About
World War II (1939-1945)
Robert Burdette White was born in Schenectady, New York, on August 11, 1921. He grew up in the city of Schenectady on Cedar Street, graduated from Mont Pleasant High School in 1939, and worked as an apprentice machinist at General Electric.
On February 22, 1943, Robert enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. He was a second lieutenant serving with the 338th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. On January 21, 1945, during a flight to bomb targets in the city of Mannheim in Germany, Robert was the co-pilot of "Mammy Yokum," a B-17G Flying Fortress. While on the mission, the B-17G was hit by anti-aircraft flak and crashed; seven crew members were killed. Robert is buried in Memory Gardens Cemetery and Memorial Park in Colonie, New York.
*B-17G Flying Fortress "Mammy Yokum" #43-38659
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry