Robert Theodore Jacobson
MilitaryConnected photo to airman's page.
Lt. Robert 'Jake' Jacobson, was a college graduate from the North Western University. He signed on with the U.S. Army Air Force before America entered the war. From October 1942, he flew 31 combat missions as B-24 bombardier in the B-24D, Hot Stuff, in the 93rd Bomb Group. He was one of the first American airmen to complete a tour of duty. When Lt. Jacobson's plane was scheduled to fly back to the USA on 3 May, for a war bond tour, by a quirk of fate, Jacobson and his copilot were taken off the flight at the last moment, their places taken by Lt. General Frank Andrews and his staff ordered back to the USA by Gen. George Marshall for consultations. Hot Stuff, crashed catastrophically into a mountain in Iceland, attempting to land in bad weather, with only the tail gunner surviving.
Jacobson went on to fly another 14 missions, this time on a B-29 in the Pacific, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, he earned a Master's Degree in hospital administration before being recalled to active duty to serve in USAAF hospitals overseas. He retired from the Air Force, as a Major, in 1968 working in a hospital in Texas until his final retirement in 1983.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 15066095 / O-789244
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-437644
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Hot Stuff
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Cedars, MS | 1 November 1916 | Son of Harry A and Jean [Gillan] Jacobson. |
Died |
Round Rock, TX | 14 September 2010 | |
Buried |
Austin Memorial Park Cemetery Austin, Travis County, TX | 17 September 2010 | Austin Memorial Park Cemetery Austin, Travis County, Texas |
Austin, Texas | |||
Based |
Assigned to 330BS, 93BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Revisions
Punctuation removed from around aircraft name for clarity, uniformity, and readability. - Kickapoo
Biography completed by historian Helen Millgate. Information sourced from correspondence files and articles related to the service of Robert T. Jacobson.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / roster