Robert Charles LeBlanc
2Lt. Robert C. LeBlanc was a pilot who flew with VMSB-141, a Marine scout-bomber squadron based at Henderson Field during the Guadalcanal campaign.
He failed to return from a combat mission on 15 October 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve (Aviation)
Service Number O-11175
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
History
Robert LeBlanc was born in Little Falls, Minnesota on 29 May 1921. He was the fourth of five children born to Robert and Delima (Bastien) LeBlanc; Robert died in 1923 while Delima was pregnant with little John LeBlanc.
Robert spent most of his life in Little Falls and the surrounding Morrison County. After completing high school, he enrolled in Worthington Junior College. By 1941, he was ready to join the military.
Robert enlisted in the Navy on 24 June 1941 with the intention of becoming a pilot. He passed through ground school, elimination training, and basic flight before advanced training as a dive bomber pilot at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. On 3 July 1942, LeBlanc earned his wings and a commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps.
There was little time to celebrate his good fortune. Lieutenant LeBlanc was hurried off to California where he joined the rear echelon of VMSB-141. He hurriedly completed tactical training, and deployed to the South Pacific in the fall of 1942.
While his fellow pilots got their first taste of combat in the skies over Guadalcanal in late September, 2Lt. LeBlanc stayed with the rear echelon on New Caledonia until 10 October. At last, he received orders to join the flyers at Henderson Field and started flying patrols and familiarization hops around the Solomon Islands.
Lieutenant LeBlanc was still getting the lay of the land on 15 October 1942 when he was assigned to a search mission. His radioman, Corporal Elbert “Ray” Priest, was mourning the loss of his brother Corporal George F. Priest on a previous flight; it is possible that LeBlanc and Priest were detailed to look for the missing aviator.
Unfortunately, many details of LeBlanc’s final flight – his destination, his aircraft number, and his ultimate fate – are a mystery. At some point on 15 October 1942, he took off from Henderson Field with Ray Priest in the rear seat, and never returned.
Robert LeBlanc and Ray Priest were both declared dead on 19 February 1945. LeBlanc was posthumously promoted to the rank of first lieutenant.
On the day of the declaration, Pharmacist’s Mate Third Class John Louis LeBlanc was waiting to go ashore at Iwo Jima with the 3rd Marine Division. John was killed in action on 9 March 1945.
CENOTAPHS
Manila American Cemetery & Memorial
Calvary Cemetery, Little Falls, MN (shared memorial with brother John LeBlanc)
Decorations
Purple Heart
For wounds or injuries resulting in his presumed death in action.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Delima LeBlanc.
Location Of Loss
Robert LeBlanc and Cpl. Ray Priest were lost on a mission in the Solomon Islands.
They were last seen departing from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal.
