Donald Charles Cole
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Object Number - UPL 21951 - James M Bradley (Lower right, front row) and crew. 8th AF, 96th Bomb Group, 339th Squadron, England 1943. Top row, left to right: Hendrix, Gates,...
Shot down 5 January 1944 in B-17 #42-30665 'Hunyak. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Captain Cole was credited with saving the town by flying the plane into an open field. The site is still a memorial to his bravery.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18067993 at enlistment, then O-726116
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 6394292
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13012941
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13153161
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19091460
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hunyak
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 5 January 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
California, USA | 24 April 1920 | Whittier, California |
|
Enlisted |
22 November 1940 | March Field, Riverside, California | |
|
Died |
5 January 1944 | in the loss of B-17 42-30665 over France | |
|
Buried |
Rhone American Cemetery and Memorial | Donald Cole rests at Plot C, Row 5, Grave 18 |
Revisions
MACR 2014
NARA WWII Enlistment Records
ABMC website
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2014 / MACR 2014, 8th AF Losses; Snetterton Falcons pg 97 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database