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name
ALLEN, Robert Edwin - Date of
birth
10 September 1917 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
Evanston, Cook County, Illinois -
Hometown
Evanston, Cook County, Illinois
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-2075778 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
43rd Squadron,
315th Troop Carrier Group
-
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross,
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 12 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
24 March 1945 - Place of
death
Near Rees, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 38 | 48 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Edwin D. Allen (father)
Louise (Crosby) Allen (mother)
Jean Allen (sister)
Sara L. Allen (wife)
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-15256 -
Data
Type: C-47A
Destination: Dropzone A, Rees, Germany
Mission: Paratrooper drop
MACR: 13385
More information
2nd Lt Robert E. Allen was a veteran of two phases of the war, he first flew fifty missions from Africa as a ball-turret gunner on a B-17 in 1943. He had been flying from an English base since December, 1944, when he returned to Europe after earning his commission as a navigator.After dropping paratroopers, his airplane was hit by flak but managed to fly five miles west until it nosed down in a gentle glide into the ground, exploding on contact.
It carried a five men crew of which three men were killed. The other two returned to duty. It also carried nineteen passengers, all members of the British 6th Airborne Division, who all jumped before the airplane was hit.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Terry Hirsch, WWII Memorial, Fold3, www.uiaa.org, WWII Draft Card, 1940 US Census
Photo source: Raf Dyckmans, www.uiaa.org, Peter Schouteten