John Robert Tillman was born on October 29, 1921, in Winona, Minnesota. He was the son of John Arthur Tillman and Mayme Schneider Schultz. He attended Winona Senior High school and Winona Teachers college and was employed by Bailey & Bailey before entering service on January 31, 1943.

John trained at San Antonio, Texas; Pine Bluff Ark.; Coffeyville, Kan.; and Moore Field, Texas, where he received his commission and his wings on December 5, 1943. Later he was stationed at Salt Lake City, Utah, Baton Rouge, La. Galveston, Texas, and Bruining Army Air Base, Neb., before going overseas on May 1, 1944.

He was stationed in England and did escort bombing and strafing flights over Germany and France. He was Killed in Action on August 18, 1944, in his P-51 #42-75549 'Devil May Care.' That day, 2Lt Tillman took off from airfield Station 369 in Martlesham Heath, England, on a mission. He flew in the No. 2 position of the Chinwag White section led by Lt Edward Thompson. At 1:20 PM, He was shot down in aerial combat by an FW 190 fighter. His plane crashed in Le Château-Thiéry - Commune de Thury-sous-Clermont - 6 km southwest of Clermont.

1Lt Tillman is now buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Winona, Winona County, Minnesota, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, francecrashes39-45.net