Robert D. Knapp

Robert Duane Knapp, Jr. (December 26, 1897 – April 25, 1994) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force and an aviation pioneer. He held United States pilot license #185 and led the first Allied aerial attack on Rome in World War II. Knapp received a Silver Star for leading an unescorted bombing raid on a fighter-defended Axis convoy in 1944.

Early life

Robert D. Knapp was born in Moreland, Georgia, but grew up in Auburn, Alabama. When Knapp was 10 years old, the Wright Brothers stayed in his home for a short time while consulting with professors at nearby Alabama Polytechnic Institute, an event which shaped Knapp's future career.

Military career After completing his studies at Auburn High School in 1917, Knapp applied for Army officer training, but was turned down due to his age. Instead, he was accepted as an aviation cadet, receiving his wings and being commissioned as a second lieutenant on March 9, 1918. Knapp went to the United Kingdom with his unit, the 92d Aero Squadron (Bombardment), in August 1918, but failed to see action in World War I due to a late shipment of propellers for his unit's Handley Page O/400 bombers.

Knapp in 1937 led a 98-aircraft squadron of Advanced Flying School students on a cross-country tour to recruit ROTC cadets into aviation. In 1938, he attended Air Corps Tactical School and was an instructor for the 154th Observation Squadron of the Arkansas National Guard. He became the executive officer of the 1st Bomber Command at Langley Field near Hampton, Virginia in 1940.

World War II After the United States entered World War II in 1941, Knapp organized six bombardier groups, trained three of them, and took command of one, the 321st Bombardment Group. The 321st was assigned to North Africa, flying raids against Axis forces in B-25 Mitchell bombers. In July 1943, The 321st launched the first full-scale US bombing raid on an Axis capital with Knapp flying the lead plane in an attack on Rome. In 1944, he led an attack—without fighter escort—on an Axis shipping convoy that had fighter protection. For that attack, he was awarded a Silver Star. Later in 1944, he was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the 57th Bomb Wing, a position he held for the remainder of the war.

Later life After the war, Knapp became chief of the US Air Force Mission to Argentina. He retired from the Air Force in 1953, and returned home to Auburn, Alabama. Robert D. Knapp died in Alabama on April 25, 1994.