Robert Edward Beisheim
Corporal Robert E. “Bob” Beisheim was a Marine aviator assigned to VMB-611.
He was killed in a training accident near Key West, Florida, on 14 February 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 806344
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
CONUS Loss
Because this individual died within the limits of the continental United States, they are not tracked by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
February 16, 1924
at Rochester, NY
Parents
Edward Henry Beisheim
Clara Madeline (Jones) Beisheim (d. 1944)
Education
West High School (1941)
Occupation & Employer
Taylor Instrument Company
Service Life
Entered Service
February 4, 1943
at Buffalo, NY
Home Of Record
1164 Genesee Park Blvd.
Rochester, NY
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Edward Beisheim
Military Specialty
Aviation Ordnanceman
Gunner
Primary Unit
VMB-611
Campaigns Served
—
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Corporal Robert Beisheim was a Marine aviation ordnanceman assigned to a medium bomber squadron (VMB-611) training for overseas deployment.
On 14 February 1944, Beisheim and crew took off from Boca Chica, Florida, on routine training mission that would take them over the Florida Keys. At 1415 hours, their plane – PBJ1-D #35179 – went into a spin and slammed into the water. Several ships witnessed the crash and hurried to search for survivors. The USS Lapwing recorded that “the plane had sank [sic] immediately and there were no survivors,” while USS MacLeish added the plane was “burning rapidly” before it “sank in 68 fathoms of water, and that there were no survivors.”
All five Marines aboard the PBJ were declared dead immediately following the incident.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Edward Beisheim.
Location Of Loss
Last reported position of PBJ1-D #35179.
