Robert E Vickers Jr
MilitaryMark Vickers = Son
Entered service at Fort Wayne, in 17 November 1942. Joined 392nd BG November 1944. Rank at end of WW II was 2nd Lt. Rank at retirement from service was Colonel on 1 May 1975. Served in WWII; Korean: Vietnam: Cold War (SAC).
'For extraordinary achievement, while pilot of a B-24 on a bombing mission to Germany 16 Jan 1945, Lt Vickers developed mechanical difficulties and he aggressively continued on to bomb his assigned target. His aircraft was severely damaged by Flak. He successfully maneuvered his crippled aircraft back.'
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from the Mighty Eighth Museum
Today our flag flies at half staff in honor of the passing of 8th AF veteran and museum friend
Retired Colonel Robert “Bob” Vickers.
Bob Vickers joined the Army Air Force as an aviation cadet at Fort Wayne, Indiana on November 17, 1942. He was assigned to the 392nd Bombardment Group in the Second Air Division of the 8th AF in November 1944. He piloted a B-24 named “The Niagara Special.” The plane was shot down on January 16, 1945 on a mission to Ruhland, Germany located just outside of Dresden. Due to an obscured target, they bombed the secondary target of Werminghoff instead. Bob held the plane in the air until they were over the Moselle River in France. The crew bailed out safely and no one was injured. The area was recently freed by General Patton’s US Third army and the area farmers were delighted to see they were Americans. Bob completed 30 missions and left WWII the rank of 2nd LT, served in Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War with SAC and retired a Colonel in May 1975.
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 578th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 578th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 578th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Corporal
- Role/Job: Engineer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 578th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Sergeant (RAF)
- Role/Job: Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 578th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Dugan
- Unit: 392nd Bomb Group 578th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Adams Mills, Ohio | 20 February 1924 | |
Died |
New Mexico, USA | 28 January 2010 | |
Buried |
Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, USA | Santa Fe National Cemetery |
Revisions
Added associations to crew members per info on Find-a-grave Memorial ID 47708053.
SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47708053/robert-e-vickers
Added associations to crew members per info on Find-a-grave Memorial ID 47708053.
SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47708053/robert-e-vickers
Added Died and Buried events per Find-a-grave Memorial ID 47708053.
SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47708053/robert-e-vickers
Added some punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid readability.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self