Robert Carl Holtham was born on July 1, 1921. He served in the 378th Fighter Squadron, 362nd Fighter Group as a First Lieutenant during World War II. On July 29, 1944, Holtham took off from airfield A-12 fin Lignerolles, France on an armed reconnaissance mission. The 377th menaced traffic in the Granville-Vire, France area, destroying 20 trucks by strafing. Hoping to find similar fortunes, the 378th traveled to the same area, but clouds blanketed the area and reduced the ceiling to just 300 feet. Captain "Bill" Fisher was leading a flight below the undercast; "the flight went into trail for strafing a convoy and that was my last contact with Lt. [Robert C.] Holtham. Ground fire and weather was perhaps responsible for his missing status," Fisher speculated Holtham simply disappeared; as his flight climbed through the undercast, three planes broke out but Holtham was nowhere to be seen. His remains were later found, but the circumstances of his death remain a mystery. He was probably shot down by flak during strafing a convoy at 06:15. 1Lt Holtham is now buried in the Bellevue Memorial Park, Ontario, San Bernardino County, California, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, Thunderbolts Triumphant, The 362nd Fighter Group vs Germany's Wehrmacht