Roy Edward Truba Sr. was born on January 19, 1921, in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. He was the son of Roy Karl Truba and Elizabeth M. "Eliza" Kearney Truba. He was married to Blanche Brown Truba. After graduating high school, he worked for several architectural firms in Detroit before being drafted into military service in October 1942. He first trained as an infantryman and paratrooper before transferring to the U.S. Army Air Corps. He served in the 751st Bomb Squadron, 457th Bomb Group, as a Lieutenant and Bombardier of the B-17 #44-8557 during World War II.

On April 18, 1945, as the war in Europe entered its final days, the 457th Bombardment Group launched Mission 234, originally tasked with striking the rail marshalling yards at Traunstein. Poor visibility forced the units to divert to the alternate target at Freising, where the clouds finally broke enough to allow a visual bomb run. Among the aircraft in the formation was B-17 Flying Fortress #44-8557 of the 748th Bomb Squadron, which took position in the deputy lead. As the formation approached the target, engine No. 4 on the aircraft began smoking after being hit by German anti-aircraft fire. Witnesses saw four crew members bail out as the aircraft struggled to hold formation. The pilot remained long enough to release the bombs before dropping out of the formation himself, after which the remaining crew bailed out. Severely damaged and unable to recover, the aircraft descended rapidly and crashed near Sterzen. One member of the crew did not survive the bailout, becoming the final combat fatality suffered by the 457th Bombardment Group in World War II. The surviving crew members landed in German-held territory and were captured shortly afterward. With Germany’s collapse only days away, they spent a brief period as prisoners of war before being liberated ten days later, in late April 1945.

Lt. Truba successfully bailed out and was captured, becoming a prisoner of war in Germany. After his liberation on April 29, 1945, he returned to the United States and transferred to the U.S. Air Force Reserve in November 1945, serving as a civil engineering officer. He went on to earn a degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Detroit in 1955. Continuing his military career through the postwar years, he ultimately retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel on February 1, 1969, completing 27 years of service. He died on April 13, 2011, and is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, www.501csw.usafe.af.mil