Robert was a 1st Lieutenant in the 8th Air Force, 351st Bomber Group, 509th Squadron. On 22 Jun 1944, while returning from a heavy bombardment mission over Rouen, France, the B17G Flying Fortress (serial # 42-97202) he was piloting was hit by German anti-aircraft fire near Mont Gauvaire, about 13k north of Rouen and crashed near St Jean du Cardonnay.

SSGT Leonard E Kleinjan (37322719), Waist Gunner, was struck in the neck by anti-aircraft flak and was unable to bail out despite his crewmates' attempts to resuscitate him; he went down with the plane and was killed. He was buried in the France Cemetery in Mont Gauvaire. All other crew members were able to bail out.

Three eluded capture:

TSGT Isadore Traschen (32208467), Radio Operator

SSGT Thomas F LaGrua (32821876), Ball-turrent Gunner

SSGT Ralph L Futhey (39285517), Tail Gunner

Five were captured and sent to Oberursel for interrogation:

1st Lt Robert Taylor Watkins (O-796922), Pilot

2nd Lt Frank David Williams(O-695227), Co-Pilot

2nd Lt Douglas James Sier (O-703658), Navigator

2nd Lt Ralph Edward Hoover (O-741524), Bombardier

TSGT Earl H Louiso (35473722), Top Turret Gunner

{The information above was compiled from documents at https://www.fold3.com/image/28991856 [1] on 28 Dec 2015.}

Many captured American and British airmen passed through Oberursel as they were interrogated and processed into the German POW camp system at the Durchgangslager der Luftwaffe or Transit Camp of the Luftwaffe located in the town. The camp name was commonly shortened to Dulag Luft or simply Dulag. Almost all allied airmen who were shot down and captured spent some time at that camp before being moved to their permanent assigned Stalag. {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberursel_(Taunus); accessed 19 Jun 2015}

Robert, Lt Sier, and Lt Hoover were sent to Stalag 7a, Moosburg, Bavaria; Lt Williams was sent to Stalag Luft 3, Sagan Silesia, Bavaria (actually in Poland) [2]. I was unable to discover where TSGT Louiso was detained, but he was liberated after the war [2].

Russian troops were approaching Sagan, Poland. At 11:00 pm on 27 January 1945, the Germans marched the prisoners out of Stalag Luft 3 with Spremberg for their destination. The exodus was harrowing to prisoners of all compounds, especially to those of the South Compound who made the 55 kilometers from Sagan to Muskau in 27 hours with only 4 hours sleep. At Muskau they were given a 30 hour delay for recuperation and then marched another 25 km to Spremberg. On 31 January the South Compound men plus 200 men from the West Compound went to Stalag 7A at Moosburg in rail "forty-and eight" boxcars packed 50 men and 1 guard in each boxcar. The trip took two days and two nights. On 7 February the men from the Center Compound joined them. The North Compound fell in with the West Compound at Spremberg and on 2 February entrained for Stalag 13D at Nurnberg, which they reached after a two day trip [4].

On 13 April 1945, after an approximate three month stay, the Americans were told that they must evacuate Stalag 13D and march to Stalag 7A at Moosburg. The main body reached Stalag 7A on 20 April 1945. Many prisoners dropped out of the march en route to Moosburg and the German guards made no serious attempt to stop them. The prisoners were liberated by General Patton’s 14th Armored Division on April 29th [4].

Sources:

[1] Publication Number: M1380

Publication Title: Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs) of the U.S. Army Air Forces, 1942-1947

Publisher: NARA

National Archives Catalog ID: 305256

Record Group: 92

Year: 1944

Serial Number: 42-97202

Report Number: 6535

Publication Declassified: a:NND 735001|b:NARA|d:1973

[2] http://www.ww2pow.info/

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalag_VII-A

[4] http://powvets.com/camp-locations/stalags-luft-misc/stalag-luft-3-details/

Robert T Watkins

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