This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt Robert Bruce McClelland, Jr.
to remember
Bourgeois, Robert Clark, MSgt USAF(Ret).
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Contact Info
Home Town Lecompte, Louisiana
Last Address Metairie, Louisiana
Date of Passing Nov 13, 2001
Location of Interment Lake Lawn Park Cemetery - New Orleans, Louisiana
Wall/Plot Coordinates South Unit 3, South Corridor 9, Tier A, Crook 43
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
He was the bombardier on crew #13 in the Doolittle Raid. He went on to serve in the USAAAF and USAF until he was medically retired Jan 12, 1960.
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Sergeant Robert C. Bourgeois (ASN: 7000417), United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary achievement as Bombardier of a B-25 Bomber of the 1st Special Aviation Project (Doolittle Raider Force), while participating in a highly destructive raid on the Japanese mainland on 18 April 1942. Sergeant Bourgeois with 79 other officers and enlisted men volunteered for this mission knowing full well that the chances of survival were extremely remote, and executed his part in it with great skill and daring. This achievement reflects high credit on himself and the military service.
Division: Doolittle Tokyo Raider Force
Crew #13 (Plane #40-2247, "The Avenger", target Yokosuka): 37th Bomb. Sq. L-R: Lt Clayton J. Campbell, nav., Lt Edgar E. McElroy, pilot; Sgt Adam R. Williams, flt engr/gunner; Lt Richard A. Knobloch, co-pilot; Sgt Robert C. Bourgeois, bombardier. (USAF photo)
Aircraft/Missile Information
Model North American B-25C Mitchell Length 52.92 ft | 16.13 m Width 67.55 ft | 20.59 m Height 15.75 ft | 4.80 m Engine(s) 2 x Wright Cyclone R-2600-19 air-cooled piston engines delivering 1,700hp each. Empty Weight 20,300 lbs | 9,208 kg MTOW 34,000 lbs | 15,422 kg Max Speed 272 mph | 438 km/h | 237 kts Max Range 1,350 miles | 2,173 km Ceiling 24,196 ft | 7,375 m | 4.6 miles Climb Rate 1,666 ft/min (507.796 m/min) Hardpoints Up to 8 (model dependent) Armament Model-specific armament included:
8 x 12.7mm machine gun array OR 1 x 75mm cannon in forward-fixed nose assembly.
2 x 12.7mm machine guns in forward-fixed lower-left side fuselage position (beneath and behind cockpit position). 2 x 12.7mm machine gun in forward-fixed lower-right side fuselage position (beneath and behind cockpit position). 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in ventral turret (powered turrets in some models). 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in dorsal turret (powered turrets in some models). 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in left waist port position. 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in right waist port position. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in tail gun position (some models removed). 1 x Torpedo in under-fuselage arrangement (model-specific fitting). 8 x 250lb bombs on 8 external hardpoints (model-specific fitting).
Maximum internal bombload of 3,000lbs (1,361 kg). Accommodations 5 Operators the United States of America
