Memorial

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S/Sgt Robert D. Crumpton graduated from Ennis High School and worked as an automobile serviceman.

He joined the Air Corps of the Regular Army at Fort MacArthur, California on 2 May 1941.

Lt Wallace Storey, the pilot of another airplane in the same group, remembered what happened: "Flak was extremely heavy that day, and the Wing had been somewhat disrupted by the heavy opposition. We found ourselves on a crossing course with another Group, and just after 'bombs away', the lead ship made a sharp descending right turn. Glancing to my right, I saw “Lazy Daisy” was sliding toward me. I pulled back on the control column to climb out of her path while keeping my eye on the # 2 ship of the lead element, Lt Buslee in #378 (43-37822), on whose wing our element was flying. I yelled for Gross to watch out for him to come out on the other side, and, sure enough, he slid under us and right into Buslee in the lead element. I watched the two planes as they collided. It cut #378 in half, and the wings on #222 folded up, and both planes fell in a fireball.”

The airplane collided with airplane #43-37822 over the target. Both airplanes went down in fire and out of control. Six crew members were killed, three survived and were taken prisoner.

This was his 19th mission.