Robert Tills
Encyclopedia
Robert George Tills was an officer and pilot of the United States Navy
who became the first American naval officer killed during the Battle of the Philippines and had a ship
named after him in his honor. His body was lost at sea during the battle and was recovered in November 2007 and officially identified in December 2008. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
on 23 March 2009 with full military honors.
Second Class and reported for active duty on 14 June. He was appointed an aviation cadet on 3 August 1938, and reported for flight training at the Naval Air Station
in Pensacola
, Florida
.
On 18 September 1939, 17 days after World War II
began in Europe, Tills was commissioned as an ensign in the Naval Reserve and assigned to Patrol Wing 2, Patrol Squadron 21. On 14 April 1941, Tills was upgraded to regular Navy
status and commissioned as an Ensign. At this time, Tills was flying patrols with Patrol Wing 10 from USS Langley (CV-1)
in the Philllippines. With the threat of war imminent, Tills was assigned to USS William B. Preston (AVD-7) stationed in Malalag Bay, Philippines. William B. Preston served as a base for three PBY Catalina
s tasked with patrolling the eastern parts of the Celebes Sea
, one of which was flown by Tills.
Early on 8 December 1941, William B. Preston received a radio dispatch: "Japan started hostilities; govern yourselves accordingly." Preston and her planes prepared for war. One Catalina took off immediately to search for Japanese ships in the area while Tills and the other Catalina stayed in the waters of Malalag Bay, ready to take off.
Shortly before 8:00 AM, nine Mitsubishi A5M4
"Claudes" escorting 13 Nakajima B5N1
"Kate" from the Japanese carrier Ryujo
approached Malalag Bay from Davao Gulf
. Ignoring USS William B. Preston, they straffed the two helpless Catalinas 101-P-4 and 101-P-7 from VP-101. Ensign Robert Tills was killed by enemy fire while onboard his Catalina. The rest of the crew escaped unharmed and the Catalina sank to the bottom of the bay with Tills's remains still onboard. Robert Tills's body was never found and he joined a list with 78,000 other Americans missing in action during World War II.
.
On 1 December 2008, the Department of Defense
POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced that they had identified the remains of Ensign Robert Tills and will be returning his remains to his family for burial with full military honors. Ensign Robert Tills was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on 23 March 2009.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
who became the first American naval officer killed during the Battle of the Philippines and had a ship
USS Tills (DE-748)
USS Tills was a built for the United States Navy during World War II. She served in the Pacific Ocean and provided escort service against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys...
named after him in his honor. His body was lost at sea during the battle and was recovered in November 2007 and officially identified in December 2008. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
on 23 March 2009 with full military honors.
Career
On 24 May 1937, Robert Tills enlisted in the Naval Reserves as a SeamanSeaman
Seaman is one of the lowest ranks in a Navy. In the Commonwealth it is the lowest rank in the Navy, followed by Able Seaman and Leading Seaman, and followed by the Petty Officer ranks....
Second Class and reported for active duty on 14 June. He was appointed an aviation cadet on 3 August 1938, and reported for flight training at the Naval Air Station
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola , "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United States Navy base located next to Warrington, Florida, a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits...
in Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
On 18 September 1939, 17 days after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
began in Europe, Tills was commissioned as an ensign in the Naval Reserve and assigned to Patrol Wing 2, Patrol Squadron 21. On 14 April 1941, Tills was upgraded to regular Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
status and commissioned as an Ensign. At this time, Tills was flying patrols with Patrol Wing 10 from USS Langley (CV-1)
USS Langley (CV-1)
USS Langley was the United States Navy's first aircraft carrier, converted in 1920 from the collier USS Jupiter , and also the U.S. Navy's first electrically propelled ship...
in the Philllippines. With the threat of war imminent, Tills was assigned to USS William B. Preston (AVD-7) stationed in Malalag Bay, Philippines. William B. Preston served as a base for three PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
s tasked with patrolling the eastern parts of the Celebes Sea
Celebes Sea
The Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia...
, one of which was flown by Tills.
Early on 8 December 1941, William B. Preston received a radio dispatch: "Japan started hostilities; govern yourselves accordingly." Preston and her planes prepared for war. One Catalina took off immediately to search for Japanese ships in the area while Tills and the other Catalina stayed in the waters of Malalag Bay, ready to take off.
Shortly before 8:00 AM, nine Mitsubishi A5M4
Mitsubishi A5M
The Mitsubishi A5M, Japanese Navy designation was "Type 96 carrier-based fighter" was a Japanese carrier-based fighter aircraft. It was the world's first monoplane shipboard fighter and the direct ancestor of the famous Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero'...
"Claudes" escorting 13 Nakajima B5N1
Nakajima B5N
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Bridgwater, H.C. and Peter Scott. Combat Colours Number 4: Pearl Harbor and Beyond, December 1941 to May 1942. Luton, Bedfordshire, UK: Guideline Publications, 2001. ISBN 0-9539040-6-7....
"Kate" from the Japanese carrier Ryujo
Japanese aircraft carrier Ryujo
Ryūjō was a light aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy. She was laid down by Mitsubishi at Yokohama in 1929, launched in 1931 and commissioned on 9 May 1933. Her final design resulted in a top-heavy unstable vessel and within a year she was back at Kure Naval Yard for modification...
approached Malalag Bay from Davao Gulf
Davao Gulf
Davao Gulf is a gulf found in Mindanao in the Philippines. It has an area of 308,000 hectares. Davao Gulf cuts into the island of Mindanao from Celebes Sea. It is surrounded by all four provinces in the Davao Region. The largest island in the gulf is Samal Island. Davao City, on the gulf's west...
. Ignoring USS William B. Preston, they straffed the two helpless Catalinas 101-P-4 and 101-P-7 from VP-101. Ensign Robert Tills was killed by enemy fire while onboard his Catalina. The rest of the crew escaped unharmed and the Catalina sank to the bottom of the bay with Tills's remains still onboard. Robert Tills's body was never found and he joined a list with 78,000 other Americans missing in action during World War II.
Discovery of remains
In October 2007, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) was notified by authorities in the Philippines that aircraft wreckage bearing the markings "PBY-4" had been found in Malalag Bay. The next month, a JPAC team, along with the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group-Philippines and the Philippines Coast Guard (PCG), surveyed the site and discovered the wreckage of the Catalina and recovered Robert Tills's remains. He was later identified through the use of dental recordsDental Records
Dental Records is a small, independent record label, based in Ipswich, UK.-Releases:*DRCD0501 The Ballistics - Allow Me To Demonstrate*DRCD0601 Singled Out - Hardcore Seanography*DRCD0602 The Ballistics - The Spirit Of Kelso Cochrane...
.
On 1 December 2008, the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced that they had identified the remains of Ensign Robert Tills and will be returning his remains to his family for burial with full military honors. Ensign Robert Tills was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on 23 March 2009.