Robert Wallace “Bob” Lehner was born on August 5, 1921, in Oakland, Alameda County, California. He was the son of Frederick William Lehner and Wanda Olga Wodecki Lehner. He served in the 603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and Pilot of B-17 #43-38671 nicknamed ''Lehner’s Raiders'' during World War II.

On November 21, 1944, Lehner’s Raiders participated in a bombing mission targeting the synthetic oil plant in Merseburg, Germany. After completing the bombing run, the formation was attacked by German fighter aircraft. Lehner’s Raiders sustained critical damage during this engagement and crashed near Zimmernsupra, close to Erfurt, Germany. Tragically, four crew members were killed in action; the remaining five crew members survived and were captured by German forces, becoming prisoners of war.

1Lt Lehner was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Neuville-en-Condroz, Arrondissement de Liège, Liège, Belgium. Robert W. Lehner's name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 1 (left), on Butterfly 2, in the top right wing (section B).

Source of information: www.americanairmuseum.com, www.398th.org