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Submit- Full
name
SHIELDS, Robah Clay Jr - Date of
birth
9 April 1919 -
Age
24 - Place of
birth
Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina -
Hometown
Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
14105271 -
Rank
Technical Sergeant -
Function
Radio Operator -
Unit
423rd Bombardment Squadron,
306th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
14 October 1943 - Place of
death
Beek, The Netherlands
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| H | 14 | 16 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Robah C. Shields (father)
Lala (Johnson) Shields (mother)
John D. Shields (brother)
Ralph A. Shields (brother)
Hal J. Shields (brother)
Mary L. Shields (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-29791 -
Data
Type: B-17F
Nickname: Little Jimmie
Destination: Schweinfurt, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the ball bearing plants
MACR: 819
More information
Robah C. Shields Jr. was a clerk at the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.He volunteered for the Army of the United States at Camp Croft, South Carolina on 5 August 1942.
The airplane was hit by rockets, fired from a Ju-88 in the vicinity of Hasselt, Belgium.
T/Sgt Shields didn´t bail out. He was found dead in the fuselage according to Germans who had found him. It is believed all crew members wit positions from the radio room to the waist were trapped because the waist door did not open.
Four crew members survived and were taken prisoner, six men were killed.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.fold3.com - MACR, www.ancestry.com - WWII Draft Cards Young Men / 1930 Census
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, family of Robert Folk, Susan Linton