Baseball in Wartime - Bob Nieman

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Those Who Died That Others Might Be Free

Bob Nieman

Date and Place of Birth: 1919 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Died: August 23, 1944 nr. Muroc Army Air Field, California

Baseball Experience: Minor League
Position: Shortstop
Rank: Corporal
Military Unit: 421st Base Unit, USAAF

Area Served: European Theater of Operations and United States

Robert F. Nieman was born in 1919 in the Northside district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The son of Lawrence and Mary Nieman, and a graduate of Oliver High School, he played semi-pro baseball with the Bellevue club of the Allegheny County League from 1935 to 1940 (Bellevue were league champions in 1940).

In 1941, Bellevue joined the Greater Pittsburgh League and was counting on the contributions of their hard-hitting, 180-pound shortstop, Bob Nieman, but professional baseball had their eyes on the 22-year-old. In April 1941, Nieman signed with the Akron Yankees, a New York Yankees farm team in the Class C Middle-Atlantic League.

The Akron club was strong, with a line-up that featured future major leaguers Gus Niarhos, Joe Buzas, Monk Dubiel, Joe Lutz, Joe Murray and Ed Sauer. Whether Nieman would have been able to hold his own against these players we will never know because on May 15, military service beckoned before he had an opportunity to play a game.

Nieman spent 11 months in England with the U.S. Army’s Medical Corps before returning to the United States in July 1943 to enter service with the Army Air Force. He was assigned to the 421^st Base Unit at Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards Air Force Base) in southern California, for combat flight training as an aerial gunner.

At around 9pm on Wednesday, August 23, 1944, Corporal Nieman was aboard a Consolidated B-24D Liberator bomber that lifted off the runway at Muroc to give both its pilots some instrument flying time and to practice dropping bombs. Piloted by Lieutenant John L. Graves, and co-pilot Flight Officer James L. Redd, the B-24D flew without incident for the first couple of hours, but around 10.55pm the crew had problems with number three engine and were forced to shut it down. This, however, didn’t stop it from catching fire and Lt. Graves gave the order to abandon ship. A short time later there was an enormous explosion and the flame-engulfed right wing of the bomber was ripped off.

As the bomber spiralled to the ground, and amid unimaginable terror, the crew struggled to escape. Of the ten airmen onboard that night, five remained trapped in the falling wreckage, and died upon impact with the desert below.

Bob Nieman, along with Lt. Graves, Flight Officer Clifton C. Watts, Cpl. Bernard D. Fogel and Pfc. James W. Flitcroft all lost their lives that night.

Bob Nieman’s body was returned to Pittsburgh, where a Requiem High Mass was held at St. Cyril of Alexandria Church on September 1, 1944.

Thanks to Ray Nemec for confirming that Bob Nieman had signed with Akron in 1941. Some of the information relating to the crash of the B-24D was obtained from Don R. Jordan’s website at www.donrjordan.com

Added March 22, 2011.

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