Daniel Winstead Corson

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

UPL 73792 UPL 73792 Dan W. Corson, pilot, 91st BG.

Photo from Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

91st Bomb Group 401st Bomb Squadron VIII Bomber Command 26 41-24432 On

Object Number - UPL 73792 - Dan W. Corson, pilot, 91st BG.

Shot down 20 December 1942 in B-17 41-24432 'Danellen' while serving as Pilot. Killed in Action (KIA).

Connections

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Units served with

401st Bomb Squadron

Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

91st Bomb Group

Unit Hierarchy: Group
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

41-24432

Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
Nicknames: Danellen
Unit: 91st Bomb Group 401st Bomb Squadron

Missions

VIII Bomber Command 26

Date: 20 December 1942
Official Description:

Places

Aerial photograph of Bassingbourn airfield looking east, Whaddon is at the top, the bomb dump is to the left of the main runway, which runs vertically; the control tower and technical site with four C-Type hangars is on the right, 23 August 1945. Photograph taken by No. 542 Squadron, sortie number RAF/106G/UK/692. English Heritage (RAF Photography).

Events

Event	Date	Description
Other Killed in Action (KIA)	20 December 1942	Shot down with aircraft.
Other Accounted For	22 September 2023 - 22 September 2023	PRESS RELEASE \| Feb. 7, 2024Pilot Accounted for from WWII (Corson, D.) WASHINGTON D.C.  –  The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Dan W. Corson, 27, of Middletown, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 22, 2023.In December of 1942, Corson was assigned to the 401st Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force. On December 20, Corson was co-piloting a B-17F “Flying Fortress,” nicknamed Danellen, when it was struck by anti-aircraft fire after a bombing raid on a German aircraft factory at Romilly-sur-Seine, France. Corson’s aircraft was last seen spinning towards the ground, crashing near the village of Bernières-sur-Seine, France. Only one airman parachuted successfully, while the other eight crew members, including Corson, were still on board. A villager witnessed the crash and confirmed there was only one survivor. The War Department issued a finding of death for 1st Lt. Corson on Dec. 20, 1943.Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. Following the war, the AGRC disinterred four sets of remains later designated as X-83, X-84, X-85, and X-86 St. Andre from Evreux cemetery. They were unable to identify the remains and were interred at the Normandy American Cemetery.In 2011, a family member of one of the Danellen crew contacted the Department of Defense after visiting the crash site and interviewing a witness who had artifacts belonging to the Danellen. In April 2011, DPAA historians re-analyzed the unknowns associated with the crew and determined there was enough evidence to pursue the case. In October that year, a DPAA Investigation Team traveled to Bernières-sur-Seine to interview the witness and learned the crash site was completely destroyed. In March 2019, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) exhumed the unknown remains designated X-83, X-85, and X-86 St. Andre believed to be associated with the crew of the Danellen, including 1st Lt. Corson, from Normandy American Cemetery.To identify Corson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.Corson’s name is recorded on the memorialized on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Cambridge, England, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.Corson will be buried in Middletown, Ohio, on a date to be determined. Pilot Accounted for from WWII (Corson, D.) > Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency > PressReleaseArticleView (dpaa.mil)
Other Commemorated		Shot down in aircraft, no remains recovered. Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Normandy American Cemetery.  7 Feb 2024 - A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.

Event

Location

Date

Description

Other

Killed in Action (KIA)

20 December 1942

Shot down with aircraft.

Other

Accounted For

22 September 2023 - 22 September 2023

PRESS RELEASE | Feb. 7, 2024Pilot Accounted for from WWII (Corson, D.) WASHINGTON D.C.  –  The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Dan W. Corson, 27, of Middletown, Ohio, killed during World War II, was accounted for Sept. 22, 2023.In December of 1942, Corson was assigned to the 401st Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy), Eighth Air Force. On December 20, Corson was co-piloting a B-17F “Flying Fortress,” nicknamed Danellen, when it was struck by anti-aircraft fire after a bombing raid on a German aircraft factory at Romilly-sur-Seine, France. Corson’s aircraft was last seen spinning towards the ground, crashing near the village of Bernières-sur-Seine, France. Only one airman parachuted successfully, while the other eight crew members, including Corson, were still on board. A villager witnessed the crash and confirmed there was only one survivor. The War Department issued a finding of death for 1st Lt. Corson on Dec. 20, 1943.Beginning in 1946, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC), Army Quartermaster Corps, was the organization tasked with recovering missing American personnel in the European Theater. Following the war, the AGRC disinterred four sets of remains later designated as X-83, X-84, X-85, and X-86 St. Andre from Evreux cemetery. They were unable to identify the remains and were interred at the Normandy American Cemetery.In 2011, a family member of one of the Danellen crew contacted the Department of Defense after visiting the crash site and interviewing a witness who had artifacts belonging to the Danellen. In April 2011, DPAA historians re-analyzed the unknowns associated with the crew and determined there was enough evidence to pursue the case. In October that year, a DPAA Investigation Team traveled to Bernières-sur-Seine to interview the witness and learned the crash site was completely destroyed. In March 2019, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) exhumed the unknown remains designated X-83, X-85, and X-86 St. Andre believed to be associated with the crew of the Danellen, including 1st Lt. Corson, from Normandy American Cemetery.To identify Corson’s remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y-chromosome DNA (Y-STR) analysis.Corson’s name is recorded on the memorialized on the Wall of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery, an American Battle Monuments Commission site in Cambridge, England, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.Corson will be buried in Middletown, Ohio, on a date to be determined. Pilot Accounted for from WWII (Corson, D.) > Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency > PressReleaseArticleView (dpaa.mil) 

Other

Commemorated

Shot down in aircraft, no remains recovered. Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Normandy American Cemetery.  7 Feb 2024 - A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for. 

Revisions

Date8 Feb 2024 12:20:32

ContributorTallPaul19

Changes

Sources

Information updated from The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced 7th February 2024.

Pilot Accounted for from WWII (Corson, D.) > Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency > PressReleaseArticleView (dpaa.mil)

Date11 Nov 2014 21:39:56

ContributorLee8thbuff

Changes

Sources

Lee Cunningham 11-Nov-2014. Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 5381; American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).

Date27 Sep 2014 18:06:50

ContributorAAM

Changes

Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 5381, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Hey and Bishop p.54