Robert Rosenthal (USAAF officer)
| Robert Rosenthal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Rosie[1] |
| Born |
June 11, 1917 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died |
April 20, 2007 (aged 89) White Plains, New York |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit |
418th Bombardment Group 100th Bombardment Group |
| Commands held | 350th Bomb Squadron |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (2) Purple Heart (2) Air Medal (8) |
| Relations | Phillis Rosenthal, née Heller |
| Other work | Member of legal staff during Nuremberg Trials |
Lieutenant Colonel Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal (June 11, 1917 – April 20, 2007) was a highly decorated pilot in the Eighth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces in World War II, receiving sixteen awards including the Distinguished Service Cross.
Early life
Rosenthal was born on June 11, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish family. He went to school in the borough’s Flatbush neighborhood.
He was a graduate of Brooklyn College and Brooklyn Law School, and had been working at a law firm in Manhattan[1] when the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor.
Military Career
He enlisted in the United States Army on December 8, 1941, the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor,[2] and requested to be trained for combat. He earned his wings in September 1942, and was assigned to train personnel in air-to-air gunnery at Fort Myers.
World War II
In August 1943, he joined the 418th Squadron of the 100th Bombardment Group, stationed at Thorpe Abbotts in the UK, as a pilot and aircraft commander of a B-17 Flying Fortress crew. In March 1944, Rosenthal's crew, nicknamed "Rosie's Riveters",[1] with their B-17F, serial number 42-30758 bearing the same name, completed their 25-mission combat tour and returned to the United States, but Rosenthal extended his tour, eventually flying a total of 53 missions. He later became commanding officer of the 350th Squadron. Rosenthal returned to the US in May 1945, and was assigned to fly B-29 Superfortress to fly missions in the Pacific theatre and was training for it, when World War II ended. Altogether he flew 52 missions.[2]
Notable missions
On only his third mission with the 100th BG, out of 13 B-17s on an October 10, 1943, mission over Münster, Rosenthal's was the only plane to return,[3] with two engines dead, the intercom and the oxygen system non-functional, both waist gunners seriously wounded and with a large ragged hole in the right wing.[4][5]
In September 1944, Rosenthal's plane was shot down over German occupied France, in which he broke his right arm and nose. He was rescued by the Free French and returned to duty as soon as he had healed.[2]
On his second to last mission on February 3, 1945, Rosenthal led a mission to bomb Berlin. Although his bomber was in flames from a direct hit, he continued to the target to drop his payload; then bailed out with the rest of the crew, just before it exploded at only 1,000 feet altitude. He was recovered by the Soviet Army and again returned to duty.[6] This raid also ended the life of Roland Freisler, the notorious "hanging judge" of the Third Reich's Volksgerichtshof.
Post war
After the war, Rosenthal assisted U.S. prosecutor Robert H. Jackson at the Nuremberg Trials, as a member of the legal staff. He interrogated Hermann Göring, Alfred Jodl, and Wilhelm Keitel. While in Nuremberg, he met another lawyer on the prosecutorial staff, Phillis Heller, whom he married in Nuremberg.[7] They would have two sons, Steven and Dan; daughter, Peggy; four grandchildren and two great-granddaughters. Rosenthal died on April 20, 2007, in White Plains, New York, of multiple myeloma.[2]
Awards and Decorations
Rosenthal was a highly decorated bomber pilot. His awards included:
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| Army Air Forces Senior Pilot Badge | |||||||||||
| Distinguished Service Cross | Silver Star w/ 1 bronze oak leaf cluster | ||||||||||
| Distinguished Flying Cross w/ 1 bronze oak leaf cluster |
Purple Heart w/ 1 bronze oak leaf cluster |
Air Medal w/ 1 silver and 2 bronze oak leaf clusters | |||||||||
| Presidential Unit Citation | American Campaign Medal | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/ 1 silver and 1 bronze campaign stars | |||||||||
| World War II Victory Medal | Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) |
Croix de Guerre with Palm (France) | |||||||||
References
- 1 2 3 Karen Abeyasekere (May 23, 2017). "Legacy of heroes: Son of 'Rosie' Rosenthal shares father's war stories". RAF Mildenhall. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 "Robert Rosenthal, Leader in Bombing Raids and Lawyer at Nuremberg, Dies at 89". New York Times. April 29, 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ↑ Rob Morris (2011). Untold Valor: Forgotten Stories of American Bomber Crews Over Europe in World War Ii. Potomac Books, Inc. pp. 168–. ISBN 978-1-59797-311-3.
- ↑ Martin W. Bowman (February 2004). B-17 Groups of the Eighth Air Force. Red Kite / Air Research. pp. 35–. ISBN 978-0-9546201-0-3.
- ↑ "Black Week (October 8-14, 1943) - Munster - 10 Oct 1943". 100thbg.com. 100th Bomb Group (Heavy) Foundation. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
A/C 42-6087 "ROYAL FLUSH" 418TH LD-Z - LT ROBERT ROSENTHAL - P[ilot] - CPT -- FLEW 52 MISSIONS - The only crew to return from the mission with two engines shot out and two crew members seriously wounded.
- ↑ "100th Bomb Group Foundation - Personnel - LT COL Robert ROSENTHAL". 100thbg.com. 100th Bomb Group Foundation. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
Dec 1, 1944-Feb 3, 1945 - 418th BS, 100th BG (H) ETOUSAAF (8AF) Squadron Commander, 55 hours, B-17 Air Leader 5 c/m (combat missions) 45 c/hrs (combat hours) 1 Division Lead (Berlin Feb 3, 1945, shot down, picked up by Russians and returned to England) Acting Command 4 Wing Leads, Pilot Feb 3, 1945 - BERLIN - MACR #12046, - A/C#44 8379
- ↑ Emily Yellin (11 May 2010). Our Mothers' War: American Women at Home and at the Front During World War II. Simon and Schuster. pp. 349–. ISBN 978-1-4391-0358-6.