World War II Honoree

Robert Watson Nelson

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Minneapolis, Kansas

Honored By

Sam E. Pennartz

1941-1942: Mechanical Engineering student at Kansas State College in Manhattan, Kansas; and enrolled in ROTC Coast Artillery courses. In the fall of 1942, enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in the Army Air Corps at Fort Riley, Kansas. Graduated from Navigator School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces. DURING THE NIGHT OF 16-17 MARCH 1945, HE FLEW AS THE NAVIGATOR 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. Z-SQ-8 WAS UNINTENTIONALLY RAMMED BY A KAWASAKI Ki-61 Hien 'Tony' FIGHTER OVER THE TARGET AREA ABOUT TWO MILES NORTH OF KOBE. HE SURVIVED, BUT WAS TAKEN PRISONER. HELD FOR FOUR MONTHS BY THE KEMPEITAI, THEN GIVEN A PERFUNCTORY TRIAL AND EXECUTED ON 18 JULY 1945 AT YOKOYAMA NEAR OSAKA, JAPAN.