Robert Charles Polen was born on October 26, 1924, in Avella, Washington County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Joseph Dean Polen and Thelma M. Wood Polen. He was married to Carol Mae Haffy Polen. He served in the 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot in B-17G #44-8276 during World War II.

On March 18, 1945, on their twenty-fourth mission, B-17G #44-8276 participated in a mission to bomb railroad marshalling yards in Berlin, Germany, but was severely damaged by German anti-aircraft fire just before the bomb run, forcing it to abandon the mission. As the aircraft became uncontrollable, the pilot attempted to reach a safer landing area; however, the crew was compelled to bail out about ten miles east of the Oder River near Massin, Germany (now Mosina, Poland). During the descent, Technical Sergeants Sunberg and Leonard A. Marino were killed when Russian Yak fighters strafed the parachuting airmen, while the remaining crew members landed safely.

2Lt Polen successfully bailed out and survived, later being recovered and briefly detained by Soviet forces before returning to Allied control. He ended his military service as a First Lieutenant. He died on June 15, 1985, and is now buried in the Fairview Cemetery, Jewett, Harrison County, Ohio, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Reports (MACR)