Last Known Activity:
Robert H. Ammon was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1920. His wife, Dorothy, and he lived in Camden where he was employed by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 and qualified for flight duty.
After basic training, he was assigned to the radio operators course of instruction. Upon completing this course, he was sent to an operational unit for combat crew training. He then joined the Whittemore crew, and deployed with this crew to England in early 1944 where the crew was assigned to the 577th Bomb Squadron of the 392nd Bomb Group at RAF Station 118 (Wendling, England.)
He wrote home in a letter dated 3 June 1944 that he had flown 7 missions , and that the unit had just received a Distinguished Unit Citation. On June 23, the crew participated in a bombing raid on German war facilities in France. Flak was heavy over the target, and while on the bomb run, the aircraft was struck in # 3 engine and the bomb bays. The aircraft went into a dive, pulled up slightly, then rolled over, and spun toward the ground out of control. Observers state 5 parachutes were seen.
The aircraft crashed 9 kilometers North of Leon, France. German troops found and captured 5 of the crew. One man evaded, and 5 were killed in the crash. One of the captives died 16 days later from wounds. After the war, several sets of remains were located and returned to the U.S. where 3 of the crew were buried in a common grave in Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira, New York. The grave marker is at Plot G, Site 4527.
www.findagrave.com/search
www.histopolis.com/Grave/Detail.aspx?GraveID=349011818
www.b24.net/aircrews/anames.html
www.b24.net/missions/honorroll.htm
www.dcrbs.com/ccwd-WW2/CamdenWW2-RobertHAmmon.htm
www.abmc.gov/search/WWII.php
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Comments/Citation:
SSgt Robert H. Ammon was the radio operator on B-24H # 42-95027, unnamed, but called "B Plus" from squadron markings, assigned to the 577th Bomb Squadron.
Missing Air Crew Report 6215 was issued, and identifies the crew as:
Capt Melvin H. Graper p
1 Lt Warren T. Whittemore p
2 Lt James M. Ackerman c-p
2 Lt Clarence B. Rich nav
2 Lt Standford I. Birnham n gun/nav
2 Lt Milton Issenberg bomb
TSgt Carl L. Peterson eng
SSgt Robert H. Ammon r/o
SSgt Charles V. Altemus wg
SSgt Maurice Lempe wg
SSgt Robert S. Tremlett tail gun
Captain Graper was the Squadron Operations Officer who was flying lead crew on the mission, which is why there were 2 navigators and 2 pilots on board. Graper was the man who died in a German hospital.
In the crew photo, SSgt Ammon is in the front row, 2nd from left.
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