Robert Leroy Gilbert was born on October 14, 1921, in Saginaw, Saginaw County, Michigan. He was the son of Roy and Nellie A. Shimel Gilbert. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces on March 3, 1942, in Detroit, Michigan. He served in the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, as a Technical Sergeant and Crew Chief of the B-17G "BTO in the ETO" (#42-38202).

On June 21, 1944, "BTO in the ETO" was on a mission to bomb targets in Nazi Germany. Following the successful bombing run, the aircraft encountered damage severe enough to force the crew to abandon the plane. The crew members parachuted out, landing in German-occupied Poland. Three of them—TSgt White, SSgt Cabaniss, and SSgt Shumate were captured by German forces and became prisoners of war.

Robert evaded captured with the invaluable assistance of local Polish partisans. For nearly two months, from June 21 to August 17, 1944, he relied on the Polish resistance, who hid him from German forces. He passed away on October 27, 2000, and was cremated. His current burial place is unknown.

Source of information: www.americanairmuseum.com