Malcolm Blanchar MacKinnon

born: 1917 in Wisconsin.

19 Dec 1939: passes Army Air Corps flight physical exam at VMI.

Graduating Class of 1940 at VMI located in Lexington, Virginia.

9 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted (ASN: 12035122) in the Army Air Corps as an Aviation Cadet on 16 December 1941 at Albany, New York.

Completed primary flight training and was commissioned (ASN: O-389270) a 2nd Lt. in the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).

Assigned to 412th Bomb Squadron, 95th Bombardment Group (Heavy) at Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, from 17 December 1942 to 11 March 1943. The air echelon moved to Kearney Field in Nebraska for final processing prior to overseas duty.

In early April 1943: taking the southern route, via Florida, Trinidad, Brazil, Dakar, and Marrakesh; the 95th Bomb Group deployed to the European Theatre of Operations (ETO), arriving on 12 May 1943 at RAF Framlingham (USAAF Station #153) in Suffolk, England; and were assigned to the 13th Combat Wing of the 8th Air Force.

On Friday 11 June 1943, Lt. MacKinnon flew in the left seat as the pilot aboard a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress serial number 42-29693 (nicknamed: Lonsome Polecat I) to bombard the sea port of Wilhelmshaven, Germany. NOTE: the MACR 2807 lists the intended target as Bremen, Germany (approximately 80 kilometers inland).

After the bomb run on the U-boat submarine yard at Wilhelmshaven, his B-17 bomber came under fighter attack from a Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 (flown by Luftwaffe Lt. Heinz Knoke) approximately 25 miles out over the North Sea.

His bomber was seen to spin down out of control, explode upon hitting the water, and sink immediately into the North Sea at 54-10North, 05-40East. Two to four chutes were reported as seen leaving the ship.

Declared KIA one year later on 12 June 1944.

Memorialized at the Cambridge American Military Cemetery.

Malcolm B Mac Kinnon