458th Bombardment Group (H)

"When we hit the runway with no nose gear and two engines feathered the pilot had little control [of the] plane causing us to leave the runway, hitting bumpy terrain [shaking] the bomb loose, dropping it to the ground, causing the plane to drop on the nose turret nearly breaking it off.  Fortunately everyone walked away from the plane unhurt.

"After this ordeal of crash landing on a base in Belgium, it took us four days to reach our [home] base back in England, as we had to wait our turn to fly back in a cargo plane.  Our next mission wasn’t until January 13, 1945.

General Orders No. 47

ROBERT W. BURMAN, 0-718854, Second Lieutenant, Army Air Forces, United States Army.  For extraordinary achievement while serving as Pilot of a B-24 aircraft on a bombing mission to Germany, 31 December 1944.  Lieutenant Burman’s aircraft was severely damaged by flak while over the target.  Three engines were hit, one requiring feathering, considerable structural damage was inflicted, hydraulic lines severed and all radio equipment rendered inoperative.  Lieutenant Burman skillfully maintained control of his aircraft and successfully released his bombs in the target area.  Returning to friendly territory he expertly landed the damaged aircraft on two engines with the nose wheel jammed in the up position and a 2,000 pound bomb in the bomb bay without further damage or injury to the crew.  The superior flying ability and airmanship displayed by Lieutenant Burman on this occasion reflect the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.  Entered military service from Washington.

General Orders No. 176

ROBERT W. BURMAN, 0-718854, First Lieutenant, Army Air Forces, United States Army.  For extraordinary achievement, while serving as Pilot of a B-24 airplane on a bombing mission to Germany, 9 April 1945.  Lieutenant Burman's aircraft was hit by flak while over the target and suffered considerable structural damage.  Lieutenant Burman skilfully [sic] maintained control of his aircraft and successfully bombed the target.  The prompt action, presence of mind, and superior flying ability displayed by Lieutenant Burman on this occasion reflect the highest credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of the United States.

(Photos and documents: Alice Burman)

AN EIGHTH AIR FORCE LIBERATOR STATION, ENGLAND – Technical Sgt. Alfred J. Ebbing of Quincy, Ill. was the Flight Engineer of the B-24 liberator bomber that recently took ground personnel of the 458th Bombardment Group who had been awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement, on a flying tour of Germany.  The purpose of the trip was to show the men the damage that was inflicted by the Eighth Air Force.  A highlight of the flight was a three-hour stop in Koblenz, where they toured the city and got a close-up view of the destruction.

Sgt. Ebbing (left) is seen in the above photo with his pilot Lt. Robert W. Burman (center) of Tacoma, Wash. And his navigator Lt. Harvey I. Putman (right) of Corpus Christi, Texas, holding the remnants of a Nazi battle flag.

Sgt. Ebbing, who is the son of Mrs. Anna Ebbing, 1529 Lind St., Quincy, Ill. has flown as flight engineer on 28 bombing missions with the 458th Bombardment Group over Germany and enemy occupied Europe.  He holds the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.  Koblenz was one of the many targets that he helped bomb and, while touring the city he had an opportunity to see many of the military installations that he had helped to destroy.

During his mission to Koblenz Dec. 31 his aircraft was severely damaged by flak over the target.  Two engines were hit, requiring overhauling, the hydraulic lines severed and the radio equipment rendered inoperative.  Lt. Burman, the pilot, skillfully maintained control of his aircraft and successfully released his bombs in the target area.  He landed on two engines in Belgium with the nose wheel jammed in the up position and a 2,000-pound bomb in the bomb bay without further damage or injury to the crew.  After four days in Belgium they were brought back to their base in England via another airplane.

Prior to his entrance into the armed forces on Oct. 10, 1942, Sgt. Ebbing was employed by the Gardner Denver Pump Co. of Quincy, Ill.  He has been overseas since Nov. 13, 1944.

The 458th Bombardment Group, which is a part of Maj. Gen. William E. Kepner’s Second Air Division, has completed 240 combat bombing missions over European targets.