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name
SALIHAR, Robert F - Date of
birth
29 January 1920 -
Age
24 - Place of
birth
Cook County, Illinois -
Hometown
Worth, Cook County, Illinois
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
36352822 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Right Waist Gunner -
Unit
735th Bombardment Squadron,
453rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
8 April 1944 - Place of
death
Salzwedel, 10 miles east of Henningen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| C | 5 | 12 |
Immediate family
-
Members
John Salihar (father)
Josephine (Stupar) Salihar (mother)
Warren Salihar (brother)
Robert Salihar (brother)
Maxine Salihar (Siser)
Larry Salihar (brother)
Mildred J. Salihar (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-64453 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Destination: Brunswick, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the MIAG aviation industry
MACR: 3922
More information
T/Sgt Robert Salihar as a mechanic before he enlisted in Chicago, Illinois on 22 June 1942.The airplane was attacked by enemy aircraft. The tail split off, close to the wing and the plane began to spin.
One crew member survived and was taken prisoner. The other nine crew members were killed and were initially buried at the cemetery of Henningen. After the war, when a grave registration unit tried to recover the remains at this cemetery, of those nine, the remains of two men were never found.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census / Family tree,
www.fold3.com - MACR, www.8thafhs.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Chicago Tribune - 17 May 1944