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Robert Niemann flew a F-86
Sabre, which was the first American-produced swept wing fighter jet.
He was shot down over North Korea on April 12, 1953. Photo courtesy
Ann Bakkensen
https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/tributes-will-remember-korean-war-pilot-missing-in-action/article_02113072-4fe8-11e8-ad5c-2f53ad05ca86.html
Robert Niemann served with
the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing
after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Photo
courtesy Ann Bakkensen
https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/local_news/tributes-will-remember-korean-war-pilot-missing-in-action/article_02113072-4fe8-11e8-ad5c-2f53ad05ca86.html
Tributes will remember
Korean War pilot missing in action
By Kristine Goodrich kgoodrich@mankatofreepress.com May 5, 2018
NEW ULM —
Sixty-five years after Air Force pilot Robert Niemann's plane was
shot down in what's often called the forgotten war, Niemann's sacrifice
hasn't been forgotten.
The missing
in action first lieutenant will be remembered in his hometown of New
Ulm next Saturday with military tributes and a history center exhibit.
Niemann grew
up in New Ulm and graduated from New Ulm High School in 1946. He followed
a family legacy of military serve and graduated from the U.S. Military
Academy at West Point.
He flew fighter
jets with the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter Interceptor
Wing until he was shot down over North Korea in April 1953. He was
25 years old. He was declared missing in action one year later and
his remains have not been found.
After a few
years of working up the courage, Niemann's daughter, Ann Bakkensen,
contacted the Brown County Historical Society with an idea for an
exhibit about her father. Bakkensen, of Portland, Oregon, was pleasantly
surprised when she finally made the call. Not only was research librarian
Darla Gebhard receptive, she already was knowledgeable about her father
and his forefathers.
The exhibit
idea has grown into a day-long series of tributes and the public is
invited to join Niemann's family members and military representatives
in paying their respects.
A memorial
ceremony is planned at New Ulm City Cemetery, where there is a marker
remembering Niemann. The New Ulm Police Department will escort Niemann's
family to the ceremony and Legion Riders from area American Legions
will form a flag line in the cemetery.
The ceremony
will include remarks from New Ulm Mayor Robert Buessman, Bakkensen,
her brother, Robert Niemann, and uncle Richard Niemann, and Brown
County Veterans Service Officer Greg Peterson.
A 21-member
U.S. Air Force honor guard also is coming from North Dakota to pay
tribute and two Air Force jets will come from Duluth to conclude the
ceremony with a flyover. In the missing man formation flyover, one
plane pulls abruptly up and out of formation to symbolize the lost
pilot.
Peterson,
who is an Air Force veteran, said the flyover is a rare honor and
helping plan Niemann's memorial has been a highlight of his career.
While over
40 members of Niemann's family have a private lunch reunion, the public
is invited to a lunch at the New Ulm American Legion.
All are then
invited to the Brown County History Center for the unveiling of the
Robert Niemann exhibit. Bakkensen has loaned the museum mementos from
her father's short life, including his military medals and the scrapbook
he made as a child of airplane photographs.
Bakkensen
will give a talk about her father's service and her quest to discover
his final fate. Some reports have surfaced suggesting Niemann survived
the crash and was captured and interrogated by Soviet Union fighters
for North Korea.
Bakkensen
said she spent 15 years looking for evidence of what happened to her
father but was not able to find any definitive answers.
Bakkensen,
who was less than a year old hen her father went missing, said that
while her search was unfruitful it helped her learn more about the
father she never knew and helped her come to terms with her loss.
Niemann's
daughter said she's grateful to the New Ulm community members, especially
Peterson, who are giving her and her family members another opportunity
to heal.
“It's
a wonderful tribute — so personal and heartfelt,” she
said. “We really feel embraced.”
(http://mankatotimes.com/2016/07/25/1st-lt-robert-f-niemann-mia-in-korea-since-1953/)
1ST LT. ROBERT F. NIEMANN,
MIA IN KOREA SINCE 1953
Posted by Joe Steck | Jul 25, 2016
1ST LT. ROBERT F. NIEMANN,
MIA IN KOREA SINCE 1953
By George L. Glotzbach
Mankato Times
On the Wall
of Remembrance in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, South
Korea is the name ROBERT FRANK NIEMANN. Lt. Niemann has been reported
Missing In Action (MIA) since the height of the Korean War (1950 –
1954).
Robert (Bob)
Frank Niemann was born in New Ulm, MN March 20, 1928 to Frank and
Laura Niemann. Niemann graduated from New Ulm High School in 1946.
In school he starred in basketball, football, and track. He participated
in the class play, choir, boys’ octet, and was editor of the
school newspaper.
Niemann graduated
from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY in 1951.
On June 30 following graduation he married his high school sweetheart
and classmate, Thelma Muesing, in New Ulm. He was assigned to the
Air Force and attended flying school at Bartow Air Base, FL.
Niemann was
assigned to the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 4th Fighter Interceptor
Wing, South Korea. He was shot down over North Korea April 12, 1953.
He was first reported as Killed In Action.
In September
1993 a California newspaper wrote that the Soviet Union had captured
some F-86 pilots, and Lt. Niemann’s name was among them. Later,
Sabre Jet Classics magazine author John Lowery reported that Niemann
had been in a war zone hospital and was questioned there by Soviet
intelligence officers. Niemann refused to answer their questions because
he reminded them that “it is a violation of international laws”
to interrogate a wounded Prisoner Of War.
Since then
repeated efforts to gain more information by the Korean – Cold
War Family Association of the Missing have been unsuccessful, but
are continuing. Lt. Niemann remains listed as Missing In Action.
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