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Capt. Robert J. Goebel ~ Free Shipping

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Print Size: 11" x 14"  ---- Unlimited Print Edition

Captain Robert J. Goebel
31st F.G./308th F.S. ~ 15th AAF/MTO
(11.00 victories)

Bob Goebel entered the service on 4 April 1942 as a private awaiting the call to begin flight training. He finally reported at Milwaukee, Wisconsin in August, for movement to the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center. Primary flight school was Corsicana, Texas flying the BT-19. Basic followed at Majors Field, Greenville, Texas with the BT-13 and advanced was at Moore Field, McAllen, Texas in the AT-6. After graduation from flying school on 24 May 1943, his first assignment was to Panama where he flew P-39 and P-40 type aircraft in defense of the Panama Canal. He returned to the States in December of 1943 and shipped out of Norfolk, Virginia for North Africa. After docking at Oran, Algeria, his group was moved by train to the Fighter Training Center at Telergma. There he was checked out in the Spitfire Mk V in preparation for joining the 31st Fighter Group, one of two American Spitfire Groups operating in the Mediterranean area. However, when he finally joined the group on 1 April 1944, the group was in process of re-equipping with the Mustang, moving to the Foggia side of Italy and changing from close support of the front lines, provided by the 12th Air Force, to Heavy Bomber escort as part of the 15th Air Force. Bob was subsequently assigned to the 308th Squadron of the 31st Fighter Group flying first the P-51B and later the P-51D. He flew a total of 61 missions from San Severo, including a shuttle run to Russia, and 16 trips to the oil fields of Ploesti. In the course of his tour of duty, he destroyed 11 enemy fighters in the air and earned the Silver Star, the DFC with 1 oak leaf cluster and the Air Medal with 17 oak leaf clusters. He left the service in 1946 to attend the University of Wisconsin and earned a BS degree in Physics in 1948. After serving in the Wisconsin Air National Guard as Commander of the 126th Fighter Group for two years, he returned to active duty in the spring of 1950. After various assignments in the Atomic Energy and Space Programs he retired from the Air Force in 1966. He and his wife of 50 years, June, have 9 children and 25 grandchildren and live in Torrance, California. He has recently published his memoirs in a book titled MUSTANG ACE. My Good Friend of 20 years and 15 years of those years doing "Air Shows and Symposiums" together Lt.Col. Robert J. Goebel passed away on February 20, 2011. He and wife June Goebel are now together.

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