Robert Alfred Boock
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
UPL 77624
UPL 77624
Lt. Robert A Boock, [Springfield, IL] 334th Fighter Squadron, ex 71 "Eagle" Squadron. Photographed here with armorer Sgt. Lawrence P "Larry" Hendel, [St. Louis, MO], alongside their P-47C 41-6404 QP-S “Old Red Ass”. Lt. Boock was killed in action flying this a/c on 18 May 43 when he was shot down into the North Sea. Two of his 3 confirmed kills were gained in Spitfires.
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Object Number - UPL 77624 - Lt. Robert A Boock, [Springfield, IL] 334th Fighter Squadron, ex 71 "Eagle" Squadron. Photographed here with armorer Sgt. Lawrence P "Larry" Hendel,...
Assigned to 71 [Eagle] Sqn RAF. Transferred to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Ditched in North Sea due to mechanical failure on 26-Jan-43 (Returned To Duty - RTD). On 6-Apr-43, smoke in the cockpit forced a landing 3.5 miles off the coast of North Foreland, UK. (Returned To Duty - RTD). Two of his 3 confirmed kills were gained in Spitfires. On 18-May-43, his P-47 41-6405 was shot down by fighters and crashed into the sea between Knokke and Blankenberge, Belgium. Killed in Action (KIA). He is still listed as Missing In Action (MIA), as his remains were never recovered.
Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), PH.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Type Category: Fighter
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 334th Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: 37369079
- Role/Job: Armourer
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Nicknames: Ill Wind? Old Red Ass
- Unit: 366th Fighter Group 4th Fighter Group Base Air Depot 2 334th Fighter Squadron 389th Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: P-47 Thunderbolt
- Nicknames: Old red ass
- Unit: 4th Fighter Group 334th Fighter Squadron
- Aircraft Type: Spitfire
- Unit: 4th Fighter Group 334th Fighter Squadron No 71 'Eagle' Squadron
- Aircraft Type: Spitfire
- Unit: 4th Fighter Group 335th Fighter Squadron
Missions
- Date: 18 May 1943
- Date: 26 January 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Cemetery
- Known as: Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, Hombourg, Belgium
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
St Cloud, Stearns County, Minnesota | 15 May 1920 | Son of Alfred C and Helen Madeline Ewart Boock. |
|
Based |
Kirton-in-Lindsey | 8 September 1942 - 29 September 1942 | Assigned to 71 [Eagle] Sqn RAF. |
|
Other Transferred |
Debden, Loughton IG10, UK | 29 September 1942 - 18 May 1943 | Transferred to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. |
|
Other Ditched |
North Sea | 26 January 1943 | Ditched in North Sea due to mechanical failure on 26-Jan-43 Return To Duty RTD. |
|
Other Ditched |
North Foreland Lighthouse, 36 N Foreland Rd, Broadstairs CT10 3NN, UK | 6 April 1943 | Smoke in the cockpit forced a landing 3.5 miles off the coast of North Foreland, UK. 6-Apr-43. Return To Duty RTD. |
|
Other Promotion |
Debden, Loughton IG10, UK | 8 May 1943 | Promoted to 1st Lieutenant. |
|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Blankenberge, Belgium | 18 May 1943 | Squadron turned to engage a large group of ME109’s between Knocke and Blankenberge in Belgium. In the ensuing dogfight, Boock’s Thunderbolt was set afire and was seen to crash into the North Sea between Knokke and Blankenberge, Belgium. His remains have never been recovered. |
|
Other Commemorated |
Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial, Rue du Mémorial Américain 159, 4852 Hombourg, Belgium | Commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. | |
| Coronado, California | Coronado, San Diego County, California | ||
|
Other Employed |
Consolidated Aircraft Corporation San Diego, CA | Consolidated Aircraft Corporation San Diego, California |
Revisions
Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
Personal research & 4th fighter Group 'Debden Eagles' by Chris Bucholz.
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2015. Added SN, Commemorated event and decorations per American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) record; made connections for Place, Aircraft and Missions within existing website data; Edited Biography per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A Hey MBE.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey pp. 100-101, 126 , ABMC and National Archives web site / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
