Memorial

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Born Robert R. McAninch, it was after the death of his mother in 1931, that Sgt Jennings and his siblings were adopted by the Jennings family.

Statement from Loran G. Wood, S/Sgt:
"I was occupying the position of Tail Gunner on Lieutenant Plemon's plane, which was flying in Number five position of "D" Flight. Lieutenant Sear's plane was flying Number two position in "F" Flight, on the left and to the rear of our plane. His plane continued in formation until approximately one minute before "Bombs away", when a direct hit by flak on the left wing severed off the wing from number one engine out. The plane immediately went into a short spin, then turned end over end, and finally fell off on the right wing and spun downward. I watched the plane fall approximately five thousand feet, until it was obscured from my view. At the time it was burning badly on the left wing where the flak had hit."

Statement from George E. Kruse, S/Sgt:
"While over an intense flak area, evidentially it was flak that hit the gas tank, causing the wing from Number one engine out to break away from the rest of the ship. It immediately went into a spin and due to the large number of fighters I did not watch it for long."

Crewmember 2nd Lt Frank M. Merriel, Bombardier, stated that the plane was in such a tight spin that he could barely move, just enough to fall out of the nose door. He doubted if any of the other crewmembers, still on the plane, could move. Only four crewmembers were able to bail out. Sergeant Robert R. Jennings and four other crewmembers could not get out in time and crashed into the ground. The ten bombs on board exploded after the airplane hit the ground.

Roumanian officers told de survivors that the Identification Tags were found in the vicinity of the plane.

Sgt Robert R. Jennings was first buried at the Temporary American Military Cemetery Ardennes, Belgium