WARD, Robert Whitfield

Name: Robert Whitfield WARD

Born 18 June 1917

Birthplace:  Boone, Iowa

Age at arrival in Buchenwald: 27

Died 8 July 2007 in Chandler, Arizona, age 90

Service: USAAF

Service ID: O-708382

Service Rank: 2nd Lieutenant

Duties: Navigator

Air Group: 8th Air Force, 91st Bomb Group, 323rd Squadron

Airbase: Bassingboum, Cambridgeshire UK

Aircraft: B-17G 42-97173

Date shot down: 8 July 1944

Fate of crew: 1 KIA, 2 captured immediately, 6 evaded; 5 of those captured destined for Buchenwald (BOWEN, FORE, Ward, SCHARF, and ZEISER).

Evasion summary: Were with Bowen & Zeiser at some point. Arrangement was made for them to go to Paris on July 9th. Desoubrie and Orsini took the group to 2 Square des Aliscamps or villa Voisin.

Date captured: 10 July 1944

Capture summary: Arrested with FORE and SCHARF.

Boxcar Transport: 15-20 August 1944, in boxcar #1 or #2

Buchenwald ID: 78355

Notes on Buchenwald internment: Very ill, pleurisy, TB; too weak to leave with the rest.

Transferred from Buchenwald to: Stalag Luft III, West Compound, arriving 28 November 1944.

Kriege ID: 8923

Notes on SLIII internment:

Subsequent transfer to: Stalag XIII-D, Nurnberg.

Notes on internment: Forced march and boxcar to Stalag VIIA 2-16 April 1945.

Liberation: 29 April 1945 by units of the 14th Armored Division from Patton’s Third Army.

Repatriation from ETO:

Discharged:

VA status:

Notes on Post-War period: