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Robert K Belk

Military

  •  

Bailed out of B-17 #42-5086 'Wahoo II' over England on return from mission to Munster railroad yards on 10 October 1943. All crew survived.

Shot down in B-17 #42-31397 on 25 Feb 1944 on mission to Regensburg, GR. Prisoner of War (POW).

Service

People

  • Robert DeMille

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 384th Bomb Group
    Robert E. DeMille was my Father. He flew 32 missions in B-17's from Grafton-Underwood (384th BG/ 544th BS) and Chelveston in England. He never wanted to speak very much of his wartime experiences. He wanted to come home after his obligatory 25...

  • Earl Mason

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 384th Bomb Group
    Shot down 26 November 1943 in B-17 #42-5051 'Barrel House Bessie'. Plane ditched in North Sea. Rescued and returned to base.

  • Donald Morrison

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 384th Bomb Group
    Shot down 26 November 1943 in B-17 #42-5051 'Barrel House Bessie'. Plane ditched in North Sea. Rescued and returned to base.

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Units served with

  • 384th Bomb Group

    384th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 384th Bomb Group flew B-17s from Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire, between May 1943 and June 1945. They were engaged in daylight bombing missions over Germany as part of the Allies' efforts to destroy the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe by...

  • 544th Bomb Squadron

    544th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

Aircraft

  • 42-31397

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 29/10/43; Assigned 353BS/301BG Cerignola 15/12/43; Lucera 1/2/44; Missing in Action 18 missions Regensburg 25/2/44 with Joseph A. Hurley, William J. Mills Jr, Peter Victor Henningsen, William Bothwell (4 Killed in Action); Robert K....

  • 42-5086 'WAHOO II'

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Tulsa 17/9/42; Presque Is 17/11/42; Assigned 369BS/306BG [WW-J] Thurleigh 25/11/42; transferred 546BS/384BG [BK-B] Grafton Underwood 5/9/43; battle damaged Munster 10/10/43 with Bill Wilson, Co-pilot: Carlos Rabby, Navigator: Bob Belk,...

Associated Place

  • Grafton Underwood

    Military site : airfield
    Grafton Underwood was built in 1941 by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd. It was the first airfield in England to receive an Eighth Air Force flying unit, when in May 1942 personnel of the 15th Bomb Squadron took up residence. As a satellite airfield for...

  • Stalag Luft I

    Other location

Events

Event Location Date
Prisoner of War (POW). Barth, Germany 25 February 1944 – 9 June 1945

Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang Prussia 54-12
Nationality
American
Nickname
Not yet known
Service numbers
O-736681
Highest rank
Lieutenant
Role/job
Navigator
Awards
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
01 August 2020 18:30:10 jmoore43 Changes to events and place associations
Sources

Added a connection to Stalag Luft l per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Updated POW event per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Date Contributor Update
19 March 2020 21:09:52 jmoore43 Changes to aircraft associations
Sources

Added a connection to A/C #42-31397 listed in the MACR 2722.
Date Contributor Update
19 March 2020 21:06:12 jmoore43 Changes to biography
Sources

Added more info to the "25 Feb 1944 on mission to Regensburg, GR" in the "Summary biography" gleaned from MACR 2722.
Date Contributor Update
19 March 2020 21:01:03 jmoore43 Changes to events
Sources

Added a POW event per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Date Contributor Update
19 March 2020 20:57:50 jmoore43 Changes to biography
Sources

Added info about the Regensburg GR mission to the "Summary biography" gleaned from the MACR 2722.
Date Contributor Update
19 March 2020 19:45:54 jmoore43 Changes to biography
Sources

Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.
Date Contributor Update
28 June 2017 13:07:49 general ira snapsorter Changes to aircraft associations
Sources

Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia;
- http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/person.php?PersonKey=270
Date Contributor Update
28 May 2017 07:14:56 Bdemille Changes to person associations
Sources

Bruce A. DeMille, son Lt. Robert E. DeMille
Date Contributor Update
28 May 2017 07:13:06 Bdemille Changes to service number, person associations and place associations
Sources

Bruce A. DeMille, son Lt. Robert E. DeMille
Date Contributor Update
09 June 2015 02:44:41 bombercommand Changes to unit associations
Sources

http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/person.php?PersonKey=270
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:23:40 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Memories of the 384th Bombardment Group (H), Vol. 1; p. 42., Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop & Hey p. 327, http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/PersonnelSearch.php?LastName=b...

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