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Robert Samuel Johnson | |
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| Nickname(s) | "Bob" |
| Born | February 21, 1920 Lawton, Oklahoma |
| Died | December 27, 1998 (aged 78) Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Buried | River Hills Community Church Lake Wylie, South Carolina |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force Reserves |
| Years of service | 1941–1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 56th Fighter Group 61st Fighter Squadron |
| Battles / wars | World War II Korean War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star Distinguished Flying Cross (9) Purple Heart Air Medal (4) Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) |
Robert Samuel Johnson (February 21, 1920 – December 27, 1998) was a fighter pilot with the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. He is credited with scoring 27 victories during the conflict flying a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
Johnson was the first USAAF fighter pilot in the European theater to surpass Eddie Rickenbacker's World War I score of 26 victories. He finished his combat tour with 27 kills. He was later credited by the Eighth Air Force claims board with a 28th victory when a "probable" was reassessed as a "destroyed", then reduced back to 27 when a post-war review discovered that the Eighth Air Force had inadvertently switched credits for a kill he made with a double kill made by a fellow 56th Fighter Group pilot, Ralph A. Johnson, on November 26, 1943, a day when Robert Johnson aborted the mission after takeoff. (Their army serial numbers were also nearly identical, O-662216 and O-662217.)