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September 02, 2010
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On this Memorial Day: Remembering Lansing native's ultimate sacrifice
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| Bob Spinner ...
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| Crew members ...
Pictured above are crew members of the B-24 Liberator from the 15th Air Force - 460th Bomb Group - 763rd Squadron. Left to right - Front row: 1st Lt. Earl A. Carr, Bombardier; 1st Lt. Robert G. Spinner, Co-Pilot; 1st Lt. Ralph J. Guida, Pilot; and 1st Lt. Wallace S. (Scotty) Patterson, Navigator. Back row: T/Sgt. Raymond R. Pettet, Engineer; S/Sgt. John W. Lear, Engineer; S/Sgt. John R. Mooney, Gunner; S/Sgt. Herman D. Perris, Radioman; S/Sgt. Raul Lee Vega, Gunner; and T/Sgt. Peter G. Tierney, Radioman.
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by Maury Gallagher
As one reads the following story, one might reflect on the reasons that America has set aside a special day of remembrance to honor those who have died in the service of our country. Throughout our history we have relied upon the patriotism and valor of our fellow citizens to protect and defend our way of life. We are fortunate that, throughout our history, our fellow citizens have stepped up to accept the challenge. We are fortunate to live where we live.
Today, many young Americans are serving in harms way. They are following in the footsteps of generations of Americans. This story is about one member of an earlier generation. One might reflect on the hopes and dreams this young American had for his future, and the contributions this one courageous young American may have made to our society. In reflecting on the life and loss of this one young man, one might multiply that loss many thousands of times over to gain an idea of the value we have lost in those who gave their lives for us.
One might decide that in their honor, in recognition of their sacrifices, one might "sacrifice" an hour or two during the coming Memorial Day "holiday" weekend to remember, and attend Memorial Day ceremonies.
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Ploesti is "the taproot of German might," Sir Winston Churchill said. He was speaking of Ploesti, Romania, the site of many large oil refineries that provided up to sixty percent of the oil needed to fuel the German war machine during World War II. Ploesti was a dangerous target for Allied bomber crews to attack. It was the most heavily defended target in Europe, outside of two targets in Germany. Ploesti was not a name that air crews wanted to hear during their pre-strike briefings, but their courage and commitment kept them going back to this vital target.
It was into the skies over Ploesti that a young pilot from Lansing, Iowa flew his last mission. It, perhaps, was a mission that he did not have to do.
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Robert G. "Bob" Spinner was born in Lansing, Iowa November 10, 1915. He was the eighth son and second youngest of the eleven children of Francis "Frank" and Catherine (McGeough) Spinner. Bob grew up in Lansing and graduated from Immaculate Conception High School. After his father died in the late 1930's he moved with his mother to Boston, Massachusetts, where he operated a gas station.
In early 1942, Bob entered the U. S. Army, and was subsequently accepted for an Officer commissioning program as an Aviation Cadet in the Army Air Force (AAF). He was transferred from Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina to the Aviation Cadet Center in San Antonio, Texas in January of 1943. After pre-flight training in San Antonio, he was transferred to Grider Field in Pine Bluff, Arkansas for his initial flight training in April of 1943.
Bob then completed Basic Flight Training in Coffeyville, Kansas and went on to Advanced Flying School in Altus, Oklahoma. August 28, 1943 he graduated from advanced flight school and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the AAF. After a brief stop in Salt Lake City, Utah, Bob went on to the Army Air Base in Casper, Wyoming for training in the B-24 Liberator Bomber.
The B-24 was a difficult aircraft to fly. Aerodynamically, it looked like a railroad boxcar in flight, which led to it being known as the "Flying Boxcar." The flight control system was not easy to operate. On long missions, up to ten hours, it could physically wear out both pilots. The B-24 had no air conditioning systems and was not pressurized, so air crews had to wear oxygen masks at altitudes over ten thousand feet. Most B-24 missions were flown at high altitude (over 20,000 feet) in temperatures that could exceed minus fifty degrees. Crew comfort was not an element in the design of the aircraft.
Finishing his B-24 training in February of 1944, Bob made a couple of stops at Biggs Airfield in Texas and Topeka Army Air Base in Kansas. By early April of 1944 he found himself in Italy.
Bob was assigned to the 763rd Bomb Squadron of the 460th Bombardment Group (Heavy). The group flew B-24 Liberator bombers and was an element of the 55th Bomb Wing, 15th Air Force. The 460th Bomb Group was based in Spinazzolla, Italy, about half way between Naples and Bari. The Bomb Group had arrived in Italy in January and February of 1944 and had entered combat in March 1944, the month before Bob arrived. A strategic bombardment organization, the group targeted industrial sites, including aircraft factories, oil refineries and storage areas, and railroad marshaling yards. From its base in southern Italy, the Bomb group would strike targets in ten European countries (Germany, Italy, France, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia and Austria). In one letter home Bob noted that on a mission the previous day he had flown over five different countries.
In his letters home Bob was always upbeat, and seemed far more concerned about those at home than himself. He wrote frequently, and was saving money because he planned to get married to his fiancee once he returned. In his last letter home, he told his mother that he had completed the required number of missions, and would be heading home soon.
Thursday, August 10, 1944, over 450 bombers (B-17s and B24s) of the 15th Air Force took off for a strike on the oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania. They would have a fighter escort, which was not always the case. One of those B-24s was named "GAL O' MINE II," and the co-pilot was First Lieutenant Bob Spinner. "GAL 0' MINE II" was a relatively new airplane, and the crew had only flown it for a couple of weeks. Their first aircraft, "GAL O' MINE," had been badly damaged in a hard landing a few weeks earlier.
The oil refineries in Ploesti were the first targets American bombers had hit in the War in Europe. Early in the morning of June 12, 1942, 23 B-24 bombers struck a refinery in Ploesti, after launching from Egypt the previous evening. Due to other commitments in the war, the next strike would not be conducted for more than a year, and it would come to be known as "Black Sunday," August 1, 1943.
It was planned as a low level bombing mission, with bombers flying at treetop level to attack their targets, and it turned into a disaster. Of 177 B-24's that launched from North Africa, only 33 returned to base capable of performing another mission. 540 airmen were lost in the 54 bombers that went down. This attack was so dangerous and difficult, it required extraordinary courage to see it through. Five airmen who were on this mission were subsequently awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, three of them posthumously. Future B-24 missions were flown at higher altitudes.
Another raid could not be conducted on Ploesti until April of 1944. By this time, the 15th Air Force was situated at various bases in Italy, with large numbers of B-24 and B-17 bombers. The Ploesti target area was an area of 19 square miles. It bristled with hundreds of anti-aircraft guns and was protected by several hundred fighter aircraft. In April and early May, the 15th Air Force had struck in the Ploesti area four times, and had lost 43 heavy bombers that were shot down and another twelve that crash landed. The first attack dedicated to striking the refineries was carried out May 18, 1944. June 23, 761 bombers struck the Ploesti area. The missions to Ploesti continued through July and into early August.
During the August 10, 1944 mission, "GAL O' MINE II" was struck by flak from an enemy shell before it had dropped its load of bombs. "GAL O' MINE II" exploded in mid-air. Two crew members survived. The radioman, T/SGT Peter G. Tierney, was blown out of the top of the plane. Severely injured, he parachuted to safety and was rescued. 1st Lieutenant Wallace S. Patterson, the navigator, fell out of the plane when it broke apart. Uninjured, he also parachuted to safety and was rescued.
Engulfed in flames, "GAL O' MINE II" landed on a woman's house near Popesti, Romania. Five members of the aircrew, including Bob Spinner, were found under the wreckage of the aircraft. The other three crew members were found in a field nearby. All were buried in the city cemetery.
Nine days later, August 19, 1944, the final strike on the oil refineries at Ploesti was carried out. Twelve days later the Russian Army captured and took control of the devastated "taproot of German might." The ultimate destruction of the Ploesti oil refineries struck a significant blow to the German Army. It was a costly campaign, brought to fulfillment by courageous airmen. They watched as their friends spiraled down to earth. They returned to base with dead and injured crewmen and their own bomber full of holes. They got up the next day and went back to do it again.
August 22, 1944, the family of Bob Spinner was notified that he was "missing in action." A collection of family letters preserved by his niece, Mary Katherine (Spinner) Budworth, reflect the shock and pain at the news. They were prepared to welcome home a son and brother who they believed had completed his missions, a son and brother who would no longer have to go in harms way. One young lady awaited the return of her fiancee. They had heard the stories of airmen who had survived the downing of their aircraft and with the help of partisans in the region, had made their way back to safety. They had heard the stories of airmen who survived and were then captured and were interred in POW camps. Hope prevailed.
November 10, 1944 would be Bob Spinner's twenty ninth birthday. It was also the date that he was to be married. November 10, 1944, his family received a telegram notifying them that he had been killed in action. Hope did not die, but a search for answers and more information began. Hope slowly died, and pain and grief took its place.
It is not known why 1st Lt. Robert G. Spinner was on that mission that day. His nephew, the late Ray "Rusty" Spinner, believed that he volunteered, because he was needed.
In July of 1950, Bob Spinner returned home to Lansing, Iowa. He is buried in Gethsemane Cemetery in Lansing.
(Author's acknowledgment: My appreciation to Mary Katherine (Spinner) Budworth, who preserved and catalogued family letters and other documents, and over a period of years researched extensively to find many of the details documented in this story. Without her efforts, this story may never have been told.)
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