Robert F Brooks was born on July 22, 1921, in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. No Information about Robert’s parents could be found and very little information exists on Robert’s formative years. One record indicates that Robert married Ruth Carberry in February 1942 and they had two sons born in 1942 and 1944.

Robert was inducted into the U.S. Army Air Forces on 29 March 1943 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His enlistment record indicates that he was married, had 3 years of high school, and was employed in the automotive manufacturing industry. After basic training Robert went to aerial gunnery school. Upon completion of his training, he received his wings, and was promoted to Staff Sergeant. After additional operational training he was assigned to the 349th Bomb Squadron of the 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force, which flew B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers.

The 100th BG was activated 27 October 1942 at Gowen Field, Idaho and departed the States on 25 May 1943, flying the North Atlantic route to England, where it was based at Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk. The group flew its first combat mission on 25 June 1943, bombing the U-boat yards in Bremen, Germany. Over the next five months, the group focused its bombing attacks against airfields, industries, and naval facilities in France and Germany and was given the nickname "Bloody Hundredth" due to the number of losses it took. SSgt Brooks was one of two waist gunners in the replacement crew of 2Lt Clarke T Johnson, which joined the group in England on 9 May 1944.

On 24 May 1944, 2Lt Johnson and his crew were flying their first or second combat mission aboard B-17G 42-102624, one of 18 heavy bombers from the 100th BG dispatched as part of a combined force, to bomb targets in Berlin, Germany. Before reaching the target area enemy fighters attacked the formation. His B-17 bomber was severely damaged during the attack breaking into several parts and crashed near Rotenhahn, Holstein, Germany. Three crew members were able to bail out and became prisoners of war, however SSgt Brooks and six other crew members were killed in the attack or in the resulting crash. The aircraft was one of nine 100th BG aircraft that failed to return from the mission.

SSgt Robert F Brooks was initially buried near the crash site and after the war was reinterred in Ardennes American Cemetery in Neupre, Belgium

Thank you, SSgt Brooks, for your service and your sacrifice, you will not be forgotten.

Crew of B-17G 42-102624

· Pilot, 2LT Clarke T Johnson (KIA)

· Co-Pilot, 2Lt Raymond R Lund (KIA)

· Bombardier, 2Lt Willard J Hahn (KIA)

· Navigator, 2Lt Thomas J Tracy (KIA)

· Top Turret Gunner / Engineer, TSgt Thomas Beveridge (KIA)

· Radio Operator, SSgt Robert L Black (POW)

· Ball Turret Gunner, Sgt David L Scofield (POW)

· Waist Gunner, SSgt Robert F Brooks (KIA)

· Waist Gunner, SSgt Laurence A St. John (KIA)

· Tail Gunner, Sgt Lawerence W Barger (POW)

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story. SBTSProject/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia.

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at malineric@outlook.com.

Sources:

U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
U.S., Headstone, and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil 1942- 1949
U.S., World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interned Overseas
Pennsylvania Veterans Compensation Application Files WWII 1950 - 1966
Select Records for Robert F Brooks on Ancestry.com
Select Records for Robert F Brooks on Fold3.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100th_Air_Refueling_Wing#World_War_II
100th Bomb Group Foundation, https://www.100thbg.com/
Robert F Brooks : Staff Sergeant from Pennsylvania, World War II Casualty (honorstates.org)
Robert F Brooks | American Air Museum
Missing Air Crew Reports, #5170
The Philadelphia Inquirer (Newspaper) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 11 July 1944
The Philadelphia Inquirer (Newspaper) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 29 October 1944
The Philadelphia Inquirer (Newspaper) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 30 October 1944
SSgt Robert F Brooks (1921-1944) - Find a Grave Memorial