Robert William Arhart (1918 - 1944)

Born 22 Jan 1918 in Fargo, Cass, North Dakota, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Marguerite Ann (Steiner) Arhart — married Jun 1943 in Denver, Arapahoe, Colorado, United States

Died 29 Jun 1944 at age 26 in Ancona, Ancona, Marche, Italy

Biography

Robert was born in 1918. He was the son of Charles Arhart and Emma Amundsen. He passed away in 1944 as a result of injuries sustained in World War II.

OBITUARY: Staff Sergeant Robert W Arhart was the 26 year-old son of Charles W and Emm L. Shaver Arhart from Fargo, Cass County, North Dakota. He left a wife, Marguerite A. Arhart.

Sgt Arhart was the top turret gunner on an A-20J 43-22097 Medium Bomber (type pictured and died 25 miles west of Ancona on a mission to Onbrone, Italy. 25 miles west of Ancona would be somewhere near Castelleone di Suasa

Eyewitness account: “Immediately I noticed that Lt Craw’s airplane 30 appeared to have received a burst directly under his aircraft. I did not see any smoke however. He stayed in formation for a matter of seconds and then disappeared from my vision as I then looked at Lt Stephenson’s airplane. I never saw Lt Craw’s airplane again.“

“Robert Arhart didn’t bail out. He had been wounded. Pettee had helped Arhart to put his parachute on (a chest pack) and at the time he looked awfully white. Pettee then bailed out.”

Bismarck Tribune, March 30, 1945: FARGO MOTHER LOSES SECOND SON IN WAR, Fargo, ND – As Emma Shaver, Fargo, prepared to attend a memorial service for a son who had been killed in action, a telegram from the war department brought news that another son had been killed. The services had originally been scheduled for S/Sgt Robert Arhart, 26, killed June 29, 1944, in Italy. Now they will also honor Cpl Wendell Arhart, 21, 9th Infantry Division, who was killed in action in Germany March 15. Robert Arhart is buried next to his brother Wendell C. Arhart.

Robert is buried next to his brother, Wendell Claire Arhart, one of his twin brothers who was killed on the ground in WWII in Germany. (Posted to ancestry.com by Karen Mlodzik Tisdale, 21 Jan 2021).

Sources

• Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I, World War II, and Korean War Casualty Listings [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2005.
• "U.S. WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942-1954" database with images Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com//title/1088/us-wwii-hospital-admission-card-files-1942-1954: accessed November 11, 2021); https://www.fold3.com/record/704304972/arhart-robert-w-us-wwii-hospital-admission-card-files-1942-1954.
• Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Year: 1920; Census Place: Fargo Ward 6, Cass, North Dakota; Roll: T625_1332; Page: 22A; Enumeration District: 19.
• Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
• Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Year: 1930; Census Place: Fargo, Cass, North Dakota; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0043; FHL microfilm: 2341467.
• Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Year: 1940; Census Place: Fargo, Cass, North Dakota; Roll: m-t0627-02996; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 9-35.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56279096/robert-william-arhart : accessed ), memorial page for SSgt Robert William Arhart (22 Jan 1918–29 Jun 1944), Find a Grave Memorial ID 56279096, citing Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial, Henri-Chapelle, Arrondissement de Verviers, Liège, Belgium ; Maintained by MAJ Jimmy Cotton (contributor 48803557).
• Ancestry.com. North Dakota, U.S., Territorial and State Censuses, 1885, 1915, 1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. North Dakota. 1915 North Dakota State Census and 1925 North Dakota State Census. State Archives and Historical Research Library, State Historical Society of North Dakota, Bismarck, North Dakota.
• Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Title: Fargo, North Dakota, City Directory, 1938.
• Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Fargo Central High School; Year: 1936.
• National Archives at College Park; College Park, Maryland, USA; Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946; NAID: 1263923; Record Group Title: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, 1789-ca. 2007; Record Group: 64; Box Number: 02402; Reel: 97.
• National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for North Dakota, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 4.
• "World War II Army Enlistment Records" database with images Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com//title/831/wwii-army-enlistment-records: accessed November 11, 2021).
• Fields of Honor Database, Digital Memories of Those Who Sacrificed Their Lives During WWII; https://www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/index.php/en/399-website-sp-691/88899-homepage-fields-of-honor-database.