Robert Ernest Peterson was born on February 12, 1916, in Fulton County, Illinois. He was the son of Parlin Peterson and Bertha M. Teach Peterson. He was married to Ruth Naomi Rossell Moxley. He enlisted in the service on March 19, 1942. He served in the 784th Bomb Squadron, 466th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Left Waist Gunner of B-24 #42-95592, nicknamed 'Black Cat' during World War II.

On April 21, 1945, the Black Cat took off from RAF Attlebridge in England on what would become its final combat mission. The bomber was assigned to attack a railroad bridge at Salzburg, Austria, a transportation target that remained strategically important as Allied forces advanced during the closing weeks of the war. On this mission, the Black Cat was serving as a lead aircraft in the formation. Severe weather, however, prevented the mission from proceeding as planned. Heavy clouds and thunderstorms obscured the Salzburg area, and at approximately 10:30 a.m., the mission was recalled. The formation turned back toward England, but its return route took the bombers directly over Regensburg, Germany, where German antiaircraft defenses were still active. According to accounts from the 466th Bomb Group, navigators warned that the formation was heading over the city, but the course did not change. As the bombers passed over the Regensburg area, German antiaircraft batteries opened fire. The Black Cat suffered a devastating direct flak hit to its left wing, reportedly between the No. 1 and No. 2 engines. The impact caused the wing to fold or break away, sending the bomber into a roll as it rapidly disintegrated in the air. Crews aboard nearby aircraft watched as pieces of the Black Cat fell from the sky and reported seeing several parachutes among the falling wreckage. The aircraft's remains came down in the countryside near Scharmassing and Oberhinkofen, southeast of Regensburg. Of the twelve men aboard the Black Cat that morning, only two survived.

SSgt Peterson was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial, Saint-Avold, Département de la Moselle, Lorraine, France. He also has a cenotaph in the Avon Cemetery, Avon, Fulton County, Illinois, USA.

Sources of information: www.findagrave.com, www.b24.net, callie-graphics.com, weremember.abmc.gov