2nd Lt. Robert William Lilley was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 21, 1922, to William and Myrtle Lilley. and has two sisters and a brother. The family resided at 1837 South Thirteenth Avenue, Maywood, Illinois. He graduated from St. Eulalia Grade School and then Proviso Township High School in 1941. After high school, he worked as a welder at the Chicago Metal Hose Company in Maywood. He registered with Selective Service on June 27, 1942, and named his father as his contact person.
About a month after he registered for the draft, he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps on August 21, 1943, in Chicago. Details of his training are incomplete so it is not known where he did his basic training, It is known he trained at Santa Ana, California, and the Kirtland Field, New Mexico, where he qualified as a bombardier and was commissioned a second lieutenant. His serial number was O 753 145. From there, he was sent to Alamogordo Army Airfield, New Mexico, where he was assigned to the 721st Bomb Squadron, 450th Bombardment Group (Heavy). At the airfield, the group trained in their B24 Liberator Bombers.
After the training was completed, the 450th was assigned to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) in Southern Italy. Robert was assigned to the plane Deuces Wild which serial number was 41-29222. The planes flew south from Florida to South America. From there, the planes flew across the Atlantic to Dakar, Senegal, in Africa. From Dakar the planes flew to Manduria, Italy. The flight took 20 hours to complete.
In January 1944, the 450th flew its first mission with the 15th Air Force. The planes flew missions against targets in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the Balkans. It is known his plane flew 26 successful missions. On March 24, 1944, Robert’s plane was assigned to a mission to Ball Bearing Works, Styr, Austria, and given the number 222. The briefing took place at 6:15 am. Afterwards, the planes took off in poor weather and over the Adriatic Sea. In his affidavit, 2nd Lt. Russell E. Boggs stated what he recalled happened.
On 24 March 1944, our group was on a mission to bomb the target at Stayr, Austria. At about 0937 while flying on the course to the target and at approximately 16∘ 50’E, 42∘ 20’N, plane number 109 flown by Lieutenant Whalen come up under and collided with plane 222 flown by Lieutenant Hartman. Both ships fell, one losing a wing and the other breaking in half around the bomb bay. I saw no parachutes leave either ship.
In a separate statement, 2nd Lt. William L. Eldred stated:
On 24 March 1944, our group was on its way to bomb the target at Stayr, Austria. I was flying ship #405 in the number 5 position in the same box in which ship 109 was flying number 7 position and ship number 222 was flying in number 4 position. Ship #109 after sliding into position directly under ship #222 from below and to my right pulled up and collided with ship #222. The time was 0935, the altitude was 5,500 feet and the position was 17∘10’E – 42∘05’N. Ship #222 broke in two behind the wing and ship #109 burned as it hit the sea. No chutes were seen leaving either ship.
Robert’s parents received a telegram from the War Departmet.
MR WILLIAM E LILLEY
1716 SOUTH 7TH AVENUE
MAYWOOD ILLINOIS
THE SECRETARY OF WAR DESIRES ME TO EXPRESS HIS DEEP REGRET THAT YOUR SON SECOND LIEUTENANT ROBERT W LILLEY HAS BEEN REPORTED MISSING IN ACTION SINCE TWENTY FOUR MARCH IN EUROPEAN AREA PERIOD IF FURTHER DETAILS OR OTHER INFORMATION ARE RECEIVED YOU WILL BE PROMPTLY NOTIED PERIOD
ULIO
THE ADJUTANT GENERAL
The War Department continued Robert’s status as MIA on March 25, 1945. His father received another letter stating Robert’s status would continue as Missing in Action. On August 8, 1945, the War Department declared that Robert was presumed to be dead, based on new information and a letter was sent to his father informing him of the decision.
An American Graves Registration Service memo from April 12, 1948 – the AGRS had the job of recovering the dead – that the eastern coast of Italy and the coast of Yugoslavia and the adjacent islands were searched for the remains of missing American air crew members. Residents in the towns along the Italian and Yugoslavian coasts were interviewed and stated that no Americans had been buried in their towns.
Since 2nd Lt. Robert W. Lilley was lost at sea, his name was placed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Military Cemetery, Via Cassia, Italy.
