World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Robert Johnson Fitzgerald
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Honored By
Sam E. Pennartz
DURING THE NIGHT OF 16-17 MARCH 1945, HE FLEW AS THE AIRPLANE COMMANDER IN THE LEFT PILOT SEAT ABOARD BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS SERIAL #42-24849 NICKNAMED 'MISSION TO ALBUQUERQUE' TAIL CODE Z-SQUARE-8, OF THE 881ST BOMB SQUADRON, 500TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (VH), 73RD BOMB WING, 20TH AIR FORCE STATIONED AT ISLEY FIELD ON SAIPAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS. IT WAS ONE OF 307 B-29 AIRCRAFT DISPATCHED FROM THE XXI BOMBER COMMAND TO BOMBARD THE URBAN AREA OF KOBE, JAPAN. KILLED IN ACTION WHEN Z-SQ-8 WAS UNINTENTIONALLY RAMMED BY A KAWASAKI Ki-61 Hien 'Tony' FIGHTER OVER THE TARGET AREA ABOUT TWO MILES NORTH OF KOBE.