Robert Frank Scharff was born on December 10, 1921, in Bronx, Bronx County, New York. He was the son of Max Scharff and Barbara Lehmann Scharff. He enlisted in the service on September 29, 1942. He served in the 534th Bomber Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Ball Turret Gunner of the B-17 #42-97084 nicknamed ''Spare Charlie'' during World War II.

On June 22, 1944, the B-17 Flying Fortress "Spare Charlie" was shot down while on a bombing mission between Tingry (Pas-de-Calais) and Abbeville (Somme), France. The aircraft took off from Station 167 in Ridgewell, Essex, UK, and was hit by German anti-aircraft fire over the target area. The flak strike damaged two engines and set the wing ablaze. At 19:08, just moments before the aircraft broke apart and crashed, the waist gunner was the only crew member able to bail out. The B-17 disintegrated in mid-air and went down near Épagnette, France. The rest of the crew perished in the crash.

SSgt Scharff was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, Bronx County, New York, USA.

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