| Name | Verbryke, Robert Merrill ‡ |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Serial Number | O-769322 ‡ |
| Unit Assignments | Assigned to the 545th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #157 dated 5 August 1944, effective 5 August 1944. |
| Duty | Bombardier |
| MOS | 1035 - Bombardier |
| Last Duty Date | 11 September 1944 |
| Results |
Killed In Action Final Resting Place or Memorial: Rose Hill Cemetery, Mason, Ohio |
| Decorations | Awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received on 24 August 1944 per General Orders #300, Headquarters 1st Bomb Division dated 2 September 1944. |
| Additional Information |
|
| Related Documents | Missing Air Crew Report # 8903⇓ (10.331 MB) |
| Photo Album: | Crew Photo Album⇗ |
| CREWMEMBER | POSITION | RESULTS |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd Lt. Chadwick, James Woodrow⇗ | Pilot | KIA |
| 2nd Lt. Grantham, Edgar Harry⇗ | Co-pilot | KIA |
| 2nd Lt. White, Leslie Comer⇗ | Navigator | POW |
| 2nd Lt. Verbryke, Robert Merrill | Bombardier | KIA |
| CPL. Mulvey, Lawrence Vernon⇗ | Radio Operator / Gunner | CT |
| CPL. Brown, Virgil Darrah⇗ | Engineer / Top Turret Gunner | KIA |
| CPL. Schoonover, Henry Kermit⇗ | Ball Turret Gunner | KIA |
| CPL. Klumpp, Kenneth Bernard⇗ | Tail Gunner | POW |
| CPL. Merfeld, Louis Leonard⇗ | Flexible Gunner | KIA |
| CPL. Atkins, Byron Leverne, "BUD"⇗ | Flexible Gunner | KIA |
| Number | Date | Target | Position | Aircraft | Mission/Sortie Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 183⇗ | 24 August 1944 |
Target: Synthetic Oil & Chemical Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Merseburg, Germany |
Bombardier | 44‑6135⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron deputy, lead group. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 187⇗ | 3 September 1944 |
Target: I. G. Farben Chemical Works Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany |
Bombardier | 42‑97521⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗ |
| 188⇗ | 5 September 1944 |
Target: I. G. Farben Chemical Works Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany |
Bombardier | 42‑102430⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑97521. High group flying spare; joined formation. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 189⇗ | 8 September 1944 |
Target: I. G. Farben Chemical Works Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany |
Bombardier | 42‑97521⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗ |
| 190⇗ | 9 September 1944 |
Target: I. G. Farben Chemical Works Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany |
Bombardier | 42‑97521⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Sortie Report⇗ |
| 191⇗ | 10 September 1944 |
Target: BMW Motor Component Parts Plant Type: Industry Location: Sindelfingen, Germany |
Bombardier | 42‑97941⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Lead Ground Spare Aircraft, replaced 42‑97521; see 42‑97521 for details. Returned with wounded aboard. Sortie Report⇗ |
| 192⇗ | 11 September 1944 |
Target: Oil Refinery Type: Oil Industry Location: Lützkendorf & Merseburg, Germany |
Bombardier | 42‑107058⇗ |
Combat Mission Credit Failed To Return 41B Group, Aircraft received a direct flak burst, at 1208 hours near the primary target, in bomb bay; immediately released bombs and caught on fire; dived to 18,000 feet and levelled off; lost to sight; flak, crashed near Halle, Germany; MACR 8903. Sortie Report⇗ |