Book excerpt: Merriam Press World War 2 Biography. Like millions of young men, Robert Holly went away to war and was lost, never to be found. This is the story of a young American airman whose life was tragically ended on June 20, 1944 when the B-24 Liberator of which he was a crew member, collided with another and crashed into the sea near Kiel, Germany. Staff Sgt. Holly was a tail gunner serving with the 389th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, based at Hethel, Norfolk, during World War II. Only the pilot and co-pilot survived the crash. All the remaining 8 crew members, including Robert, were killed in the crash, and are commemorated on the Wall of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery, Madingley. This is the compelling story of his short life and tragic death as seen through his own eyes, and the eyes of others close to him, told through their letters, and detailed in numerous documents. This book is a memorial, not only to Holly, but to the millions of others who were killed and disappeared without a trace.