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Submit- Full
name
PINKUS, Robert F - Date of
birth
21 May 1921 -
Age
22 - Place of
birth
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin -
Hometown
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-661557 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
715th Bombardment Squadron,
448th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
23 March 1944 - Place of
death
Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 12 | 22 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Robert V. Pinkus (father)
Emily M. Pinkus (mother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-7739 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Nickname: Maid of Orleans
Destination: Münster, Germany
Mission: Bombing
MACR: 3547
More information
1st Lt Robert F. Pinkus graduated from Messmer High School and attended Marquette University for two years.He joined the Air Corps of the Regular Army in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 11 November 1941.
The "Maid of Orleans" was one of twenty planes of the 448th BG taking off from England that day on a mission to bomb Münster, Germany. They entered enemy territory at Egmond, the Netherlands. Over the Dümmer Lake region, the group encountered heavy flak but was able to carry on with the mission. They visually bombed their target. At that point, Lt Pinkus' plane started to lag behind. There was no visual indication of damage. A fire flared up in the bomb bay, and the crew was forced to abandon their aircraft. All crew members except Lt Pinkus made a safe landing and were captured. They spent the rest of the war as prisoners of war in Germany and were safely returned home after VE-day. Lt Pinkus lost his life due to parachute failure.
The second and third picture was taken in high school in 1938 and 1939.
Source of information: André Koch, Patricia van Casteren, Terry Hirsch, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record, http://facesofwar.nl/pinkus.html, www.ancestry.com - U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil / 1930 Census, Wisconsin Birth Index
Photo source: www.findagrave.com - Laura Phillips, Yearbook 1938, The Milwaukee Journal - 13 June 1944 / Messmer High school yearbook, 1939