Robert William Quicksall (1920 - 1944)

Born 29 Sep 1920 in Ohio, United States

Died 6 Oct 1944 at age 24 in Brandenburg, Germany

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Biography

Killed in Action

SGT Robert Quicksall was Killed in Action during World War II.

SGT Robert Quicksall served in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II
Service started: 12 Apr 1943
Unit(s):
Service ended: KIA Oct 6,1944

Sargent Robert Quicksall was born in Ohio, in 1920, to Charles & Josephine Quicksall. He was raised by his stepfather Elmer Smith. He listed himself as separated, with dependents on his enlistment paperwork, but I haven't been able to find his wife or children's names. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps on April 12, 1943. In the Air Corps, he served as a Tail Gunner on at least one B-17. The B-17 that he served on was B-17 43-38430, which had no known nickname. On October 6, 1944, B-17 43-38430, piloted by 1st Lt. Donald J. Andreas, was flying in a squadron of 29 planes, when they were reportedly ambushed from above and behind by somewhere from 25-70 enemy planes, while en route to their targeted destination. No aircraft in the group returned to base that day. Of B-17 43-38430's crew of 9 men, 4 were KIA, and 5 survived the crash to become POW.

Robert is buried at Zeiter Cemetery in Richland County, Ohio, USA.

The 3 other men from B-17 43-38430 that died October 6, 1944 were;

SGT Michael A Cangemi Top-Turret Gunner

1st Lt. Donald J Andreas Pilot

Flt. Ofc. Harry F Swift Bombardier

The 5 men from B-17 43-38430 that were taken as POWs that day were;

SGT Rodney C Hambree Radio Operator

SGT Michael F Pace Ball-Turret Gunner

2nd Lt. Abel S Rebello Navigator

Capt. Alvin S Rosenthal Co-Pilot

SSGT George Sachen Waist Gunner

B-17 43-38430 was a part of the 385th Bomb Group, as well as the 548th Bomb Squadron.

The 385th Bomb Group, who took the nickname "Van's Valiants" after their first Commanding Officer Brigadier General Elliot Vandevanter, flew B-17s from Great Ashfield, Suffolk. The Group led the famous attack on the Focke-Wolfe aircraft factory at Marienburg on 9 October 1943, during which only two out of one hundred B-17s were lost and all of the buildings on the site were damaged or destroyed. They won two Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, awarded to all 4th Bomb Wing Groups, was for accurately dropping their pay load on an aircraft factory at Regensburg, on 17 August 1943 and the Group's second was awarded after leading a difficult long-range mission to destroy an aircraft repair works at Zwickau, south-west Germany, on 12 May 1944.

Robert participated in the following mission as a Tail Gunner;

Mission No. 194 – 6 October- Target Munster- 29 a/c flown. Leverett, 42-97275, Roger the Dodger, crashed in Germany, 1 KIA, 9 POW, MACR 9522. Taylor, 42-98010, crashed in Germany, 8 KIA, 1 POW, MACR 9523. Funk, 42-98016, crashed in Germany, 8 KIA, 1 POW, MACR 9524. Kaplan, 43-37548, Lamplight Lil, crashed in Germany, 3 KIA, 6 POW, MACR 9517. Courcelle, 43-38060, Texas Bluebonnet, crashed in Germany, 8 KIA, 1 POW, MACR 9508. Tuley, 43-38217, crashed in Germany, 6 KIA, 3 POW, MACR 9519. Andreas, 43-38430, crashed in Germany, 4 KIA, 5 POW, MACR 9520. Noiseau, 44-6159, West Virginian, crashed in Germany, 7 KIA, 2 POW, MACR 9515. Batty, 44-8143, Roger the Dodger crashed in Germany, 7 KIA, 3 POW, MACR 9516. Jens, 42-102465, Wee Willie Wilber, crashed in Germany, 9 KIA, MACR 9525. Isaacson, 42-97079, Dozy Doats, crashed in Germany, 5 KIA, 4 POW, MACR 9521.

Robert was in B-17 43-38430 that day, and failed to return to base. 65 men were KIA in this mission, and 36 captured as POWs.

Sources

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/40179887/robert-william-quicksall

http://www.385thbga.com/

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/12435

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/196825

"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWLX-WT4 : 11 December 2019), Robert W Quicksall in household of Elmer Smith, Madison Township, Richland, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 70-52, sheet 11B, line 47, family 275, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3136.

"United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4CQ-TS2 : accessed 12 December 2019), Robert W Quicksall in household of Elmer Smith, Madison, Richland, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 15, sheet 12A, line 39, family 335, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1863; FHL microfilm 2,341,597.

"United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8YX-ZHX : 5 December 2014), Robert W Quicksall, enlisted 12 Apr 1943, Columbus, Ohio, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.