Glenn H. Rojohn Biography
Glenn H. Rojohn was born on April 6, 1922, in the Pennsylvania village of Greenock, where his parents Harry and Selma Beulshausen Rojohn had their German families settled in the mid-1800s. He was raised there with his younger brother Leonard, and Glenn remained in residence there until his death. Glenn passed away on August 9, 2003. Both attended Greenock Elementary School and McKeesport High School, where Glenn was posthumously inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2109.
Both brothers enlisted in the Army Air Corp toward the middle of World War II and trained together to be B17 bomber pilots at various bases across the country before being assigned to separate base stations in England. With the Hitler occupation continuing to grow, bombing missions included strategic oil refineries, rail yards, and other transportation arteries in an effort to prevent the German war machine from receiving important fuel replenishments.
On his 22nd mission, which was an all-out “maximum effort” deployment on December 31, 1944, to the Hamburg synthetic oil refineries, one of the strangest and unique incidents in the history of aviation occurred. Returning from Hamburg, the bomber formations encountered a high headwind over the North Sea that allowed the German anti-aircraft guns and fighters to take their toll on the group. The number of casualties incurred gave credence to their nickname “The Bloody Hundredth” Bomb Group of the Mighty Eighth Air Force. During the mayhem, Glenn’s plane and another below him collided and became melded together. Crews bailed out to meet various fates as Glenn and his co-pilot fought the controls to keep the two B -17s in the air long enough to cross overland. They crash-landed the two B-17s still hooked together in an open field on the German mainland. This event has become known as the “Piggyback Flight.”
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Glenn and his co-pilot Bill Leek survived the impact. Their plane slid off the bottom plane as it exploded upon contact with the ground and coming to rest in the cockpit seats with only the nose of their plane remaining intact. They were immediately captured and whisked away to Stalag Luft 1 as prisoners of war until the end of the war. Glenn and Bill will always be remembered in the annals of WW2 history for their efforts in flying then landing the two B17s together in piggyback fashion. Glenn received the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Purple Heart for his valiant efforts.
Upon his return to the States, Glenn married his pre-war sweetheart, Jane, and went into business with his father and brother. Rojohn Company was a major player in the McKeesport area heating and air-conditioning arena. His networking included service in Kiwanis, the Mon Yough Chamber of Commerce, and activities in Youghiogheny Country Club golf and tennis. He was a council member at Peace Lutheran Church, the church his great grandfather founded, and is buried in their cemetery.
After a long silence about his war experiences, Glenn attended various reunions throughout the country. He was given the opportunity to fly a restored B17 over Pittsburgh from its display at the Allegheny County Airport. He gave presentations to many groups, including school assemblies in the Elizabeth-Forward School District. He was inducted into the Soldiers and Sailors Hall of Valor and has a display there. There is also an exhibit about his flight at McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center. He conducted many interviews for all who were interested and, of course, there were many interested.
While vacationing in Florida, he met a German fighter pilot, who set him up for a tour of the crash site on the 50th anniversary of the Piggyback Flight that included encounters with several witnesses of the event, a state dinner with the town’s mayor, and a flyover that reenacted the event.
He collaborated with an artist from California, and the result is a painting of the Piggyback Flight that was commissioned into the U. S. Air Force and hangs in the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force outside of Savannah, GA. One batch of lithographs was produced; some were sold, some were donated. The image is protected but represents the harrowing ordeal of that day for all to absorb.
At the time of his death, he left behind his wife Jane, who passed away in 2009, daughter Cyndi, son Dave, and three grandchildren. Cyndi and Dave are graduates of EF and co-authors of Glenn’s life story titled “The Piggyback Flight Pilot’s Journey”. The book captures many of the primary source documents relating to the event as well as personal letters, records, and witness accounts.
