Memorial

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Capt Robert J. Bradford graduated from Sunset High School in 1937. He attended North Texas Agricultural College and was an architect.

He joined the Air Corps in Dallas, Texas, on 25 April 1941.

Statement of Randel L. Murphy Jr.: "On November 20, 1944, I was flying Red 4 of Daily Squadron of which Capt Bradford was my element leader. While letting down over Bonn at about 6,000 feet, we were broken by flak, and Capt Bradford broke below me and to the left while I broke to the right with the rest of the squadron. The last I saw of him was at approximately 1120 hours, and it looked as though he had broken for the deck from which there was a lot of light flak and 40mm. I called him, and there was no reply."

On 27 January 1948, a German civilian showed the scene of the crash to an American investigation team, next to the Concordia Süd coal mine in Liblar. The civilian told the team that the plane must have been hit by anti-aircraft and was already burning in the air before it crashed. After the plane crashed, the vicinity was immediately blocked off by German anti-aircraft crews. The plane burned until the next morning, and it was generally believed by all people who saw the crash that the pilot was completely cremated in the plane.

Within the wreckage, the remains of Capt Bradford were found, consisting of a few ounces of charred bones of his right ankle, foot, and skull.

Another civilian told the team that he had found an identification tag in the wreckage three weeks after the crash, and he was still able to remember the name. In March 1945, he gave it to an American officer of a tank unit.

The team checked all cemeteries and cemetery records of Liblar and all surrounding villages, but no evidence could be found showing that any remains were removed from this plane and had been buried either in Liblar or in one of the surrounding villages.

At first, the remains were classified as Unknown X-7172.

His remains were initially buried at Ardennes on 21 February 1948. After investigation of the statements of the different civilians concerning the crash and the story about the identification tag, the report of the investigation team, and the fact that two machine guns with matching numbers were found at the scene, his remains were positively identified.

He was disinterred on 6 December 1948, and his remains were prepared and placed in a casket on 3 January 1949. He was given his final resting place in early April 1949.