Evidence Guide

Unit Context

The public 320th Bomb Group roster lists Robert A. Cary with the 444th Bomb Squadron. The 444th flew Martin B-26 Marauders as part of the 320th Bombardment Group in the Mediterranean and European campaigns.

Around Normandy D-Day

On 6 June 1944, while the Normandy landings were happening in France, Bob's eventual squadron was not part of the Normandy landing force. The 444th Bomb Squadron was stationed at Decimomannu Air Base, Sardinia, and its June 1944 diary says four of its aircraft took part in bombing the Narni Road Bridge in Italy.

This is confirmed unit-level context, not yet a Bob-specific mission claim. The Class 44-F training lead leaves open whether Bob had already reached the 444th by then or was still in the USAAF training, transition, or replacement pipeline. The key missing record is Bob's ocean-crossing or squadron-arrival date.

See the timeline context

Probable Overseas Route

The best current reconstruction places Bob's Atlantic crossing in October 1944 to very early November 1944, as a late-war replacement or possible ferry pilot. The strongest unit-level clue is the 444th Bomb Squadron diary entry for 4 November 1944, which says more replacements arrived from the States. Bob is not named in that entry, so it remains a strong clue rather than proof.

The family-memory route is historically plausible: United States to the Azores, remembered as Lajes or wartime Lagens, then North Africa, then the Mediterranean theater and France. AAF route history shows that by 1944 aircraft and transport traffic could move through the Azores to North Africa by routes such as Wilmington-Newfoundland-Azores-North Africa or Miami-Bermuda-Azores-Casablanca.

The exact proof record would be Bob's movement orders, individual flight log, ferry record, aircraft delivery card, or a 444th personnel or morning report naming the 4 November replacements.

The 25 December 1944 Mission

Mission Report 436 confirms Bob Cary as co-pilot in 444th ship 82 on the Christmas Day 1944 mission against the Singen railroad bridge. The same report says 26 B-26s dropped on Singen and nine mistakenly bombed Thayngen, Switzerland. The key open point is whether ship 82 was in the Singen group or the Thayngen group.

Hartwell Davis

Hartwell Davis is one of the most important people in the story. Swiss and local return-visit accounts connect Davis and Bob Cary to Thayngen memory decades after the war. Family memory also remembers Hartwell as Bob's close wartime friend, with the call sign Pappy.

Useful future evidence would include letters, photo captions, reunion material, Davis family papers, or original Swiss article scans.

Lady Bugs

Family memory says Bob flew an aircraft named Lady Bugs. The inspected 320th aircraft list identifies Lady Bugs as B-26 serial 42-95746, 444th battle number 78. Current inspected mission sheets do not yet tie Cary to battle number 78, serial 42-95746, or the aircraft name.

The project can safely say that Lady Bugs is a strong family-memory lead. It should not yet say that Bob conclusively flew that aircraft.

Before and After the War

The current biography connects Bob's wartime record to a broader life story: likely Decatur roots, flight training, B-26 service, marriage to Mary in 1945, University of Michigan dental school, a Hastings dental practice, church and community life, and family memory after the war.

Western Michigan Before Service

Family memory said Bob attended "Western" before service. The yearbooks now make that lead more concrete. The 1941 Brown and Gold freshman page prints "Robert Carey," while the same volume's index lists "Cary, Robert 76." The 1942 sophomore-class page appears to list "R. Corey," a likely spelling variant in the same student sequence. The 1943 junior-class page prints "R. Cary," and the 1943 index lists "Cary, Robert 53."

A separate 1941 W.S.T.C. Bands roster lists "R. Cary" under Alto Horns. That supports band participation, but it does not prove a music major, a Western degree, or any specific course of study.

Family Memory Leads

Family accounts preserve details that official records often miss. The strongest current leads include Hartwell Davis, Lady Bugs, Tavaux children and reunion memories, the dog Pal telegram, the loose bomb pins story, Bob's probable late-1944 overseas route through the Azores/North Africa/Italy, a French child remembered as Ramon or Ramonde, possible French recognition, and possible B-29 training after Bob and Mary's August 1945 marriage. The Western memory has moved from family-memory lead to yearbook-supported attendance evidence, while the route now has stronger historical support from 1944 ATC middle-Atlantic routes and the 4 November 1944 replacement note. Bob's personal movement record still needs proof.

Read the family memory page

Open Research

1. Was ship 82 in the Singen drop group or the Thayngen drop group on 25 December 1944?
2. Can any record tie Bob Cary to Lady Bugs, ship 78, or serial 42-95746?
3. Can original Swiss article scans and captions document Bob Cary and Hartwell Davis's return visits?
4. Can family records identify Ramon or Ramonde and document the bicycle story?
5. What French medal, certificate, or recognition did Bob receive?
6. Can WMU registrar or alumni records confirm Bob's exact attendance dates, major, graduation status, and withdrawal or service-entry date?
7. Did Bob receive B-29 training or California reassignment orders after returning from Europe?
8. When did Bob cross the ocean and join the 444th: while the squadron was still in Sardinia, after the move to Corsica, or later in France?
9. Was Bob one of the unnamed replacements who arrived from the States on 4 November 1944?

See the gallery and open questions

Key Sources

Open the source ledger