Captain Robert James Bradford (Service # O-432037) was born on January 26,1919 in Dallas, Texas to parents Robert J. and Callie Walker Bradford. He had one sister – Cynthia. Capt. Bradford attended Sunset High School and graduated in 1937. He was Vice President of the senior class and was a member of the Sunset Amateur Radio Club.

At the time of this writing, the author was not able to discover additional information on the early life of Capt. Bradford. Regardless, we honor his sacrifice and service to his country. Thank you Capt. Bradford.

Capt. Bradford registered for the draft at Local Board #3 in Dallas, Texas on October 21,1940. At the time he was a student at North Texas Agricultural College. He enlisted in the service on April 25,1941 in Dallas, Texas. At that time he worked as an architect.

Capt. Bradford became a member of the 8th Air Force, 56th Pursuit Group, 63rd Pursuit Squadron after it was formed on November 20,1940, headquartered originally in the National Guard Armory in Savannah, Georgia. In May,1941 it moved its base of operations to Charlotte, North Carolina, and moved again in December,1941 to Charleston, South Carolina, providing air cover along the coastal areas of North and South Carolina.

In January,1942, the group moved to the New York area to provide air cover for the city in the event of an attack. Pilots began advanced training in the Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter plane. In May,1942 the Army Air Corps changed the name of the group to 56th Fighter Group and 61st / 62nd / 63rd Fighter Squadrons.

On January 6,1943 the 56th Fighter Group was shipped from Bridgeport Army Airfield in Stratford, Connecticut to RAF (Royal Air Force) Kings Cliffe Airfield, Northamptonshire, England on the passenger liner Queen Elizabeth, which was pressed into service during the war as a troop transport ship. After six days at sea the 56th first docked at Gourock, Scotland, then pressed on the next day to Kings Cliffe. From Kings Cliffe, they moved to RAF Horsham St. Faith Airfield, near Norwich, Norfolk, England in April 1943, then to RAF Halesworth Horton (AAF-365), England in July,1943.

RAF Halesworth, being only eight miles from the Suffolk, England coast, was ideally located for fighter escort operations, where range of the fighter planes was an important factor. For this reason, the 56th Fighter Group of the Eighth Air Force was moved there. Flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, the group flew numerous missions over France, the Netherlands, and Germany, escorting/protecting bombers that were attacking industrial establishments, V-weapon sites, submarine bases, and other targets on the European Continent. In addition, the 56th strafed and dive-bombed German airfields, troop concentrations, supply points, railroads and equipment, communication centers, and anti-aircraft installations. The 56th FG occupied AAF-365 from July 9,1943 to April 19,1944.

The next move was to Royal Air Force (RAF) Boxted (AAF-150), located 4 miles north-northeast of Colchester, Essex, England. It was the home base of the 56th Fighter Group – made up of the 61st, 62nd, and 63rd Fighter Squadrons, Eighth Air Force. Flying the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter plane, the 56th FG was the most successful of the Eighth Air Force groups in air-to-air combat. It engaged in counter-air and interdictory missions during the invasion of Normandy, France on D-Day in June 1944. The 56th FG supported Allied forces during the breakthrough at St. Lo, Normandy, France in July and participated in the decisive Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945. The 56th FG helped defend the key Remagen Bridgehead against German air attacks in March 1945. The 56th FG operated out of Boxted AAF-150 from April 19,1944 to September 15,1945.

On April 13,1943 the 56th FG performed its first operational mission, a fighter sweep of the St. Omer, France area. Known as “Rodeos”, fighter sweeps were flown over enemy territory at high altitude with the intention of luring the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) into aerial combat. On April 26, the group encountered German aircraft for the first time, with the loss of two planes and the two pilots becoming POWs. On May 4, the 56th FG flew its first bomber escort mission, providing air cover for American B-17 Bombers with a destination of Antwerp, Belgium. On June 12, Pilot Walter Cook (O-432182) of the 62nd Fighter Squadron shot down a German fighter for the group’s first confirmed enemy kill.

On November 20,1944 – in what was his final mission – Capt. Bradford took flight in his P-47D-15 Thunderbolt Fighter (Serial # 42-75670) with fellow pilots of the 63rd Fighter Squadron out of RAF Boxted AAF-150 on a dive-bomb mission with a destination of Bonn, Germany. From Missing Air Crew Report # 10291, fellow squadron pilot 2nd Lt. Randel Lee Murphy (O-774275) reported that during the mission, the squadron headed down and encountered German anti-aircraft fire. Capt. Bradford broke away from 2nd Lt. Murphy and this was the last moment the squadron saw Capt. Bradford. 2nd Lt. Murphy radioed Capt. Bradford but received no answer. It was determined that Capt. Bradford’s plane crashed due to the anti-aircraft fire, and he perished in the crash near a coal mine close to Liblar, Germany, southwest of Cologne, Germany. Information surfaced after the war from local German residents providing detailed information to a team of American investigators which helped identify Capt. Bradford’s remains. A detailed description of this information can be found at the following site: https://fieldsofhonor-database.com/index.php/en/american-war-cemetery-ardennes-b/47026-bradford-robert-j .

Capt. Bradford found his final resting place in April,1949 in the American War Cemetery and Memorial Ardennes in Neupré, Belgium – Plot B, Row 33, Grave 39. This cemetery is one of three American cemeteries in Belgium honoring U.S. War Fallen. 5,323 Fallen U.S. service personnel find their final rest in this cemetery.

As part of the 56th Fighter Group, Capt. Bradford was a member of the highest scoring P-47 Thunderbolt fighter group in the European Theatre of Operations, the Group once destroying 79 German planes in a single day of combat. At that time, the 56th Fighter Group had destroyed a total of 683 German planes, either in aerial combat or while on the ground. The 56th was known as “Zemke’s Wolfpack”, led for a time by Commanding Officer Colonel Hubert Zemke, one of the top American fighter aces during the war.

Capt. Bradford was awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart for his actions.

The Air Medal was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.

The Purple Heart is awarded to a member of the United States Armed Forces that is wounded or killed in action against an enemy of the United States.

Thank you for your sacrifice and service, Capt. Bradford….Rest in Peace.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII Fallen saved on Together We Served and www.Fold3.com . Can you help write these stories? These stories will be accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery. If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please contact me at kgm72@comcast.net . I would be honored to make changes where requested.

Robert J Bradford