Captain Robert Stumpf is a retired combat decorated U.S. Navy pilot. He commanded a carrier-based strike- fighter squadron, and was the commanding officer and flight leader of the Blue Angels. His study, “A Clausewitzian Look at the Balance of Forces in Europe,” won the Commandant’s Award for Research at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Growing up an Army brat, he was immersed in the World War II lore of his father, grandfather, and uncle. Captain Stumpf and his wife reside in northern Florida. They have three grown children and seven grandchildren.
Letters to Imogene
The Triumph and Tragedy of an American Military Family, 1942-1945
by Robert E. Stumpf
Letters to Imogene
The Triumph and Tragedy of an American Military Family, 1942-1945
by Robert E. Stumpf
Published Mar 23, 2021
542 Pages
Genre: HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / General
Book Details
A General’s Colorful Letters Illuminate a Gripping Family Saga of World War II
Three career Army officers, the author’s father, grandfather and uncle, are thrust into the global struggle to save the world from Hitler’s Nazi empire. United by their love of Imogene—daughter, sister, and wife—their letters to her and her replies chronicle the personal side of war.
Imogene’s father, Major General Donald Stroh, initially the assistant commander of the 9th Infantry Division, later commanded the 8th and 106th Infantry Divisions. Her husband, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Stumpf, commanded a battalion in the 9th and later, a regiment in the 106th. Their campaigns began in North Africa in late 1942 and concluded in Germany nearly three years later. Imogene’s brother, Captain Harry Stroh, was a P-47 Thunderbolt flight leader in the 362nd Fighter Group who at times flew close support missions for both the 8th and 9th Divisions in Normandy and Brittany.
Letters to Imogene includes insights into the personalities of some of the war’s luminaries: Generals Eisenhower, Patton, and “Lightnin’ Joe” Collins, among others. The family narrative is rife with hardship and humor, courage, heartbreak, and triumph, and their letters present a unique and compelling window into the lives of those who fought and won the Second World War.
Book Excerpt
Capt. Stroh and the squadron mission report both state that his “flight” was jumped by twenty enemy fighters: four P-47s versus twenty FW-190s, with the 190s having positional and energy advantage at the onset. (The mission report actually states, “Blue flight was bounced by 20 plus FW-190’s.”) At low altitude and forced to jettison their bombs, the P-47 pilots fought for their lives. It was a melee, a “fur ball.” It was impossible for the vastly outnumbered Americans to saddle in on any one bandit without they themselves becoming predictable targets for the bad guys. They could make only slashing attacks using short gun bursts, then immediately turn away. In the pandemonium, it is remarkable that Stroh was able to get hits on “several” of them, but there were no opportunities to “follow the kills” and document them with gun camera film. Nor were his wingmen in any position to verify kills. The FW-190 was quite vulnerable to fifty-caliber machine gun fire. The P-47s’ converging gunfire was concentrated at the point of impact for a target in range. So if a target took any hits from a P-47’s eight .50 cals, it took a lot of hits. Stroh’s guns were working fine, as he used up nearly all his ammunition. All things considered, it is feasible, even likely, that Capt. Stroh had multiple kills that day. But the rules for kill claims were very specific and strictly enforced; the actual physical destruction of the aircraft or the bailout of the pilot had to be visually witnessed or documented by gun camera film. And Capt. Stroh, by his very nature and code of honor, would never have “pushed” a claim. Likewise, it was so in character of him to credit his rookie wingman in the day’s work. In a letter to his father, he remarked wryly that “they are the ones that withdrew, even outnumbering us 5 to 1.”