Marlen E Reber
MilitaryHe completed 25 missions. He flew the 'Eager Beaver' from Westover AFB to England. He had the 'Eager Beaver' throughout his first 15 missions until 3 March 1943 when it got badly shot up by the ball turret gunner on John Reagan's crew. He was the 19th Officer to complete tour 29 June 1943.
According to a letter written by Col. Claude E. Putnam on 5 November 1943, 'he has the outstanding record of having completed an operational tour of 25 daylight heavy bombardment sorties over targets in occupied Europe and Germany without once having returned early. '
AM w.3 Oak Leaf Cluster, DFC, 5 Battle Stars, Legion of Merit, Air Force Commendation Medal
Short article from The Gettysburg Times, PA, published 12 May 1944:
TWO BROTHERS MEET IN LONDON
"Major Marlin E Reber, formerly New Oxford, is a veteran of 26 missions over enemy lines, according to word received here. The pilot of a Flying Fortress, he is holder of the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and the Silver Star."
"Recently, while walking on a London street, he accidentally jostled against another soldier, according to letters to friends here."
"Both stopped, stared and then started talking. The solder who had jostled the major was Staff Sergeant Wellington R. Reber, of near New Oxford, the major's brother. Neither had recognized the other until the accident."
"Both are sons of Mr. and Mrs. Irvin A. Reber, formerly of New Oxford and now of Hanover. Sergeant Reber recently returned from England where he spent 19 months as an administrative clerk for a heavy bombardment group. He is now stationed at the Stuttgart, Arkansas, Army Air Field."
From PCT article:
'Hollywood immortalized the bomber and others (Col. Reber said there were a total of 60 fighting B-17s) in movies like “Twelve O’Clock High.” In fact, in one scene from this American classic featuring leading man Gregory Peck as Gen. Armstrong, Col. Reber the real man, not an actor can be seen flying the plane beside the famous actor.'
Marlen served in the US Air Force for 27 years, retiring as a full Colonel. He went on to serve as City Safety Service Director for the city of Troy, Ohio. He moved to Florida when he retired in 1980. He died in 2012. As one obituary put it, 'Marlen loved to golf, boat and be with Virginia his loving wife of 70 years. He is survived by his wife Virginia as well as his four loving sons, Robert (Sylvia) of Plano, TX; William (Patricia) of Columbia, SC; Michael of Punta Gorda, FL and Steven (Alice) of Exton, PA. He is also survived by 6 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Clerk
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Eager Beaver
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 368th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Bedford
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Lykens, PA, USA | 4 May 1918 | |
Enlisted |
Detroit, MI, USA | 12 July 1941 | |
Other Flew Eager Beaver to England |
Westover Air Force Base, Chicopee, MA 01022, USA | 25 August 1942 | |
Died |
Punta Gorda, FL, USA | 29 July 2012 | |
New Oxford, PA 17350, USA | Exact dates not yet known. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Irvin A. Reber | ||
Based |
Thurleigh | 29 June 1943 | |
Buried |
Royal Palm Memorial Gardens, 27200 Jones Loop Road, Punta Gorda, FL 33982, USA | ||
Punta Gorda, FL, USA | Moved to Florida when he retired. | ||
Other Served as City Safety Service Director |
Troy, OH, USA |
Revisions
Enlistment record: http://wwii-army.mooseroots.com/l/1259093/Marlen-E-Reber
Short obituary: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:FLif-Q6DBnMJ:www.r…
Second obituary: http://www.kays-ponger.com/obits/obituaries.php/obitID/681569
Findagrave record: http://findgrave.org/marlen-reber-florida-1625620/
The Gettysburg Times, PA article published 12 May 1944 and made available through Newspapers.com: http://www.newspapers.com/image/38817809/?terms=Wellington%2BR%2BReber
306th BG Association Directory, 1 September 1999 Edition, First Over Germany pg. 10-11, 40, 48, 132, 137-8, & 158, Combat Crews pg. 136, / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia