59 – Robert G. True age 22 (February 13, 1921 – November 5, 1943)
Sgt. Robert George True
February 13, 1921 – November 5, 1943
Sgt. Robert George True was born in Ogden, Monroe County in the state
New York. His father was Morris L. True and his mother Marquerite True. He also had two sisters (Eleonor and Jean M.) and a brother (Malcom H.). In 1933 he left primary school and attended Sepance port high school which he completed in 1938. He went to work as a pay role clerk at IBM. He continued to live in Ogden. On September 14, 1942 he enlisted in Rochester in the United States Air Force (USAAF) and attended various training courses. In February 1943 he went to England where he was assigned to the 8 st bomber command, 535 bomber squadron, 381 bomber group (heavy). He was assigned as a left-hand gunner in a B 17F Flying Fortres. On November 5, 1943, the crew of the B 17 met registration number 42-30652 called “Blowing Bessie” where sgt. True belonged to the order to launch an attack on the city with 721 bombers Gelsenkirchen in Germany. After the briefing, the aircraft took off from the base towards Germany. They arrived at the goal via the North Sea and the middle of Germany. They dropped their bombs but were hit by heavy anti-aircraft guns. The left engine was hit and was unusable. The pilot was hit in the leg and the co-pilot took over the lead. The plane went back to base but got more and more altitude lost. It could also no longer follow the formation and hit alone. Near Breda it was attacked by a German fighter plane and caught fire from the center to the tailpiece. As the plane could no longer be saved, the co-pilot gave the crew to jump out of the plane. Four of the ten crew members succeeded, but Robert True, among others, succeeded not and was still on the plane when it landed in the Dutch deep near Strijen Sas. To date his body is not found and his name is mentioned on the “Wall of Missing” which is at the entrance of the American cemetery in Margraten in Limburg.
Wall of Missing, Margraten (foto: Chris vd Linden)
