2nd Lt. Robert G. Allen, 462nd Parachute Field Artillery
Jun 18, 2020 10:44:54 GMT 8
tmayer, beirutvet, and 1 more like this
Post by lowellsilverman on Jun 18, 2020 10:44:54 GMT 8
Good evening. I recently joined a project that has the ambitious goal of chronicling the stories of all American service members killed during World War II. I thought it would be good to start with the names on the WWII memorial in my town, Newark, Delaware. One of the first names on the list was Robert G. Allen. I was surprised to learn that I'd walked by his homes in Newark countless times without being aware of it.
Aside from what I found on this site, here is what I found:
2nd Lieutenant Robert Gage Allen, enlisted service number 12049051, officer service number 01176533 (December 10, 1923 – February 16, 1945):
Allen was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, the son of Clarence B. Allen and Marjorie Gage Allen. He volunteered for the U.S. Army and was inducted in Camden, New Jersey on July 10, 1942. According to a notation on his draft card, he attended Officers Candidate Class 49 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, graduating sometime in 1943. He married Ruth Dorothy McRae, a cashier living in Columbus, Georgia, in Phenix City, Alabama on September 10, 1943. He must have been stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia at the time, perhaps attending jump school.
From this site, I learned that he was platoon leader in 2nd Machine Gun Platoon, Battery “D”, 462nd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, which was supporting 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. He died February 16, 1945 during a parachute drop to retake Corregidor when he landed short of the drop zone and was killed by enemy fire while attempting to disentangle himself from a tree.
To be perfectly honest, this is more information about him than I could reasonably have hoped to obtain without costly or time-consuming visits to NARA or the NPRC. But I thought it was worth asking: Does anyone might have more information about him, such as the date when he joined the 462nd, or any photos of him to illustrate his biography? If anyone has the original documents or morning reports, I'm willing to look through them.
I'm also planning to send a request form to the Fort Sill museum in the off chance that they have something about him... Thanks for any help you can provide!
Aside from what I found on this site, here is what I found:
2nd Lieutenant Robert Gage Allen, enlisted service number 12049051, officer service number 01176533 (December 10, 1923 – February 16, 1945):
Allen was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, the son of Clarence B. Allen and Marjorie Gage Allen. He volunteered for the U.S. Army and was inducted in Camden, New Jersey on July 10, 1942. According to a notation on his draft card, he attended Officers Candidate Class 49 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, graduating sometime in 1943. He married Ruth Dorothy McRae, a cashier living in Columbus, Georgia, in Phenix City, Alabama on September 10, 1943. He must have been stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia at the time, perhaps attending jump school.
From this site, I learned that he was platoon leader in 2nd Machine Gun Platoon, Battery “D”, 462nd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, which was supporting 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment. He died February 16, 1945 during a parachute drop to retake Corregidor when he landed short of the drop zone and was killed by enemy fire while attempting to disentangle himself from a tree.
To be perfectly honest, this is more information about him than I could reasonably have hoped to obtain without costly or time-consuming visits to NARA or the NPRC. But I thought it was worth asking: Does anyone might have more information about him, such as the date when he joined the 462nd, or any photos of him to illustrate his biography? If anyone has the original documents or morning reports, I'm willing to look through them.
I'm also planning to send a request form to the Fort Sill museum in the off chance that they have something about him... Thanks for any help you can provide!