Warren Robert Blakeman was the only son of Clifford Oscar Blakeman and Myrtle (Powell) Blakeman. He had one sister named Geraldine. He was nephew to my grandmother, Katherine Hazel (Blakeman) Hilton. Warren was the pilot of a B-24 J Liberator that was shot down shortly after dropping its bomb load on an aircraft factory in Brunswick Germany the first day of "Big Week'. It was his 15th mission and the family said it was to be his last before being sent home to train other young men as pilots. He was in the 389th bobardment group, 564th squadron. His aircraft serial # and name was 42-100085 Stinky. His crew was 2nd Lt. William L. Mitten, Co-pilot, Staff Sgt. Virgil F. Brown, Ball Gunner, Tech. Sgt. Warren E. Wright, Radio Operator, Staff Sgt. Jay G. Braddy, Waist Gunner, 2nd Lt. William H. Ichter, Bombardier, 2nd Lt. Arthur J. Kennedy, Navigator, Staff Sgt.James F. Kelly Jr., Waist Gunner, Staff Sgt. Keith B. Nelson, Tail Gunner, Tech. Sgt. Forrest E. Minch, Engineer/Top Turret Gunner. All of Warren's crew bailed out except three, himself, William Mitten, and Virgil Brown. All of the crew that survived, were taken prisoner by the Germans. After the war, the crew concurred that Mitten and Brown were dead when they bailed out. The reports were mixed on Warren. However, my father told me that after the war, one of the crew came to see Warren's family. This man said that he was the last to bail out and declared to them that Warren was alive at that time. He said he asked him, "what about you Blakey?" Warren told him to get out of the plane and he would be right behind him. Another pilot, William H. Wambold, flying in formation below him, said the plane peeled off to the right with a big hole in its left wing. It was losing altitude and exploded a few moments before it passed from his vision. He said his enlisted men saw a number of chutes come out of the plane.
In 1949, the family was notified that a plane bearing some of the numbers matching his had been found in Poland with skeletal remains in it. They said they could not positively verify that the bones were Warrens but they could ship them to the family if they wanted them to. Warren's family said they would accept the bones as those of their son and give them a proper funeral. Warren's funeral was held at the Fillbach Funeral Home in Burbank California on August 27, 1949. My grandmother said the family was never the same again. According to his enlistment records, Warren was 73 inches tall, weighed 195 pounds, was single with no dependents, was an actor or motion picture director, entertainor. His enlistment was for the duration of the war or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law. Army serial # 19097491.