When Edwin Francis Tobin was born on February 6, 1915, his father, William, was 28 and his mother, Effie, was 25. He married on December 15, 1937. He had two children during his marriage. He graduated in 1933 from Central High School, Pueblo, Colorado. He enlisted on January 28, 1942 and served in the U.S. Army during World War I as a Second Lieutenant in the 418th Bomb Squadron, 100th Bomb Group (H). Bombardier of the B17F 'Picklepuss', S/N 42-30063, they led the 481th Squadron which was assigned to bomb the Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg, Germany. The mission plan was that after the bomb run, the group was to continue east and land in Africa. However, enroute to Regensburg they were attacked by a squadron of ME 109's. One of the German fighters took out one of the engines on Pickelpuss. The plane couldn't keep up with the group anymore and the crew decided to turn around and fly back to their base at Thorpe Abbots in England. After about 15 minutes of flying, they were intercepted by another squadron of ME 109's who managed to set the bomber on fire. Shortly thereafter the plane blew up. Shot down by enemy fighters (Hauptmann Von Bonin, Oberleutnant Barte and Leutnant Witzke), the aircraft crashed at Herbesthal Lontzen, 500 meters west of Schmalgraf, near Kelmis, west of Aachen, in Belgium on August 17, 1943. He was one of the four crew members who survived and spent almost two years as prisoners of war at POW camps in Germany. He died on June 1, 1987, at the age of 72 in Los Angeles, California but his current burial place is unknown.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.ancestry.com, www.abmc.gov, http://www.warmuseums.net/Pages/belgium_me_detailed12.html, http://www.aircrewremembered.com/knox-robert.html