Archibald Lawson Robertson
Military
Deleted connection with aircraft
Object Number - UPL 40589 - Archibald Layton Robertson (photo courtesy of his daughter Mary Krystine Baum)
Archibald Robertson was Co-Pilot on B-17 #42-30050 "Judy E", shot down 10 July 1943 on the mission to Le Bourget airfield near Paris. He managed to evade capture with the help of French and Belgian members of the Résistance. Fed, clothed, sheltered and guided across France, he travelled from Normandy to Rouen, Paris, Orléans, Etréchy, Bordeaux, Dax, Bayonne, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and was guided with 4 other evaders (a Belgian officer and three airmen, 1 American, 1 New Zealander and 1 Irish) across the Pyrénées mountains into Spain in the night of 21-22 September 1943. Driven to Gibraltar, he returned by air from there to Bristol, England on 5 October 1943. Robertson stayed in the Air Force and served in Korea and Viet-Nam, ending his military career with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. For the complete story of his evasion, see http://www.evasioncomete.be/frobertal.html
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16058854 at enlistment, then O-731267
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18063077
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Engineer / Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 350th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11033723 at enlistment, then O-791081
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 350th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 00026405 at enlistment, then O-727093
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 37292132
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner / Assistant Radio Operator
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Judy E
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 10 July 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
12 September 1923 | Alabama | |
|
Enlisted |
16 March 1942 | Montgomery, Alabama | |
|
Other Attained rank of 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Corps |
16 February 1943 | ||
|
Other Bailed out |
10 July 1943 | of B-17 42-30050 over NW France | |
|
Other Landed in parachute |
10 July 1943 | between Saint-Riquier-és-Plains and Ingouville, Seine Maritime, France | |
|
Other Evaded capture (EVD) |
10 July 1943 - 2 October 1943 | Helped by French and Belgian members of the Résistance (see his page at http://www.evasioncomete.be/frobertal.html ) | |
|
Died |
31 July 1972 | ||
| Auburn, Alabama, United States | |||
|
Buried |
Archibald Robertson rests at the Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia |
Revisions
MACR 268
Escape & Evasion Report E&E 116
E-mail exchange with daughter Mary Krystine (November 2019)
Research for Robertson's page at www.evasioncomete.org
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 268 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
