Robert Wolcott “Bobby” Shaw was born on September 26, 1924, in Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont. He was the son of Alpheus Edward Shaw. He was married to Eleanor Kimmey Shaw. He served in the 837th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Flight Officer and Bombardier 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.

FO Shaw successfully bailed out and survived, later being recovered and briefly detained by Soviet forces before returning to Allied control. Upon returning home, he later graduated from Brown University. He was recalled to military service during the Korean War and was killed on January 2, 1953, while on a training mission aboard an Air Force C-47. He is now buried in the Shaw Cemetery, Windsor, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, USA.

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