KempernolteRobert - 669th KIT

416th Bombardment Group (L)

2Lt. Robert Francis Kempernolte

Pilot, O-685204

Killed In Training - Oct 10, 1943

669th Bombardment Squadron (L)

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Pilot Wings Missing Man

Born: 1921, Saint Louis, St. Louis City County, Missouri

Entered Military Service: Date: 18-Aug-1942 At: St Louis, MO From: St. Louis City, Missouri
NARA Enlistment Record: Enlisted Serial # 17074021

Buried: Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum, Saint Louis, Missouri

On-line Memorials:
National World War II Registry
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St. Louisan Killed In Army Air Collision

Lt. Robert Kempernolte Loses Life in Louisiana Crash Fatal to Five.

Lt. Robert Kempernolte of St. Louis was one of five crewmen killed when two light bombers of the army air base at Lake Charles, La., collided in a flight yesterday near Fenton, La., about 20 miles northeast of Lake Charles, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Albert K. Kempernolte, 4870 Kossuth avenue, have been informed.

Lt. Kempernolte, who was 22 years old, was married here Oct. 2 to the former Miss Dolores Dolan, daughter of Mrs. Thomas Dolan, 4837 Carter avenue. He returned with his bride to Lake Charles last week. His parents have received no details of the accident.

A graduate of McBride High School, he enlisted in August, 1942, and was commissioned last June 26. The body will be brought here for burial.

Among others killed in the accident were Lt. Fred E. Holzscheiter of Toledo, O., and Staff Sgt. Clyde E. Graham of Wheeling W. Va.

Extracted from Newspapers.com

Notes:
Nature of accident: Mid-air collision at approximately 700 Ft. Altitude.

Cause of accident: Indecision on Lt. Kempernolte's part as to whether to pull up or dive, during which he pulled up and nosed down two or three times, apparently made definite decision on the parts of both pilots late in develoment, both deciding to pull up at the last second, which resulted in the mid-air collision.

Narrative: On the day of the mid-air collision the problem was a simulated straffing mission on a convoy from the 416th Bomb. Gp. by a three-ship formation, the convoy having a two-ship protective cover of pursuit, though the airplanes were the A-20 type. The two-ship "pursuit" flight took off at approximately 0800 o'clock, and the attack formation took off at approximately 0830 o'clock. The attack flight in the conventional three-ship formation located the convoy approximately 3-1/2 Mi. West of Fenton, La., which was heading slightly southwest on a Northeast-Southwest road, and slipped in under the protective "pursuit" element which did not see them until they were already attacking the convoy. After straffing the convoy, the attacking flight began a slight turn to the left and climbing at not over 500 Ft. per minute estimated. The leader of the "pursuit" flight made his dive attack from the left of this formation slightly to the rear, and approximately 1000 Ft. above this flight, was going too far to the right, so banked sharply back to the left of the attack flight, and then, at an approximate bank of 40d and in a slight right turn, continued his attack dive toward the leader of the attack flight. The pilot in #3 position did not see the attacking airplane, but states he saw his lead pilot looking at the plane. The pilot in #2 position said he saw the attacking pilot flying in as described above, and thought the attacking pilot was getting dangerously close. Both wing pilots state that as their leader saw the attacking airplane that he leveled off, and then as the airplane came close, seemed to become uncertain as to what to do and made a series of two or three up and down movements with his airplane, and then suddenly pulled up very steeply, and after gaining approximately 20 Ft. the attacking airplane hit the nose-section of the leader's airplane at about its own right engine section; both airplanes went up higher into the air, approximately 50 to 75 Ft., the attacking airplane apparently exploding and catching fire in the right engine section, then the airplanes separated and fell to the ground. The pilot in #3 position saw only the contact, dived down slightly and to the left, and states the attacking airplane came so close that it or its slipstream shook his airplane. The pilot in #2 position dived down and to his right, heard multiple fragments of the two crashed airplanes hit his airplane, which was not disturbed otherwise, and was joined in formation shortly thereafter by the #3 pilot.

Description:
On the 10th, while flying as escort for a convoy moving to the Bivouac area at the Gillis Airfield, 2nd Lt Robert F. Kempernolte and his BombardierNavigator, 2nd Lt John W. Wisdon, collided with a plane flying in the attacking formation. Occupants of the second plane were 2nd Lt Fred E. Holzscheiter, pilot; 2nd Lt Frederick H. McVay, Bombardier-Navigator; S/Sgt Clyde E. Graham, gunner. All occupants of both planes were killed.
(416th BG History 1943)

10-10-43B. Fenton, Louisiana. At 0852, a Douglas A-20G and an A-20B collided in mid-air three miles west of Fenton, Louisiana, killing five fliers. Pilot 2Lt. Robert F. Kempernolte and bombardier/navigator 2Lt. John W. Wisdom were killed in the crash of the A-20G. Pilot 2Lt. Fred E. Holzscheiter, bombardier/navigator 2Lt. Frederick H. McVay and gunner SSgt. Clyde K. Graham were killed in the crash of the A-20B. Lt. Holzscheiter was leading a three-ship formation on an attack mission that took off from the Army Air Field at Lake Charles, Louisiana. The formation was to simulate an attack on a convoy of vehicles three and one-half miles west of Fenton. After locating the convoy and completing the strafing mission, the leader began a climbing turn to the left. Lt. Kempernolte, who was in a two-ship flight on a "pursuit" mission, flew close to the "attack" flight, flying slightly ahead and below Lt. Holzscheiter. Lt. Kempernolte's airplane was seen to move up and down on its pitch axis before entering a steep climbing attitude, colliding with Lt. Holzscheiter's airplane at an altitude of 700 feet above ground level. The starboard engine of Lt. Kempernolte's A-20 smashed into the nose of Lt. Holzscheiter's airplane, causing Lt Kempernolte's starboard engine section to burst into flames. Both airplanes, momentarily locked together, climbing about 50 feet before separating and falling straight to the ground where they exploded into flames. Apparently Lt. Kempernolte had just been restored to limited flying status four days earlier after being grounded for a lengthy period because of an eye problem. It was noted that the pilot was required to wear glasses at all times while flying. Investigators could not determine if Lt. Kempernolte was wearing glasses at the time of the collision.
(Mireles, Vol. 2, Pgs. 545-546)

See also AAR 44-10-10-2

Photos and Documents

1940 US Census

The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana), 12 Oct 1943, Tue, Page 8

The St. Louis Star and Times (St. Louis, Missouri) 11 Oct 1943, Mon Page 6

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri) 11 Oct 1943, Mon Page 5

The St. Louis Star and Times (St. Louis, Missouri) 14 Oct 1943, Thu Page 24

WW II Army and Army Air Force Casualty List

National World War II Memorial Registry

Source information can be viewed at WWII Military Service Fatalities Sources