Valor Friday

Second Lieutenant Robert Femoyer

As I spent all yesterday going between doctor’s appointments (would you believe I slipped a disc in my back from playing pickleball?) and dealing with trick or treaters, this week’s article will be a repeat. Robert Femoyer’s incredible act of gallantry is worth repeating. There’s even a nexus to Halloween, as yesterday would be his 103rd birthday. Tomorrow will be 80 years to the day of his final act of bravery.

Robert Femoyer would receive the Medal of Honor for his final heroic act. He is one of only ten men who received the honor who were Eagle Scouts. [Ed. Note – Since writing this, there are now believed to be 12] He is also the only navigator to have received the honor, let’s explore what he did.

Born in Huntington, West Virginia, on Halloween in 1921, he attended Virginia Tech for college classes beginning in 1940. When the US entered World War II, he joined the Army Enlisted Reserve Corps on Armistice Day (11 November) 1942. He was called to active duty in February of the following year and enlisted as a private into the Army’s Air Forces.

After going through basic training and aircrew training, Femoyer started aviation cadet training with the intent to become a pilot. While he failed to qualify at pilot training, he was moved into the navigator training pipeline. This was quite common. If for some reason piloting didn’t work out, the Army retained their skills in an adjacent, and also much needed, job like navigator or bombardier.

Graduating gunnery school (all positions on a bomber except for pilot required manning a defensive .50-caliber machine gun during points of the mission) he was commissioned a second lieutenant and was posted to the 711th Bombardment Squadron of the 447th Bomb Group (Heavy) which flew the venerable B-17 Flying Fortresses.

The 711th Bombardment Squadron had commenced European combat operations in December 1943. While Femoyer wouldn’t arrive to his new unit until September 1944, the squadron had already bombed V-1 flying bomb launch sites, submarine pens, and supported both Operation Overlord (D-Day) and Operation Cobra (the breakout from the D-Day beachhead at Saint Lo, France).

On November 2nd 1944, on just his fifth mission and only two days after his 23rd birthday, Femoyer was serving as navigator aboard “Lucky Stehley Boy”, a B-17G with tail number 42-38052. They were to bomb an oil refinery outside Merseberg, Germany.

The mission was massive, as many were at the time. The Eighth Air Force saw huge bombing operations deep into German-held territory as they sought to decimate the German war machine and bring about unconditional surrender to end the war. Setting off with Femoyer were 638 B-17 heavy bombers, escorted by 642 P-51 Mustang and P-38 Lightning fighters, crewed by more than 7,000 airmen, and carrying some 2.8 million pounds of bombs on just this one day’s raid.

The fuel factory (Leunawerk) they were targeting was one of the most heavily defending in all of Germany. More than 1,700 88mm and 105mm anti-aircraft guns protected the refinery, which was making much need aviation gasoline from coal. According the the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, “Aircrews viewed a mission to Leuna as the most dangerous and difficult assignment of the air war.”

As the massive bomber formation arrived over Merseberg, they were under “intense” flak fire for 18 minutes and “heavy” anti-aircraft fire for a further 30. One pilot described the flak like this;

When I describe the flak over Leuna as a cloud, I don’t mean just a wall of smoke; it was a box, the length, width, and depth of our route to the ‘bombs away’ point.

After the flak, they were attacked by a record 700 German Luftwaffe fighters, including the new Me-262 jets.

Femoyer’s aircraft was hit three times by flak shells, they had two of their four engines damaged, were losing altitude and speed, and Femoyer himself was critically wounded in his side and back. Flak had raked up and down his body, much of it remaining inside him.

Their aircraft falling out of formation and becoming a prime target for enemy fighters, Femoyer’s pilot decided to turn back. He called to his navigator for a route home. As his comrades saw Femoyer’s many wounds, they prepared to give him morphine for pain. Determined to keep a clear head and get his men home safely, Femoyer refused the sedative.

Unable to even sit up himself, Femoyer asked to be propped up near his station so he could read his charts and instruments. Losing copious amounts of blood and in pain described as “almost beyond the realm of human endurance” he remained at his post.

For two and a half hours, Femoyer, through his excruciating pain, guided his lone bomber around all enemy strongholds. By his actions, the aircraft was able to avoid further enemy detection, completely avoiding any more flak fire or attack from German fighters.

Only once his plane was over the English Channel did Femoyer consider them “safe.” Only then did he accept the morphine. The aircraft safely landed, with all hands, but tragically the brave and determined Femoyer died within an hour of being removed from the plane.

Femoyer received the Medal of Honor posthumously. He was also honored by his alma mater Virginia Tech with a residence hall in his name in 1949. Femoyer Hall is now an academic building, part of which houses the school’s Naval ROTC program.

As I said at the top, 2nd Lt Femoyer is the only rated navigator to have received the Medal of Honor. We have talked previously about a man who also received a posthumous Medal of Honor while serving as navigator aboard “Old 666”, but 2nd Lt Sarnoski was a rated bombardier.

Femoyer’s aircraft would be repaired and return to the skies. It would crash land on 27 March 1945 when its left landing gear failed to deploy. Repaired again, it survived the war, returning to the US after VE Day. In the post-war draw down of equipment it was sent to the wreckers on 8 November 1945. Almost exactly one year to the day after Femoyer valiantly navigated the Flying Fortress and her crew to safety.

Category: Air Force, Army, Historical, Medal of Honor, Valor, We Remember, WWII