Flew '63 And A Half' Missions, Was Shot Down On The 64th

Another of the storied Tuskegee Airmen has Gone West. Robert L. Martin, who said he flew "63 and a half missions", passed away July 26th at a senior living center in Olympia Fields, IL. He was 99.

The Washington Post reports that Martin was shot down during his 64th mission over German-occupied territory and spent five weeks evading capture an working to return to Allied lines. He was assisted by anti-fascist Yugoslav partisans loyal to Josip Broz Tito.

Martin's P-51 was hit by anti-aircraft fire while strafing two airplanes on the ground. He was one of 24 on a rail-strafing mission when he and another pilot, Alphonso Simmons, noted two airplanes parked at the side of an airfield where they were meeting little opposition. Martin said during a presentation at Chicago’s Pritzker Military Museum & Library in 2008 that he knew he and Simmons would "get more credit for destroying two airplanes than shooting up a railroad train," so they went to strafe the airfield. That's when they were hit by the antiaircraft fire. Simmons did not survive, but Martin was able to climb high enough to bail out. He was knocked out when his parachute opened.

Tito's forces got to Martin before the Nazis did, and he was helped to recover from his injuries before being taken to Croatia where he was assisted by a an Allied mission run by British soldiers who helped downed pilots. He recuperated there for a month before being flown to Bari, Italy, and was able to celebrate V-E Day in Naples.

Marin achieved the rank of Captain before leaving the military in September 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Purple Heart, and sevel awards of the air medal. He was among the Tuskegee Airmen to participate in the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in 2007.

(USAF Image courtesy of the family)

FMI: Original report