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| B-24 navigator Lt. Robert Johnson flew for the 512th Bombardment Squadron on his final mission to Vicenza, Italy. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/47241533/robert-j.-johnson http://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/4006 http://www.armyaircorps-376bg.com/1943_28_dec.html |
Robert J. Johnson never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on January 10, 1918 in California. His parents Jack and Pearl Ann were both born in Tennessee. His father worked as a farm laborer and later as a farm manager. Still later he worked as a ranch hand. Robert had three older brothers, one younger brother and a younger sister. By 1940 Robert had completed one year of college and was still living at home.
I am not sure when he enlisted in the army, but he volunteered for the Army Air Forces and tested high enough to be trained as a navigator (pilots generally scored lower than navigators).
He became a first lieutenant and navigator for the 512th Bombardment Squadron, 376th Bombardment Group which was equipped with B-24 Liberators. The 376th BG was originally codenamed HALPRO and assigned to bomb the Japanese from bases in China. However, on the trip there via Brazil and then Egypt, it was learned that the Chinese airfields had been captured by the Japanese, so the B-24s stayed in Egypt to help defeat Rommel and the Afrika Korps. When the Germans were defeated, the 376th BG operated out of North Africa and flew missions to Italy and the Balkans.
Lt. Johnson took part in the hellacious Ploiesti mission of August 1, 1943 that cost the US 53 of the 177 bombers sent and another 55 damaged. He was one of those who made it back safely and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor on that mission.
Lt. Johnson was in the navigator's chair of the B-24 The Joker on his final mission with a target of the Vicenza Italy marshaling yards on December 28, 1943. The mission was made without fighter escorts because the bombers and fighters arrived at the rendezvous point at different times and did not see each other. The bombers were called back, but they did not get the message and continued on alone. His plane was shot down by a ME 109. Six airmen survived, but Lt. Johnson and three others did not. The 376th BG lost 9 other planes on this mission (a total of six from Lt. Johnson's 512th BS), the worst single day for the unit during the entire war.
Eight months later, on August 1, 1944, Robert's brother Sam, also an AAF lieutenant, was killed.
Their graves are at Bardsdale Cemetery in Fillmore, California.
Last year on this date I profiled one of the many Japanese-Americans killed during WW2, Richard Fujii. You can read about Richard here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100
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