World War II Honoree (wwiimemorial.com)

Robert Francis Jeffries

Born to Forrest (1885-1956) and Mary Helen (1888-1961) Jeffries 12 Nov 1916 at Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio.

Class of 1934 Thomas A DeVilbiss High School - Toledo, Ohio.

Denison University Class of 1938, and University of Michigan Law School Class of 1941; enlisted (ASN: 19100452) as a Private in the Army Air Corps on 20 July 1942 at Los Angeles, California.

Selected for the Army Air Forces Aviation Cadet Program, he reported to the classification center at Santa Ana Army Air Base (SAAAB) in January 1943. Entered Primary Flight School at Mira Loma Flight Academy in Oxnard, California.

Graduated with Bombardier Class #43-15 at Victorville Army Air Field in California, and was commissioned (ASN: AO-760175) a USAAF Second Lieutenant 23 October 1943.

Completed Navigator training in Greenville, South Carolina, and was assigned to Alachua AAF near Gainesville, Florida for Bombardier-Navigator operational flight training.

Underwent B-29 aircraft transition and combat crew training at Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska.

In January 1945, he deployed to the Central Pacific Theatre of Operations, and was assigned to 20th Air Force, XXI Bomber Command, 313th Bomb Wing, 505th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), 484th Bomber Squadron stationed at North Field on Tinian in the Mariana Islands.

Bombardier: O-760175Robert F Jeffries 2Lt OHIO 10-2-1945 B-29 #42-24867

MACR 12150

On 10 February 1945, he flew as the Bombardier aboard a Boeing B-29-50-BW (Boeing Wichita) Superfortress (serial #42-24867) Tail Code: K-Triangle-867.

It was one of 120 aircraft launched in a multi-wing group formation to bombard the Nakajima Aircraft Assembly Plant at Ota on the northwest side of Tokyo, Japan. After a flight of approximately seven hours and some 1,200 nautical miles, his aircraft reached their check-point above Mount Fuji on the main island of Honshu, and began their bomb-run northeast towards the Tokyo area.

While over the target area, the group was attacked by a band of Nakajima Ki-44 single-engine "Tojo" fighter planes. His B-29 aircraft was forced out of group formation and shot down, resulting in the loss of the aircrew.

Initially listed as MIA, he was declared KIA one year later on 11 Feb 1946.

Robert F Jeffries : Second Lieutenant from Ohio, World War II Casualty (honorstates.org)