Robert Louis Adler

Military

Shot down 18 April 1944 in B-17 #42-37902 'Sure Thing', while performing his duties as the aircraft's Navigator. Became a Prisoner of War, surviving the war.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

390th Bomb Group

Unit Hierarchy: Group
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

568th Bomb Squadron

Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

People

Adolph Bernard Chilek

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 18187769
Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

Robert Edwin Frith

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 37544827
Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Victor Jay Guthrie

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: O-741509
Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
Role/Job: Bombardier

Melvin John Hames

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 37418829
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Tail Gunner

Jack Spencer Harrison

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: O-804659
Highest Rank: Major
Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

42-37902

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
Nicknames: Hell's Bells/Sure Stuff
Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron

The wreck of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "El Lobo" of the 390th Bomb Group. On reverse: Roger Anthoine [Stamp].

42-38040

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress

Missions

306A

Date: 18 April 1944

8th Air Force 300

Date: 12 April 1944

8th Air Force 298

Date: 11 April 1944

8th Air Force 295

Date: 10 April 1944

A B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-110081) nicknamed "Able Mable" of the 93rd Bomb Group, in flight 10 April 1944. First handwritten caption on reverse: '10.4.44 Bourges,' Second handwritten caption on reverse: 'MIA 19/6/44.'

8th Air Force 291

Date: 8 April 1944

Places

A bomber crew of the 390th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress ( serial number 42-31027) nicknamed "Honey Chile" and their dog and monkey mascots "Scrappy" and "Joe". Image stamped on reverse: ‘Fox.’ [stamp], ‘passed for publication 25 Oct 1943.’ [stamp] and ‘289774.’ [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: ‘AERIAL MASCOTS OF FORTRESS CREWS. PH/MoN. As frisky and friendly a pair of aerial mascots as you'll find in Britain are "Scrappy" and "Joe", pup and monkey team belonging to the

Framlingham

Site type: Airfield
Known as: Parham

Events

Event	Location	Date	Description
Born	Chicago, Illinois, USA	28 September 1918
Enlisted	Chicago, Illinois, USA	11 April 1941	Enlisted as an Aviation Cadet with the serial number 36019397
Other Shot down	Barnewitz, Germany	18 April 1944	Shot down over a mission to Oranienburg, Germany, while on B-17 42-37902, while serving as Navigator. Would later become a POW.
Other Prisoner of War	Stalag III, Sagan, Poland	18 April 1944	Served his time as a POW at Stalag III.
Died	Creve Coeur, Missouri, USA	2 July 2012
Buried		9 July 2012
Based			Assigned to 568BS, 390BG, 8AF.

Revisions

Date23 Nov 2021 00:17:04

ContributorCastleBren

ChangesChanges to middlename, service number, biography, awards, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations

Sources

390th Bomb Group records

Date21 Jun 2021 15:36:19

Contributorjmoore43

ChangesChanges to biography

Sources

Added a "-" to the A/C tail # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.

Date27 Sep 2014 18:23:41

ContributorAAM

ChangesAAM ingest

Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 4013 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database