Robert Goebel, P-51 Ace by Ernie Boyette

Robert Goebel

P-51D "Flying Dutchman"

By Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette

Print size 12 x 18"

Limited Edition $60.00

Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered by the artist and signed by the aviator.

Open Edition $18.00

How to Order, Add to Cart

Open Edition prints are signed by the artist.

Original Painting autographed by Robert is available for $2,600.00.

You can make payments so consider this plan also.

Captain Robert J. Goebel

By Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette

Robert Goebel was born in Racine Wisconsin on February 28, 1923. After high school he entered the Army Air Force aviation cadet at the age of 19. Robert was commissioned as second lieutenant on May 24,1943 at Moore Field Texas.

Lieutenant Goebel continued his training in Panama training in the P-39. After fighter training, he was transferred to North Africa. He joined the 31st fighter group at Castel Volturno, Italy on April 1, 1944. In Italy his group was then stationed at San Severo and equipped with the P-51B Mustang.

Their main assignments was to fly long range bomber escort missions.

Pilot loss and rotation gave Robert the opportunity to advance from flying wing for other pilots to finally being a flight leader on his 20th mission.

On June 15,1944 Robert was promoted to 1st Lieutenant. As a flight leader, Robert had the opportunity to lead attacks on enemy aircraft.

Robert scored his first aerial victory against a Bf 109 near the Wallersdorf Airdrome on May 29, 1944.

June 23 was his seventh trip to the Ploesti oil refineries. Robert was leading Blue flight when four Bf109’s dove through their fighter cover and attacked the bombers. It was not wise to follow enemy aircraft into the bomber formations because you were at risk of being hit by the hundreds of machine guns of the B-24 and B-17 bombers.

Robert pulled on to the tail of one of the Germans and fired from 300 yards. Coolant began streaming out of the German’s right wing. Robert followed the German down and watched him crash land.

On June 27 during a escort mission to the rail road yards near Budapest, a Bf 110 twin engine German fighter passed beneath Roberts flight. With the confidence of a experienced fighter pilot, Robert called out the bogie, winged over and within moments was at close range firing on the German from dead astern. As Robert broke off his attack, the doomed aircraft spiraled to earth for his third victory.

Goebel became an ace in July as he scored another Bf109 on July 3rd. His group received their new bubble top Mustangs and Robert was assigned his own aircraft. Every one was naming their aircraft and Robert choose the "Flying Dutchman" shown above.

The new canopy gave the pilot unlimited visibility. The new Mustang also had two additional machine guns which proved to be quite deadly when on July 20th with the chase of another Messerschmitt. It was Roberts 45th mission. As Robert went to fire on the German he realized that he did not have his gun switch turned on. In the moment it took him to turn on his guns, he looked up and the German aircraft filled his wind screen. Robert had never been so close as he fired on the German from point blank range.

Large and small pieces of the doomed aircraft flew by Robert’s Mustang. As Robert over shot the German, he looked back and saw the pilot slumped over in his cockpit, but he was shocked at the damage he had done to the enemy aircraft at such close range and with the full blast of six fifty caliber machine guns. This was Roberts fifth victory, he was now an ace.

August was busy with missions into Germany and France where Robert added six more victories. Robert flew 61 combat missions totaling 305 hours over Southern France, Turkey, Italy and Germany.

After his combat tour, Robert returned to the States and left the service in 1946. His decorations include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal with Seventeen Oak leaf Clusters, and was credited with 11 aerial victories.