Flight Officer George Dennis Collins was a Pilot with the 310th Bombardment Group; 381st Bombardment Squadron; Stationed in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, (MTO).

His Hometown was Hillsboro, Highland County, Ohio. He was a member of the First Graduating Class of Flying Sergeants who became the First to receive the NEW Flying Non-Commissioned Rank of Flight Officer, along with his fellow 381st Pilot Friend, Harold A. Houghtaling. BOTH were Killed in Action; F/O Collins Perished ONE WEEK after F/O Houghtaling.

Saturday, 10 July 1943

381st BS Mission Summary: (Ops Order ---/mission ---) Group Mission # 126: GERBINI SATELLITE # 7, SICILY
Sqdrn. Mission # 90
Group Mission # 126
Take Off 07:19
Flight 36 B-25’s
Target 09:05
Escort 42 P-40’s.
Down 10:40
Bomb Load: (6 x 500)
Total Time: 3 Hrs. 21 Min.
Bombs Dropped: 12(6 x 500), 36,000#
Total Sorties: 553
Average Altitude: 9,150
Weather: 5/10 cloud cover at 5,000 feet on way out. CAVU over target
REMARKS: The first day of the invasion of Sicily. The mission made an excellent job of bombing the landing area, even though one element accidently dropped its bombs 3 miles short of the target. Photo interpretation afterwards revealed that 39 enemy aircraft were destroyed on the ground.

The P-40 escort drove off 3 enemy fighters. One P-40 pilot bailed out over the target.

Flak was heavy, intense and very accurate over the target. Lt. Opeka described the flak bursts following Capt. Coddington’s aircraft as appearing like a black three lane highway. Lt. Boston made this statement --- “I’ve been initiated into lots of clubs, but Sciacca is the roughest one I’ve ever joined”. Lt. Boston and T/Sgt. Q.W. Thomas were hit by flak and slightly injured. S/Sgt. O.E. Moxey and Cpl. C.W. Sentlingar were also hit, sustaining severe leg injuries, which required hospitalization.

Aircraft were damaged as follows: Lt. Coddington’s aircraft, both tires blown out; Lt. Denton’s aircraft, hydraulic system shot out, necessitating a forced landing at the 12th Bomb Group’s field; Lt. Whitman’s aircraft, windshield demolished; the life raft on Lt. Donnovan’s aircraft was shot clear out of the plane. Lt. Collins’ aircraft failed to return. After leaving the target, he lagged behind the formation, obviously crippled. One ‘chute was seen to open before the plane crashed into a mountain.

381st BS: Extracts from Missing Air Crew Report # 342: Officers listed below state that aircraft crashed on hillside after making a steep spiral dive of one turn. One parachute was seen to open.

A/C B-25C; No. 42-64522; MACR-342; shot down by AAA
THE CREW
P Collins, George Dennis, F/O - KIA
CP Myers, Gilbert H., 2Lt - MIA, DED
N None
B Kelley, Donald C., T/Sgt - MIA, DED
E None
R Rogers, Mike D., T/Sgt - MIA, FOD
G Walsh, Richard J., S/Sgt - MIA, DED
F Lundsten, Gustave A., Cpl - MIA, DED

428th BS Mission Summary: (Ops Order ---/mission ---) Group Mission # 126: Sciacca Airdrome on July 10th proved to be as formidable as it was tragic. Flight Officer Collins and his crew of the 381st had their craft literally blown from the sky. Flight Officer Collins was as well liked as any officer on the base and one who seemed to have a rich military future ahead of him. For the 381st it was the 13th crew lost since we arrived in Africa.

George D Collins