Robert H. Watzka was born in 1924 in Wisconsin. He resided in Brown County, Wisconsin prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on October 29, 1942 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a mechanic and also as Single, without dependents. Robert served as a Staff Sergeant and Radar Operator on B-24J #42-109966, 373rd Bomber Squadron, 308th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

B-24J #42-109966 took off on a night mission from Kweilin, China over the the Yangtze River Valley. After takeoff they were not heard from or seen again. The entire crew was lost on June 18, 1944. Having actually gone "Missing" on the above date, he was not officially declared by the military as being dead until February 27, 1946. His name is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines.

Ssgt Watzka was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is also commemorated on the The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan in Nanjing, China but death date is inscribed as 1944-06-26.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov