Wed, Aug 08, 2018
Flew '63 And A Half' Missions, Was Shot Down On The 64th
Another of the storied Tuskegee Airmen has Gone West. Robert L. Martin, who said he flew "63 and a half missions", passed away July 26th at a senior living center in Olympia Fields, IL. He was 99.
The Washington Post reports that Martin was shot down during his 64th mission over German-occupied territory and spent five weeks evading capture an working to return to Allied lines. He was assisted by anti-fascist Yugoslav partisans loyal to Josip Broz Tito.
Martin's P-51 was hit by anti-aircraft fire while strafing two airplanes on the ground. He was one of 24 on a rail-strafing mission when he and another pilot, Alphonso Simmons, noted two airplanes parked at the side of an airfield where they were meeting little opposition. Martin said during a presentation at Chicago’s Pritzker Military Museum & Library in 2008 that he knew he and Simmons would "get more credit for destroying two airplanes than shooting up a railroad train," so they went to strafe the airfield. That's when they were hit by the antiaircraft fire. Simmons did not survive, but Martin was able to climb high enough to bail out. He was knocked out when his parachute opened.
Tito's forces got to Martin before the Nazis did, and he was helped to recover from his injuries before being taken to Croatia where he was assisted by a an Allied mission run by British soldiers who helped downed pilots. He recuperated there for a month before being flown to Bari, Italy, and was able to celebrate V-E Day in Naples.
Marin achieved the rank of Captain before leaving the military in September 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Purple Heart, and sevel awards of the air medal. He was among the Tuskegee Airmen to participate in the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in 2007.
(USAF Image courtesy of the family)
More News
Takeoff Roll The process whereby an aircraft is aligned with the runway centerline and the aircraft is moving with the intent to take off. For helicopters, this pertains to the act>[...]
“We’re proud of the hard work that went into receiving this validation, and it will be a welcome relief to our customers in the European Union. We couldn’t be mor>[...]
Also: 1800th E-Jet, Uncle Sam Sues For Landing Gear, Embraer Ag Plane, Textron Parts A friend of the family reported that Lt. Col. (Ret.) Richard Glenn Rutan flew west on Friday, M>[...]
Also: Virgin Galactic, B-29 Doc to Allentown, Erickson Fire-Fighters Bought, FAA Reauthorization After dealing with a big letdown after the unexpected decision by Skyreach to disco>[...]
"Aircraft Spruce is pleased to announce the acquisition of the parts distribution operations of Wag-Aero. Wag-Aero was founded in the 1960’s by Dick and Bobbie Wagner in the >[...]