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name
OYLER, Robert Lloyd "Bud" - Date of
birth
12 July 1912 -
Age
31 - Place of
birth
Pennsylvania -
Hometown
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
33279759 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Ball Turret Gunner -
Unit
324th Bombardment Squadron,
91st Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
26 July 1943 - Place of
death
Niendorf, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 42 | 47 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Samuel V. Oyler (father)
Sena J. Oyler (mother)
Keith D. Oyler (brother)
Floyd O. Oyler (brother)
Clare J. Oyler (brother)
Marion F. Oyler (brother)
Samuel Oyler (brother)
Doris E. Oyler (sister)
Betty J. Oyler (sister)
Vergil C. Oyler (brother)
Flossie M. Oyler (sister)
Uris L. Oyler (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-3031 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Nitemare
Destination: Hamburg, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the shipyards
MACR: 201
More information
Robert Oyler attended James City High School.He enlisted in Greensburg, Pennsylvania on 25 July 1942.
The aircraft was hit by a combination of accurate anti-aircraft gun fire and enemy aircraft fire over the target. It first started to fall down from 27,000 feet out of control. The pilot evidently gained control of the airplane as it subsequently lost altitude in a low gradual glide following approximately the course taken by the formation but of necessity always falling behind.
The crew members of another airplane in the group noticed it a few miles southwest of Bremen on a course that would have allowed it to cross enemy coast just southwest of Bultrum Island. It was at 3,000 feet and slowly losing altitude with three enemy airplanes attacking it.
Seven crew members managed to bail out and were taken prisoner. Three men were killed in the crash. The bombardier, Robert Cadilek died later in a German hospital.
His brother Keith is buried at the American Military Cemetery of Henri-Chapelle and their cousin Robert W. Oyler is buried at the American Military Cemetery and Memorial of Manilla in the Philippines.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.jfgvictoryverlag.com, www.ancestry.com, www.newspapers.com - The Kane Republican
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.jfgvictoryverlag.com