Robert H Roseland

ENLISTED AS AN AVIATION CADET IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON 25 JULY 1942 AT MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.  CALLED TO ACTIVE DUTY ON 30 JANUARY 1943.

GRADUATED FROM NAVIGATOR TRAINING SCHOOL ON 15 SEPTEMBER 1943 AND WAS COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT AT MONROE ARMY AIR FIELD, LOUISIANA.

ON 4 DECEMBER 1943, GRADUATED FROM BOMBARDIER TRAINING CLASS 43-18 AT ROSWELL ARMY AIR FIELD, NEW MEXICO.

UNDERWENT B-29 AIRCRAFT COMBAT CREW TRAINING AT SMOKY HILL ARMY AIR FIELD NEAR SALINA, KANSAS.

DEPLOYED VIA AFRICA TO THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATRE AND WAS ASSIGNED TO 20TH AIR FORCE, XX BOMBER COMMAND, 58TH BOMB WING, 468TH BOMBARDMENT 'GENERAL BILLY MITCHELL' GROUP, 794TH BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT KHARAGPUR AIRFIELD IN THE BENGAL PROVINCE OF INDIA.

AS PART OF OPERATION MATTERHORN TO BOMB JAPAN, HIS B-29 AIRCRAFT FLEW OVER THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAIN RANGE AND LOGISTICALLY STAGED A BOMBING MISSION THROUGH PENGSHAN AIRFIELD (A-7) NEAR CHENGDU, CHINA.

ON 7 DECEMBER 1944, HE FLEW AS THE NAVIGATOR-BOMBARDIER ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS NICKNAMED 'GALLOPIN’ GOOSE' (SERIAL # 42-6390). IT WAS ONE OF 108 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD JAPANESE FORCES AT THE MANCHURIA AIRPLANE MANUFACTURING COMPANY AND AN ADJACENT ARSENAL AT MUKDEN IN SHENYANG, CHINA.

WHILE OVER THE TARGET AREA, THE GROUP FORMATION WAS ATTACKED BY A BAND OF KAWASAKI KI-45 “NICK” TWIN-ENGINE FIGHTER PLANES. HIS B-29 AIRCRAFT WAS RAMMED BY ONE OF THE BATTLE DAMAGED JAPANESE PLANES, SHEARING OFF THE LEFT HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STABILIZERS. HE WAS KILLED DURING THE ENSUING CRASH OF HIS DISABLED BOMBER.