Robert Langdon Ferguson was born in West Point, Georgia, June 21, 1918, the second son of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson Drew Ferguson. After high school graduation he attended Marion Military Institute in Alabama for one year. Failing to receive the principal appointment for West Point, he enlisted in the Regular Army at the age of 18, asked for service in Honolulu, and at once entered the West Point Preparatory School at Schofield Barracks. It was here, after nine months training, that by competitive examination he won the Army appointment; at the same time, he received also the Senatorial appointment and in July, 1938 he entered the Academy. Although the Infantry was his first preference. Bob finally chose to try for Air Corps Wings, as a fighter pilot, after graduation. He successfully completed training in the Air Corps at Ocala, Florida, Oreeneville, Mississippi and finally at Craig Field in Selma, Alabama. On the 12th of December,1942 he married Miss Jean Andrews, of Marlon, Ohio, whom he had met during furlough summer and on the 13th he was awarded his Silver Wings at Craig Field.

Remaining at Craig Field for Fighter Transition Training, Bob received his promotion to First Lieutenant in January 1943. His next assignment at A.A.F.S.A.T in Orlando, was then sent to the Army Air Base in Richmond, Virginia, with the 325th Fighter Squadron, flying the P-47 Thunderbolt. The 325th was part of the Parent Group at Richmond which trained and activated groups for overseas duty. He was made Operations Officer of the 325th Squadron and, in August, 1943, promoted to Captain. In September the 325th was sent as a separate unit to Millville, New Jersey for east coast defense duty. He joined the 366th Fighter Group, commanded by Colonel Dyke Myer. This Group was then sent overseas, they sailed on December 17, 1943.

Bob was Operations Officer of the 391st Fighter Squadron in the Group, and after their arrival in England was, for a great part of the time, Acting Squadron Commander. His last mission was on April 5, 1944—less than three months after their arrival. The Flight had no more than taken off when the fog rolled in obscuring the field, the mission was called off and the pilots told to land wherever they could. Bob and his wing man, Lt. John Whitten, crashed near the English coast in a never-to-be-explained mid-air collision. He was given a full military burial at Brookwood American Military Cemetery, near London. (His posthumously awarded Air Medal was presented to his wife five months later, prior to her departure for overseas duty with the American Red Cross.)

Biography gleaned from www.westpointaog.org

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see http://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 Fold3. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery.

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Robert L Ferguson