ST. LOUIS • Maj. William Robertson, an aviation pioneer here and co-founder of Lambert Field, had a factory that built gliders for World War II. Mayor William Dee Becker was a big promoter of the airport.
The unpowered Army gliders were made of steel tube, canvass and plywood, and were designed to carry soldiers and equipment. They were pulled aloft by transport planes on nylon tethers and let loose to descend into rough landings behind enemy lines. They were dangerous contraptions for dangerous missions.
On Aug. 1, 1943, Becker and Robertson were among dignitaries on a demonstration ride at Lambert. The day before, reporters had asked the mayor whether he was nervous.
"They're asking our boys to use these things. Why shouldn't we?" Becker said. "When our time comes to die, there isn't much we can do about it."
Margaret Becker, his wife, wanted to go along, but Army regulations barred women from military aircraft. The passengers posed for photographers before a C-47 transport slowly pulled them from the runway before thousands of spectators.
"Now, watch the glider," said a voice over the loudspeaker.
At 3:55 p.m., the glider freed itself at 2,000 feet. Moments later, its right wing folded and broke away. The stricken craft plunged and slammed nose first into the ground near the runway. All 10 aboard were killed.
Among the stunned witnesses was Margaret Becker, who was rushed to their apartment at 5374 Delmar Boulevard and was placed under police guard. Aldermanic President Aloys P. Kaufmann became mayor. The next day, residents filled the Scottish Rite Cathedral in midtown for the funeral for Becker, 66, a former judge and Republican who had been elected mayor in 1941.
Army investigators found poor grades of metal in fittings that held the wing struts to the fuselage. They traced them to a subcontractor and grounded 200 Robertson gliders. A federal grand jury downtown slammed Robertson's quality control but issued no indictments.
Refitted Robertson gliders took part in the pre-dawn attacks on Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The company closed at war's end.
Also killed in the crash were Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Dysart; city officials Max Doyne and Charles Cunningham; St. Louis County Presiding Judge Henry Mueller; Robertson Aircraft chief engineer Harold Krueger; the pilot, Army Capt. Milton Klugh; the mechanic, Pvt. Jack Davis; and Lt. Col. Paul Hazelton of the Army material command. Their names are etched into a marble memorial on the main staircase in City Hall.
Glider taking off, 1943

An Army C-47 transport plane (right) pulls the doomed Robertson glider from the runway at Lambert on Aug. 1, 1943. Photo by Buel White of the Post-Dispatch
Glider crash, 1943

The glider, its right wing ripped away in flight, plunges to the ground at Lambert Field on Aug. 1, 1943. Mayor William Dee Becker and all nine others on the glider were killed. An Army investigation traced the accident to low-quality metal used in fittings that held the wings to the fuselage. Photo by Buel White of the Post-Dispatch
Glider wreck kills St. Louis mayor, 9 others

A crash truck and a number of Army and Navy men reach the wreckage of a glider that killed 10 people, incluidng the St. Louis Mayor, on Aug. 1, 1943. Others are hastening to the spot. A photographer is preparing to snap a picture of the scene. Post-Dispatch Archive photo Album ID: 807474Photo ID: 24911254
Look Back: Glider disaster, 1943

Aug. 1943--About 2000 feet in the air, with the plane (left) still towing the glider. As soon as the tow line was cast off, disaster struck the glider. Post-Dispatch Archive photo
Look Back: Glider disaster, 1943

Aug. 1943--From left: Captain Milton C. Klugh, pilot of the glider; Charles L. Cunningham, Deputy City Comptroller;Lieutenant-Colonel Paul H. Hazelton, supervisor at St. Louis of the Army Air Forces Material Command-Midwestern Procurement Division: Max H. Doyne, Director of Public Utilities; Harold A. Krueger, vice-president and chief engineer of the Robertson Aircraft Corporation; Henry L. Mueller, Presiding Judge of the St. Louis County Court; Major William B. Robertson, president of the Robertson Aircraft Corporation, which made the Army glider; Thomas N, Dysart, president of the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce; Mayor Becker THe other man killed was Private J.M. Davis co-pilot and glider mechanic
Look Back: Glider disaster, 1943

Aug. 2, 1943--Surrounded with floral tributes, the casket containing the body of Mayor William Dee Becker lies in the auditorium of the Scottish Rite Cathedral where funeral services were held. Post-Dispatch staff photo
Look Back: Glider disaster, 1943

Aug. 2, 1943--The casket containing the body of Mayor William Dee Becker of St. Louis, who was killed in the airport glider disaster, is carried down the steps of Scottish Rite Catherdral, 3637 Lindell Boulevard, at the conclusion of funeral services. Post-Dispatch Archive photo
Look Back: Glider disaster, 1943

Aug. 2, 1943--The casket of Mayor William Dee Becker being carried from the Scottish Rite Cathedral between ranks of city firemen and policemen, following funeral services. Pallbearers, from the front, left to right around the casket clockwise, were: William H. Killoren, John C. Tobin, Leo Rassieur, C. Oscar Lamy, J. Fred Schlafly and Chapin S. Newhard. Ten other pallbearers formed an escort of honor. Post-Dispatch staff photo