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| USN USS William B. Preston Patrol Wing 10 VP-101 |
Aircraft Commander Ensign Robert G. Tills, O-081538 VP-21 (MIA / KIA) Manitowoc, WI Sunk December 8, 1941 Pilot History Tills was born on March 9, 1918 to parents William J. Tills and Adelaide S. Petersen Tills in Manitowoc, WI. In 1937, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve as a seaman second class as a 19 year old. Two years later, he was commissioned with the rank of Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve. In April 1941, Tills joined the regular U.S. Navy and was assigned to Patrol Squadron 21 (VP-21) and flew PBY Catalina patrols in the Philippines. On December 8, 1941 when the Japanese attacked the Philippines, Tills was the first U.S. Navy officer lost. Aircraft History Built by Consolidated Aircraft Corporation at San Diego. Delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN) as PBY-4 Catalina bureau number 1229. Wartime History Assigned to Patrol Wing 10 (Pat Wing 10), Patrol Squadron 101 (VP-101) operating from USS William B. Preston (AVD-7) based at Cavite Naval Base inside Manila Bay. No known nickname or markings. Mission History On December 8, 1941 in the morning, this Catalina and PBY Catalina 1230 were moored in Malalag Bay off Davao Del Sur. Shortly before 8:00am, nine Japanese fighters strafed both flying boats. Aboard Tills was manning a machine gun and hit in the chest by bullets and died. Damaged, both Catalinas caught fire and sank. Tills went down when this PBY sank and his body was not recovered and was listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Wreckage In October 2007, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) was notified by U.S. authorities in the Philippines that aircraft wreckage had been discovered in Malalag Bay. A fragment of the wreckage was marked “PBY-4.” Recovery of Remains In November 2007, a JPAC team, along with the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group-Philippines and the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG), surveyed the site and recovered human remains and non-biological evidence. Later that month, the PCG recovered additional remains from the site. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Tills’ remains. On December 1, 2008 the Department of Defense (DoD) announced Tills was identified. Memorials Tills was officially declared dead December 8, 1941 at age 23. He earned the Purple Heart, posthumously. Tills is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. On March 23, 2009 Tills was buried at Arlington National Cemetery at section 60 site 8998. In June 1943, destroyer escort the USS Tills (DE-748), was commissioned in the ensign's memory. It was launched less than four months later, providing escort service against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys. Postwar, converted into a training vessel. In 1969, sunk as a training target off the east coast of the United States. References Navy Serial Number Search Results - PBY-4 Catalina 1229 USN Overseas Aircraft Loss List December 1941 PBY-4 VP-101 1229 Ens R. G. Tills Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) - Robert G. Tills (Page 17) "Deceased was manning machine gun on plane which was attached [sic attacked] by enemy on the water. Was seen to be hit in chest by machine gun bullets by crew member who jumped overboard and escaped. Plane burned and sank. Body not recovered." U.S. Navy official history adds: [Japanese fighters] "strafed the helpless PBYs, turning them into colanders of metal and fabric and setting them afire... Ensign Robert Tills died in the fusillade of bullets." American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Robert G. Tills "remains have been recovered and identified" Arlington National Cemetery ANC Explorer - Robert G. Tills Arlington National Cemetery Website - Robert G. Tills (photo) FindAGrave - Ens Robert George Tills (photo, tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - Ens Robert George Tills (photo, grave photo) Department of Defense News Release 992-08, December 1, 2008 "Sailor Missing from WWII Identified" Herald Times "Home at last!: Robert Tills of rural Manitowoc finally comes back from war" March 26, 2009 "Woman gets to say goodbye 69 years later - Her fiance's plane was shot down during World War II; his remains were recently identified, December 27, 2008" Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated July 9, 2023 |
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