Memorial

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2nd Lt. John Robertson's Jr. father was born in Scotland and his mother in France.

He attended Phoenix Junior College.

He joined the Air Corps of the U.S. Army Reserve in Phoenix, Arizona on 9 June 1942 and graduated from advanced flying school on 21 May 1943.

On the return flight from the mission to Emden, the aircraft was attacked by enemy fighters near Hoogezand. The crew decided to bailout. They land between Hoogezand and Zuidlaren.

2nd Lt Robertson landed near a bridge (across the Oostermoerse canal/De Hunze) of the Knijpe road, a part of the road between Zuidlaren and Zuidlaarderveen. Partly due to his damaged parachute, he did not survive the impact on the hard frozen ground. A second version of the event states that, while still descending, he was fired upon by Germans from the ground.

He was initially buried on 16 December 1943 in Zuidlaren.

The abandoned bomber continued its flight on autopilot and crashed near Orvelte, about 40 km south/south-southwest of Zuidlaren.

The rest of the crew was taken prisoner.

The bombardier stated that he had seen Lt Robertson in a Dutch village. He said blood was coming from Lt Robertson's mouth, nose and ears and that he was dead. Other crew members believed that Lt Robertson may have struck some part of the plane in bailing out or perhaps opened his parachute before clearing the slip stream.