Other sources of information
The research has been greatly helped by Robert Jenkins great, great niece, Natasha Jenkins. In her own words "As a child, I grew up holding the telegrams the family received from the war department and it fueled my interest in history. Today, I am an educator and historian- partially because of the spark ignited by those very documents and the story passed down through generations of my Uncle's questionable demise".
Fortunately Natasha still has those original documents and a desire to know what really happened. Some of her documents I've used in Robert's biography, the ones presented below relate to his presumed wherabouts after the 15th of July 1944.
Western Union telegram MIA
To: Eldridge T Jenkins 27 July 1944
The secretary of war desires to express his deep regret that your son, second lieutenant Robert E Jenkins has been reported missing in action since fifteenth July over France. If further details or other information are received you will be promptly notified.
Eldridge T Jenkins, Robert's father is listed as his next of kin.
Letters from Darrel McMahan to Robert's parents
In a letter to his parents sent the 3rd of July 1944, Robert says "I don't know whether I told you that McMahan is in the same building as mine and we go on missions together. I don't know where Dale is now, but he went through the same training group that I did, about a month before I did".
Darrel McMahan was a fighter pilot with 62nd squadron, one of the three squadrons in 56th Fighter Group based at Boxted. On the 15th of July, when the two squadrons split up, McMahan would have flown to Vendôme with 62nd squadron, he was 17 miles (27km) from where Robert Jenkins crashed.
England August 11
Dear Mr & Mrs Jenkins,
I have held this letter off for nearly a month to be sure word got to you from the proper source first. I know how brief those messages are and am in hope my letter will help explain it. I was on the same mission with Bob and know first where it all happened. It was in a place where there was little or no enemy movement and several of the boys in his flight saw the chute open, in my opinion he will probably be back in England by time you receive this note.
I’m very sorry this must be so brief but I can’t say everything I want to as the censors are very touchy people. If there are any questions you would like to ask, I will be glad to do my best to answer them. Until we hear more, don’t worry ! Sincerely Darrel McMahan (Basic with Bob and Dale)
McMahan is clear in his letter that he's not an eye witness, he's seeking to reassure Robert's parents and believes what he's been told, that the parachute opened. He wouldn't have seen Marvin Becker's statement as it was classified but it appears he's spoken to the other members of White flight.
He can't speak freely as he's concerned that the censors would reject his letter.
Both McMahan and Robert speak about 'Dale', here its 'Bob and Dale' so it seems Dale is a first name.
To: Eldridge T. Jenkins, 17 August 1944 from Army Air Forces HQ
The number in brackets, 6707, is the MACR number (Missing air-crew report). A second, identical MACR carries the number 6715.
The letter, dated 3 weeks after the telegram agrees with Becker's and Heaton's statements about the radio message saying he would bail out. However, it also says that other planes returning from the mission were unable to give further information. This is clearly at odds with what Becker had written, he was clear that neither he nor anybody else in the flight had seen a parachute. Heaton said that Robert did bail out so the person writing the letter would have had two conflicting statements on which to base it.
Letter from Darrel McMahan 3rd September 1944
This letter may not say exactly what you were hoping for as I have heard nothing more about Bob. I will be able to answer more of your questions as you were very considerate about what you asked.
There was no enemy action at the time and the only reason he had to bail out was engine failure. The plane was flying alright but just wouldn't get him home. That was at about 1500 feet when he jumped which is about as good an altitude one could ask for. The country around the place he landed was very smooth so there is nothing to worry about there.
Robert's parents have written back after receiving his letter. McMahan in his reply is giving a similar account to the official mission summary with engine failure as the cause and saying Robert bailed out. It would appear that the other members of White flight haven't told him anything different. This may perhaps be because they were instructed not to. McMahan is in a difficult situation, he wants to reassure the family but even if he knows something different, is obliged to stick to the official line.
McMahan says the country was smooth. This is true to the North of Blois and around Vendôme where he was, the area is known as the 'Beauce', its cereal farming country. Blois is however surrounded by forest.
Notification via the International Red Cross
Casualty N°. J-1786
Report on shot-down aircraft
Date and time aircraft was shot down: 15th July 44 19.20
Place of crash: Molineuf S of Blois
Type of aircraft: Thunderbolt
Reporting office: Command airfield area Orleans
Crew
Surname and firstname: JENKINS, Robert E.
Date of birth:
Rank : Officer
Serial number: O-763619
Captured: _ _ Wounded: _ _ Dead: Yes
Distribution: Which camp: Type of injury:
Grave location:
Remarks:
Dulag Luft, 26 Aug., 44 Wo
This document, written by the Germans and translated into English was sent via the IRC to the American authorities. The American handwritten notes say 'MACR 6707', 'not on 490', '2ndLT', 'KIA 7/15/xxx', 'FR39'. 'Dulag Luft', written at the bottom, in German, is the captured aircrew transit camp in Orleans from where the document originated (they'd have dealt with both dead and captured aircrew). It was written on the 26th of August, 19 days before Roberts family received the next telegram.
Western Union Telegram KIA
To Eldridge T. Jenkins, 14th September 1944
Report now received from the German government through the International Red Cross states your son second lieutenant Robert E Jenkins who was previously reported missing in action was killed in action on fifteen July over France.
To: Eldridge T. Jenkins, 27 October 1944 from Army Air Forces HQ
Confirmation of the terrible news the family had received by telegram.
French death certificate
E. Jenkins Robert
15th July 1944, 7:15pm
Died on the edge of the forest of Blois (Loir et Cher) near to the 'Pigeonnière' following the fall of his aeroplane N° 276578. An airman presumed to be English or American, wearing the identity tag:
Robert E Jenkins 0763619 T 43 44 0 P
Delivered the 16th of July 1944, declared by Georges Charzat, knight of the legion of honour, mayor of Molineuf.
Note: French death certificates don't give the cause of death.
The American press (July to September 1944)
The American press announce that Robert Jenkins is missing in action and then has been shot down over France and killed.
Newspaper cuttings - originals from Natasha Jenkins, source:
The San Bernardino County Sun 29th July 1944 (Fighter pilot missing)
The San Bernardino County Sun 16th September 1944 (Report through Red Cross unit)
Summary of messages the Jenkins family received
27 July 1944, Telegram saying he’s missing in action
11 August, Letter from McMahan, pilots from his flight have said he bailed out and saw parachute as aircraft wouldn’t have made it home.
17 August, Letter from HQ USAAF, aircraft was damaged, radio message to say bailed out, other members of his flight don’t know anything else.
03 September, Letter from McMahan, bailed out due to engine failure.
14 September, Telegram saying he was killed in action
27 October, Letter from HQ USAAF, confirms he was killed in action
Little wonder then, that his family and fiance were confused by the conflicting reports and had difficulty accepting that he was really dead.
Many years later, Natasha Jenkins used these documents to teach students in her history lessons. One of the students went further and found an American version of what had happened to Robert. Natasha contacted the mayor of Molineuf and finally in 2017 the family had a fuller understanding of what had happened. The present research conducted in 2023 will, it is hoped add the final pieces to the jigsaw.
Information on the target, Le Breuil airfield
Source : ww2.dk and Anciens Aerodromes
(Le Breuil, AKA La Chapelle) (47.681715, 1.207599)
Grass landing ground 14 km north-west of Blois and 2.5 km from La Chapelle-Vendômoise. It was partially completed when the Germans took it over in June 1940. The Luftwaffe erected a small hangar but the landing ground was used very little and mainly as training center for recruits sent there from Germany. The airfield was undefended. In a bid to stop the allies using French airfields, many were temporarily blocked. Le Breuil was obstructed from 9th November 1942.
These obstructions must have been removed as on the 20th April 1944, a low-level attack by 8th Fighter Command P-51 Mustangs claimed 1 x Fw 190, 1 x He 111 and 1 x Ju 52 destroyed, plus 1 x Ju 88 damaged. On the 27th April 1944, the runway was again temporarily obstructed. The operational Unit in 1943 to August 1944 was Flieger-Regiment 91.
Graphic from aerodrome-blois-le-breuil.fr
The aerodrome is still in use today and hosts the world ULM salon every year. It has as a website that describes its history. The text shown here confirms the P51 attack on the 20th April 1944 and the obstruction from the 27th of April.
Apart from the American mission summary and Marvin Becker's statement, I haven't found any reference to an attack at Le Breuil on the 15th of July 1944.