Lt. Robert M. Lamar was from Augusta, Georgia, and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) before entering military flight training in Class 43-D at Aloe Army Air Field in Victoria, Texas. He began his service with the 363rd Fighter Group on June 8, 1944, and later transferred to the 354th Fighter Group in August 1944, where he flew P-47D, P-51B, and P-51D aircraft as a member of the 355th Fighter Squadron, famously known as the “Pugnacious Pups.”

During the Battle of the Bulge, on January 2, 1945, Lt. Lamar was flying his P-47D Thunderbolt (serial CQ-Q) when he was hit by German flak north of Bastogne. Despite the damage, he managed to reach an area referred to as “Zingscht’Gorf” and executed a successful belly landing, ultimately coming to rest in a place called “Hoch,” near Bigonville in Luxembourg or Belgium. He survived the crash, and his emergency landing site is now marked by a memorial plaque displaying his aircraft and squadron insignia. Remarkably, several major parts of his downed P-47D were recovered and later restored, and have been flying again since 2000 as part of the warbird “Hun Hunter XVI” in Tennessee, preserved for airshows and historical commemoration. After his combat service, Lamar returned to Pinellas Airfield in February 1945, where he continued to serve as a flying instructor. Currently, we don't have details about his death and burial location.

Source of information: https://www.354fg.com/