William J. Collins.
Navigator · 409th Squadron · Of Mountain Crest, West Portal, New Jersey, New Jersey.
The Man Behind the Name
2nd Lt. William J. Collins served as navigator aboard B-24H 42-94991 on the 13 August 1944 mission. He successfully bailed out when the aircraft was hit by flak near Falaise, France.
Collins was captured and held as a prisoner of war. His POW status was confirmed on 10 October 1944. Sgt. Bishop reported seeing Collins on a pier in Boston in June 1945 in good condition following repatriation.
His next of kin was listed as Mrs. Mary K. Collins (wife), Mountain Crest, West Portal, New Jersey.
Service record.
Missions flown.
The missions below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.