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Robert H. Collins

Military

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AWARDS:
Air Medal with 3 oak leaf clusters
Distinguished Flying Cross
American Campaign Medal
WWII Victory Medal
Occupation Medal (Germany)
Euro-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
United Nations Service Medal
Korean Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Medal with 4 bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Armed Forces Reserve Medal

Combat flight records indicate mission flown on June 5, 1944. The 490th did not fly on this date and the veteran had the certain recollection of flying on June 6, 1944.

Service

Units served with

  • 3rd Air Division

    3rd Air Division

    Division
    In December 1944, the 3rd Bomb Division was redesginated the 3rd Air Division.

  • 93rd Combat Bomb Wing

    93rd Combat Bomb Wing

    Wing
    Although equipped with B-24 aircraft, I believe that association with 2nd BD/AD is in error. Moreover, the Group had converted to B-17 before the designation of the 2nd Air Division. The Group carried 3rd Bomb Division markings throughout its combat...

  • 490th Bomb Group

    490th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 490th Bomb Group, like the 486th and 487th Bomb Groups transitioned from flying B-24 Liberators to B-17 Flying Fortresses, which were used in combat missions from late August 1944. Based at Eye, Suffolk, the Group were focused in the early months...

  • 851st Bomb Squadron

    851st Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

Missions

  • 382

    31 May 1944
    Bombed the marshaling yards. Heavy flak but no hits.

  • 394

    6 June 1944
    D-Day. Start of Operation Overlord.

  • 400

    8 June 1944
    Mission #7 - Bombed the railway yards in Tours, France. Long ride (7 hours).

  • 405

    11 June 1944
    Flew a sortie flight to the French Coast at 24,000 feet. 8th Combat Flight. No flak.

  • 407

    12 June 1944
    Willie Hussong got his arm caught in the door of the lower ball turret. Palmer and Rollinger pried him out with a gun barrel. Bombed an airfield. Hussong hospitalized.

  • 414

    15 June 1944

  • 425

    20 June 1944
    Bombed an airfield. We were hit by flak; a piece hit Palmer's armor plate and another hit a gas tank. Probriefed in the evening for a big secret mission.

  • 426

    20 June 1944

  • 432

    22 June 1944

  • 438

    24 June 1944

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Associated Place

  • Eye

    Military site : airfield
    Eye air base was not a Class A base but was constructed to a less demanding standard by the 827th and 859th Battalions of U.S. Army Engineers in 1943 and was finished in early 1944. Unusually, a group of its hardstandings were on the other side of the...

  • 490th Bomb Group Memorial, Eye

    Other location

Events

Event Location Date
Nationality
American
Nickname
Not yet known
Service numbers
A0704578
Highest rank
Lieutenant Colonel
Role/job
Navigator; Statistics
Awards
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
22 March 2019 18:44:33 Outhier Changes to role
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement Records;
Personal Flight Combat records of Robert H. Collins
Date Contributor Update
22 March 2019 18:41:01 Outhier Changes to biography
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement Records;
Personal Flight Combat records of Robert H. Collins
Date Contributor Update
22 March 2019 18:37:41 Outhier Changes to media associations
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement Records;
Personal Flight Combat records of Robert H. Collins
Date Contributor Update
22 March 2019 18:31:02 Outhier Changes to media associations
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement Records;
Personal Flight Combat records of Robert H. Collins
Date Contributor Update
27 February 2019 22:59:50 Outhier Changes to mission associations
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement Records;
Personal Flight Combat records of Robert H. Collins
Date Contributor Update
27 February 2019 21:53:08 Outhier Changes to biography
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement Records;
Personal Flight Combat Records of Robert H. Collins
Date Contributor Update
27 February 2019 21:51:01 Outhier Changes to mission associations
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement Records;
Personal Flight Combat Records of Robert H. Collins
Date Contributor Update
27 February 2019 01:30:29 Outhier Changes to aircraft associations
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement records;
Personal flight combat records of Robert H. Collins.
Date Contributor Update
27 February 2019 00:01:52 Outhier Changes to biography and mission associations
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement records;
Personal flight combat records of Robert H. Collins.
Date Contributor Update
26 February 2019 23:26:48 Outhier Changes to mission associations
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement documents;
Personal flight/combat records of Robert H. Collins
Date Contributor Update
25 February 2019 01:26:46 Outhier Changes to unit associations
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement Records;
Personal flight and combat records of Robert H. Collins
Date Contributor Update
25 February 2019 01:17:44 Outhier Changes to place associations
Sources

NARA Enlistment and Retirement Records
Personal flight and combat records of Robert H. Collins
Date Contributor Update
24 February 2019 23:39:21 Outhier Created entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nationality, service number, highest rank, role, unit associations, place associations and mission associations
Sources

NARA WWII Enlistment and Retirement Records
Personal Army Air Force Flight Records

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