Donald Ivan Collins
Military ROLL OF HONOURIWM, Roger Freeman Collection
Assigned to the 544th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #126 dated 23 October 1943. Flew 12 missions with Crew #41 November 1943-April, 1944. Planes flown include 'Our Baby' returned to base with over 200 holes. Fell from the ball turret without a parachute over the Channel on an operational mission, 3 Feb 1944 in B-17 #42-31495, 'WABBIT TWACKS'. Killed in Action (KIA)/Missing in Action (MIA)
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11113446
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Little Audrey
- Unit: 306th Bomb Group 384th Bomb Group Base Air Depot 1 368th Bomb Squadron 544th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Stella
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Liberty Run
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 546th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Sea Hag
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Wabbit Twacks
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 3 February 1944
- Date: 30 January 1944
- Date: 21 January 1944
- Date: 5 January 1944
- Date: 31 December 1943
Places
- Site type: Cemetery
- Known as: Cambridge American Military Cemetery
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Grafton Undermud
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Enlisted |
Missoula, MT, USA | 4 June 1942 | Residence: Daniels County, Montana Private, Branch Immaterial |
Died Missing in Action (MIA) |
3 February 1944 | Lead group. Ball turret gunner, Donald Ivan Collins, "fell through" ball turret at 1232 hrs, 12,000ft, over enemy territory; he was not wearing a parachute. No MACR has been found. | |
Other Memorialized |
Cambridge, England | Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England: Tablets of the Missing |
Revisions
Added some punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid readability.
Updated the label for a KIA event per info in the "Summary biography".
http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/person.php?PersonKey=5315
http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=2&cat=WR26&tf…
Information Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/PersonnelSearch.php?LastName=c... for Donald L. Collins has been merged with this record.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces