World War II Honoree

Robert P. Gocke

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Honored By

Mary Gocke Riley

Relationship

Daughter

ENLISTED IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON JANUARY 20, 1942 THEN ENTHUSIASTICALLY VOLUNTEERED TO FLY IN THE GLIDER PILOT PROGRAM. HE ATTENDED FLIGHT TRAINING FOR THE CG4-A AND BRITISH AIRSPEED HORSA GLIDER IN AUGUST OF 1943 AT CAMP MACKALL, NORTH CAROLINA. UPON COMPLETION OF TRAINING, HE ACCEPTED A POSITION AS INSTRUCTOR AT CAMP MACKALL. HE WAS THEN TRANSFERRED TO LAURINBURG-MAXTON ARMY AIR FIELD, NORTH CAROLINA. IN JUNE 1944 HE REQUESTED A WAR ZONE ASSIGNMENT. HE PILOTED ONE OF THE CG4A GLIDERS TOWED BY A C-47 AIRCRAFT IN OPERATION VARSITY, WHICH WAS A MAMMOTH SCALE OPERATION INVOLVING 2,937 AIRCRAFT, 1,346 OF WHICH WERE GLIDERS. THEIR MISSION WAS TO DELIVER THE 17TH AIRBORNE DIVISION TO THE DROP ZONE (DZ) AND LANDING ZONE (LZ) ACROSS THE RHINE RIVER NEAR A SMALL TOWN IN WESEL, GERMANY ON MARCH 24, 1945. IT WAS HERE THAT HE REALIZED THIS WAS THE WRONG TIME TO REGRET THAT HE HAD VOLUNTEERED FOR THE 'GLIDER PILOT SUICIDE PROGRAM'. THE 17TH AIRBORNE DIVISION (9,000 MEN) HAD 430 MEN KILLED (PLUS 50 AIR CORPS CREWMEN) WHILE THE BRITISH 6TH AIRBORNE (8,000 MEN) HAD STAGGERING LOSSES OF 590, FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF 1,070. MORE THAN 80 AIRCRAFT WERE SHOT DOWN, 91 PILOTS AND CREW LOST AND ONLY 172 OF THE 1346 GLIDERS WERE SALVAGEABLE. BECAUSE OF THE MAGNIFICENT SOLDIERING AND LEADERSHIP OF THE 17TH AIRBORNE DIVISION AND UNRELENTING ATTACK OF GENERAL PATTON AND HIS CORPS, WWII WAS SOON ENDED. HE WAS AWARDED THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, WWII VICTORY MEDAL, ARMED FORCES RESERVE MEDAL AND THE AIR MEDAL.