Robert D Folk
MilitaryRobert Folk married Doris Shaffer on July 4,1943 and four days later joined his B-17 crew and flew to England. On his 11th mission, during the Schweinfurt Raid on Oct 14, 1943 his plane was shot down. He was one of six crewmen that survived. He became a Prisoner of War (POW) and was assigned to Stalag 17B near Krems, Austria. He was released on May 3, 1945. He returned the the U.S. and became a businessman in the town of Homer, Mi and raised a son and daughter. He worked hard his whole life and gave much to his community. Later in life he reconnected with some of his former POW mates and talked some about his war experiences. He died from cancer at the age of 79 on 23rd October 1999.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 423rd Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 14 October 1943
- Date: 10 October 1943
- Date: 8 October 1943
- Date: 4 October 1943
- Date: 2 October 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Bedford
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Homer, MI 49245, USA |
Revisions
306th BG Association Directory, 1 September 1999 Edition; MACR 819 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 819 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database