First Lieutenant Robert L. Taylor was from in Brooke County, West Virginia. He became part of the 9th Air Force, 387th Bomber Group (Medium), 558th Bomber Squadron .

The 387th Bomber Group (Medium) was activated at MacDill Field, Florida on November 1, 1942 from the 21st Bomber Group. The 387th Bomber Group was made up of the 556th, 557th, 558th 559th Bomber Squadrons plus the Headquarters staff. After completing training, the 387th Bomber Group (Medium) moved to Drane Army Air Field, Florida for “in the field” experience on April 12, 1943. Then they moved to Godman Field, Fort Knox, Kentucky for Overseas movement orders on May 11, 1943. The Air Crews went to Selfride Field, Michigan to pick up new B-28’s on May 23, 1943. The Air crews then proceeded to fly to Chipping Ongar, England as follows:

To Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia for B-28 modifications and is the official Port
Debarkation – June 10, 1943
To Langley Field, Virginia – June 12, 1943
To Presque Isle, Maine, but had to land at Grenier Field, New Hampshire because
of bad weather – June 14, 1943 and left on June 16, 1943
To Goose Bay, Labrador on June 19, 1943
To BW1, Greenland on June 20, 1943
To Iceland on June 21, 1943
To Prestwick, Scotland on June 23, 1943
To Aldernaston, England on June 24, 1943
Arrived Chipping Ongar, England on June 25, 1943

B-26

After further training for combat, the 387th Bomber Group went on operational status on July 31, 1943 and let mission on August 15, 1943. In October 1943 the unit was assigned from the 8th to the 9th Air Force. The various new airbases are as follows:

Chipping Ongar to Stony Cross, England – July 18, 1944
To Maupertus, France (Cherbourg) – August 27, 1944
To Chateaudun, France – September 18, 1944
To Clastres, France (near St. Quentin) – October 30, 1944

The 387th Bomber Group (Medium) began combat in August 1943 and concentrated its attacks on airdromes during the first months of operations. They made numerous strikes on V-weapon sites in France in the winter of 1943-1944. Then they hit airfields at Leeuwarden and Venlo during Big Week, 20-25 February 1944, the intensive campaign against the German Air Force and aircraft industry. Then then helped to prepare for the invasion of Normandy by attacking coastal batteries and bridges in France during May 1944. After that they bombed along the invasion coast on June 6, 1944 and supported ground forces throughout the month by raiding railroads, bridges, road junctions, defended areas, and fuel dumps. Then they moved to the Continent in July 1944 and participated in attacks on the Germans at St. Lo in the latter part of the month and on German forces at Brest during August and September. They also made extended operations into Germany by fall of 1944. On December 23, 1944 t he 387th Bomber Group (Medium) r eceived a Presidental Unit Citation for action during the Battle of the Bulge when the group hit strongly defended transportation and communications targets at Mayen and Prum.

First Lieutenant Robert L. Taylor was Killed in Action on January 25, 1945 while s upporting the Allied drive into the Reich by attacking bridges, communications centers, marshalling yards, storage installations, and other objectives. First Lieutenant Robert L. Taylor participated in all 5 European Campaigns the Bomber Squad flew; Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace and Central Europe.

For the 387th Bomber Group (Medium) combat ended in April 1945 and were inactivated in the US on November 17, 1945.

ASN: 0-700576
Awards: Distinguished Service Cross, Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
Buried at: Plot L Row 13 Grave 2
Netherlands American Cemetery
Margraten, Netherlands

Adoptant of First Lieutenant Robert L. Taylor ’s grave, Jacky Roks, is searching for more information about First Lieutenant Robert L. Taylor. Every kind of information is more than welcome. You can contact Jacky at: jackyroks@hotmail.com