2nd August, 1944
Republic P-47D-20-RE s/n 42-76460 (code 8N-J)
"Breil Rond", Liffré (35)
(contributors : J.P. Favrais, Phillipe Dufrasne, Frédéric Hénoff)
Aerwork © Jean-Marie Guillou
Pilot (371st FG - 405th FS) :
2nd Lieutenant Robert Anthony MEZZETTI (service number O-813197)
Son of Richard J. and Pauline Mezzetti
Robert Anthony MEZZETTI
Photo Mezzetti family via Frédéric Hénoff
THE STORY
A Texan goes to war
Robert Mezzetti during his basic pilot training with his comrades, in front of a Vultee BT-13 Valiant (n°417).
Left to right : Elmer E. Felder (W.I.A., August 29 1944 - 455th BG - 740th BS), Robert A. Mezzetti, unknown,
Hudson F. Packard (K.I.A., May 18, 1944, 355th FG, 357th FS), Jack J. Hugues or Jack E. Hugues (if Jack E. Hugues, K.I.A. July 17, 1944,
in Neusiedlersee, Austria aboard the Lightning P-38 s/n 42-67857 (1st FG -15th AF).
Robert Anthony Mezzetti was born on June 7, 1923, in San Antonio, Texas, the city of the famous Alamo. This native Texan was in the army when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. Robert attended extensive training before getting his "wings" and the rank of 2nd Lieutenant (Second Lieutenant), then joining the 371st Fighter Group, which was sent to England in early 1944. Assigned to Flight A of the 405th Fighter Squadron, he met up with his friend Milton A. Seale, a Texan with whom he had been drafted into the National Guard, but from whom he had been separated during his aviation training.
Robert Mezzetti in the cockpit of his training aircraft.
Photo Mezzetti familly via Frédéric Hénoff
The Group reached Normandy on June 17th, at the Advanced Landing Ground, coded ALG A-6, located at Beuzeville near Sainte-Mère-Eglise. It is from there that Robert took off on August 2nd for the first of his Squadron's three missions planned for that day. Air traffic control has ordered them to bomb an artillery position located north of Rennes, at Saint-Grégoire, in support of units of the 4th Armored Division whose advance was seriously hampered by a German anti-aircraft unit. Identified by a white smoke signal, the position was bombed with six 230 kg bombs, then the aircrafts returned to their airfield.
The 810th Engineering Aviation Brigade constructing the Beuzeville Advanced Landing Ground (ALG A-6) in 1944.
Photo USAAF - domaine public.
A Second Fatal Mission for Mezzetti
Robert took off a second time for an attack on another artillery position, this time located at La Pilletière, just north of the road leading from Rennes to Cesson-Sévigné. It was bombarded with six 230 kg bombs, then the aircrafts machine-gunned the gunners into their manholes. During this attack, Robert was Captain William A. McCormick Jr.'s wingman, and he is the latter who gave details of Robert's last moments (see MACR 7930 in the appendix): "Lt. Mezzetti and I grounded immediately after our maneuver and flew north at low altitude for about four minutes. When we reached friendly territory [the sector north of Rennes already liberated by the Americans], I began a left-hand climb. As we reached about 300 meters, Lt. Mezzetti made a slow half-roll to the right. He seemed to be having a little trouble joining. Just as he was resuming his position within the flight, I noticed that the leading edge of his starboard wing, at the machine gun level, was on fire. The aircraft immediately rolled over to the right, fell straight down and crashed to the ground. The aircraft burst into flames and exploded." The aircraft's failure was so sudden that Robert did not have time to leave his aircraft; he was killed instantly on impact.
2nd Lt. Robert A. Mezzetti was buried ten days later, on August 12, at the U.S. Military Cemetery in Saint-James. He had previously been buried in a solitary grave not far from the crash site of his aircraft, at "Breil Rond", in the town of Liffré.
Mezzetti's grave at the St. James American Cemetery. Photo Frédéric Hénoff
1st Lieutenant Robert Anthony Mezzetti
Mezzetti is said to have one aerial victory achieved on June 20, 1944.
TESTIMONY
Hus best friend, Milton A. Seale, remembers !
"I grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and my best friend's name was Robert A. Mezzetti. We went to school together, first at Crockett Grammar, then at Washington Irving Junior High, and finally at Brackenridge High, where we graduated in 1940. The Germans, under Hitler, decided to take over the world, so our military began to grow. It became mandatory for all young men to serve for a year in one of the branches of the military. Robert and I decided to devote a year to that so we could continue our education without interruption. We joined the National Guard, a field artillery unit that was part of the 36th Texas Division at Camp Bowie. A year went by, and we were waiting to be discharged so we could return to our studies. But December 7, 1941, arrived, and there was no more demobilization; we had to stay for the duration of the conflict. Robert and I wanted to become pilots and fight from the air. We applied for the aviation cadets and were transferred to Camp Blanding in Florida".
Milton A. Seale recalls Mezzetti's disappearance : "Just a few days before it happened, we were lying in our bunks listening to the crystal radio receiver Robert had made. Out of the blue, he made a comment that I reprimanded him for. The night before, he had had a premonition that he would never see his house again".
APPENDICES
• Missing Air Crew report n°7930 concerning Robert A. MEZZETTI
(source : American National Archives)
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