Robert L Crabb | American Air Museum in Britain

Extract from Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) for 1st Lieutenant Robert L Crabb of the 355th Fighter Group researched by historian Bill Beigel. The file contains copies of primary documents that discuss the return of personal effects, circumstances and causes of death, and memorialisation of the fallen airman. If you require access to the full, unedited file please contact Bill Beigel via his website, www.ww2research.com, or the AAM Team at aamwebsite@iwm.org.uk

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1st Lieutenant Robert L. Crabb was born July 29, 1921, the son of Jeremiah and Grace Crabb. His hometown was Williamsburg, Kansas.

Lt Crabb was orginally a co-pilot on a B-24. Flew 30 missions. In March 1945, he flew an additional 5 missions as a pilot. Transferred to the 355th Fighter Group in May 1945.

On May 31, 1945, Lt Crabb, of the 355th Fighter Group, 354th Fighter Squadron, was killed in a low level training crash, 100% pilot error as he stalled out, 3 miles from the RAF field at Gransden Lodge. His plane was P-51D 42-106437.

He is buried at the US Military Cemetery at Cambridge, England.

Remembered by Derald Riggs, Oklahoma City, OK.

Service

Units served with

8th Air Force

Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. ...
355th Fighter Group

Group
Where the 353rd Fighter Group had pioneered ground strafing techniques, it was the 355th Fighter Group who destroyed more enemy aircraft by ground strafing than any other Eighth Air Force Group. Based at Steeple Morden from July 1943 to July 1945, the...
389th Bomb Group

Group
The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943...
354th Fighter Squadron

Squadron
564th Bomb Squadron

Squadron

Aircraft

42-106437 Silky, Darlin' Doris, Ann Anita/Alabama Bound/Fee ~ Margo

P-51 Mustang
Claimed 3.5 aerial and 10 strafing kills with Ray S. Morris as "Silky" before being assigned to Clarence H. Graham as "Darlin' Doris", then Duran M. Vickery as "Ann Anita/Alabama Bound (L), Fee ~ Margo (R)" ...

Missions

8th Air Force

5 September 1944
8th Air Force

20 September 1944
8th Air Force

25 September 1944
8th Air Force

26 September 1944
8th Air Force

27 September 1944
688

25 October 1944
696

1 November 1944
707

9 November 1944
727

27 November 1944
729

29 November 1944

Associated Place

Hethel

Military site : airfield
Construction of Hethel airfield began in 1941, and was finished in late 1942. The number of hardstandings was increased from the planned 36 to 50 in 1942, in order to accommodate a full heavy bomb group. The 320th Bomb Group occupied the base for ten...
Steeple Morden

Military site : airfield
Originally used from 1940 as a small, grass airfield, satellite for nearby RAF Bassingbourn, Steeple Morden was allocated to the Eighth Air Force in August 1942 as a potential bomber base. It was used briefly by the 3rd Photographic Group during the...

Events

Event	Location	Date
Born	Williamsburg, KS, USA	29 July 1921
1st Lieutenant Robert L. Crabb was born July 29, 1922, the son of Jeremiah and Grace Crabb. His hometown was Williamsburg, Kansas.
Enlisted	Kansas City, KS, USA	1 August 1942
Based	Hethel	1 August 1944 – May 1945
Flew as B-24 co-pilot on 30 missions. Five as pilot in March 1944.
Based	Steeple Morden	May 1945 – 31 May 1945
Transferred to 355th Fighter Group May 1945
Killed in Training (KIT)	Gransden Lodge Airfield, Sandy, Cambridgeshire SG19, UK	31 May 1945
On May 31, 1945, LT Crabb, of the 355th Fighter Group, 354th Fighter Squadron, was killed in a training crash 3 miles from the RAF field at Gransten Lodge. His plane was P-51 tail #42-106437.
Buried		June 1945
He is buried at the US Military Cemetery at Cambridge, England.

Date	Contributor	Update
02 August 2018 09:53:19	general ira snapsorter	Changes to biography
Sources
Merged with duplicate entries to include details from: - 389th BG Roster ; - the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia; - Derald Riggs, via American Air Museum Memory Book Correspondence.
Date	Contributor	Update
01 August 2018 17:52:56	Al_Skiff	Changes to service number, role, biography, awards, events, unit associations and place associations
Sources
https://www.fold3.com/record/529896955-robert-l-crabb https://www.fold3.com/image/310763723?terms=Robert%20L%20Crabb https://www.fold3.com/page/84611790-robert-l-crabb/facts https://www.fold3.com/page/529896955-robert-l-crabb/facts https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56288840/robert-l-crabb
Date	Contributor	Update
05 July 2017 16:41:42	Derald Riggs	Changes to biography and events
Sources
Nephew
Date	Contributor	Update
05 July 2017 16:26:22	Derald Riggs	Changes to mission associations
Sources
389th Bomb Group records, nephew.
Date	Contributor	Update
05 July 2017 16:03:39	Derald Riggs	Changes to place associations
Sources
Nephew
Date	Contributor	Update
05 July 2017 16:02:30	Derald Riggs	Changes to unit associations
Sources
Nephew, and official Army Air Force records.
Date	Contributor	Update
05 July 2017 15:49:48	Derald Riggs	Changes to nickname, role and awards
Sources
Nephew
Date	Contributor	Update
06 May 2015 17:14:27	rossingtonj	Changes to events
Sources
Associated madingley
Date	Contributor	Update
06 May 2015 17:07:35	rossingtonj	Changes to unit associations
Sources
Unassociated 389th Bomb Group
Date	Contributor	Update
23 February 2015 03:34:56	WW2 Researcher Bill Beigel	Changes to biography and events
Sources
IDPF and/or crash report researched by Bill Beigel. IDPF donated to American Air Museum by Bill Beigel. For more information about this flyer, you may contact http://ww2research.com.
Date	Contributor	Update
27 September 2014 18:23:42	AAM	AAM ingest
Sources
Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list