Robert McBreen was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Before enlisting, McBreen had become a licensed pilot through the Civilian Pilot Training Program. In 1942 McBreen volunteered to join the Army Air Corps. After going through a tour of training, McBreen reported to Tennessee to be assigned to a crew. He was assigned to be the copilot for crew #32, 569th squadron, 390th Bomb Group. In 1943, after completing their training, the crew boarded the Queen Elizabeth on their way to England. On their second mission, the crew's plane was hit by flak and the crew was forced to bail out. McBreen was taken prisoner by German forces in December of 1943. McBreen would eventually be liberated by the Russian forces towards the end of the war, in 1945. During his interview, McBreen recounts his time as a prisoner of war in Germany and his other experiences from the war. Excellent description of life in the German stalags.