Robert Roy Butler Jr
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Tom Burton, nephew of Robert R. Butler, Jr.
Object Number - UPL 39243 - Robert R. Butler, Jr. 1943
Assigned to 844BS, 489BG, 8AF USAAF.
Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Mainz, Germany 19-Oct-44 where they were to bomb the railroad marshalling yard. Aboard B-24 tail 42-94913 nicknamed “Pregnant Peggy” when three minutes before dropping bombs, his aircraft lost control due to prop wash from the lead aircraft causing "Pregnant Peggy" to pancake onto B-24 #42-94903 "Bomber's Moon". Both A/C crashed in Edenkoben, Germany. Butler Killed in Action (KIA).
Two crew from "Pregnant Peggy" (2/Lt. Lloyd W. Krumrey/Co-Pilot and S/Sgt Richard F. Phillippy/Radio Operator) parachuted and became POWs until the end of the war. Two crew from "Bomber's Moon" (2/Lt. Charles A. Rath/Co-Pilot and Sgt Bruce D. Anderson/Waist Gunner) parachuted and also became POWs. MACR 9636.
Awards: AM, PH.
Connections
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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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18177193 / O-710865
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bomber pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 37706629
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 36656922
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Nose gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11093744 / O-723316
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 33554238
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Pregnant Peggy
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 847th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Holton
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Virginia, USA | 7 July 1923 | Son of Robert R Butler, Sr. and Hilda Butler. Brother to nine siblings, one of which was on a B-24 crew in the 15th Army Air Force Corps '44-"45. |
|
Enlisted |
Richmond, VA, USA | 19 May 1943 | Induction Richmond, Virginia |
|
Died |
67480 Edenkoben, Germany | 19 October 1944 | Failed to Return (FTR) mission to bomb railroad marshalling yards in Mainz, Germany. Lost control due to prop wash from lead aircraft and pancaked onto B-24 42-94903 'Bomber's Moon', both A/C fell out of the sky. Killed in Action (KIA). Two crew from each ship parachuted and were POWs until the end of the war. MACR 9636. |
| Winchester, Virginia | Moved to Blacksburg, Virginia in 1941 to attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute Aviation Mechanic's School. | ||
|
Based |
Halesworth | 19 October 1944 | Assigned to 844BS, 489BG, 8AF USAAF. Arrived in Halesworth in late August 1944. |
|
Buried |
Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester, VA | Interred 1946 - Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint-Avold, France. Reinterred 1948 - Mount Hebron Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia USA |
Revisions
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170834143/robert-roy-butler
Removed # from A/C serial No. to aid clarity and consistency
Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- Tom Burton, nephew to Robert R. Butler, Jr.;
- 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.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 9636
