Reba Zitella Tobiason nee Whittle
MilitaryAssigned to 813th Medical Air Evacuation Transportation Squadron, IX Air Force Troop Carrier Command, 9AF. Flew over 500hrs on 40 missions between Jan-44 to Sept-44. Failed to return from casualty evacuation flight to St Trond, Belgium aboard Dakota C-47B 43-48395. Aircraft was shot down by flak some 2.5 miles outside Aachen, Germany. 2nd Lt Whittle became the only female POW in the European Theatre of Operation on 27-Sep-44. After being initially processed with her crew, she was lodged at Hohemark Hospital, being transferred on 6-Oct-44 to Reserve Lazarett IX-C(a) at Obermaßfeld a military hospital and part of Stalag IX-C. Later on 19-Oct-44 transferred to another POW hospital, IX-C(b), at nearby Meiningen. Finally being repatriated to Switzerland on 25-Jan-45.
Awards: AM, PH.
Post war: Married her fiance Lt Colonel Stanley W Tobaison 3-Aug-45. Continued to serve in USAAF stateside as a nurse, her flight status having been suspended, due to recuring headaches, being discharged 13-Jan-46. Posthumously recognized as a POW in 1983.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Ninth Air Force
- Unit Hierarchy: Command
- Air Force: Ninth Air Force
- Type Category: Troop Carrier
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: C-47 Skytrain
- Nicknames: Mary
- Unit: 27th Air Transport Group 310th Ferry Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Texas, USA | 19 August 1919 | |
Enlisted |
Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX, USA | 10 June 1941 | Enlisted 10-Jun-41 at Fort Sam Houston in the Army Nurse Corps. |
Based |
Balderton | 22 January 1944 - 27 September 1944 | Assigned to 813 MAET Sqn, IX AF TCC, 9AF. |
Other Shot down |
Aachen, Germany | 27 September 1944 | Failed to return from casualty evacuation flight to St Trond, Belgium aboard Dakota C-47B 43-48395. Aircraft was shot down by flak some 2.5 miles outside Aachen, Germany. |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
98617 Meiningen, Germany | 27 September 1944 - 25 January 1945 | Prisoner of War (POW). Reserve Lazarett IX-C(a) at Obermaßfeld part of Stalag IX-C. Transferred to another POW hospital, IX-C(b), at nearby Meiningen. |
Other Repatriated |
Switzerland | 25 January 1945 | Repatriated to Switzerland 25-Jan-45. |
Other Promotion |
United States | 2 March 1945 | Promoted to 1st Lieutenant. |
Died |
Sacramento, CA, USA | 26 January 1981 | |
Buried |
San Francisco County, CA, USA | San Francisco National Cemetery San Francisco San Francisco County California, USA. |