt, Pilot, New York
Mauderer, Neil M., T/Sgt, New York
Pappas, Thomas C., 2nd Lt, Maryland
Rawleigh, Walter R., Indiana
Russell, Robert O., S/Sgt, Wisconsin
Schrebe, Henry A., 2nd Lt, West Virginia
Wolf, Arthur C., Jr., 1st Lt, Kentucky
(Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inscription
SSGT, US ARMY AIR FORCES WORLD WAR II
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