Colin P. Kelly
| Colin Kelly | |
|---|---|
Painted in 1942 by Deane Keller
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| Birth name | Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr. |
| Born |
July 11, 1915 Madison, Florida |
| Died | December 10, 1941 (aged 26) Clark Field, Philippines |
| Buried at | Oak Ridge Cemetery, Madison Florida |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Corps |
| Years of service | 1937 - 1941 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 14th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Flying Cross |
Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr. (/ˈkoʊlᵻn/; July 11, 1915 – December 10, 1941) was a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress pilot who flew bombing runs against the Japanese navy in the first days after the Pearl Harbor attack. He is remembered as one of the first American heroes of the war after ordering his crew to bail out shortly before his bomber exploded, killing him. His was the first American B-17 to be shot down in combat.
Kelly was born in Madison, Florida in 1915 and graduated from high school there in 1932. He went on to West Point in 1933, graduated in the Class of 1937, and was assigned to a B-17 bomber group. He was the first Army officer to fly the Boeing Flying Fortress in the Far East.
On December 10, 1941, Kelly's B-17C, USAAF 40-2045, (19th BG / 30th BS), took off from Clark Field in the Philippines. During its bombing run, with Sergeant Meyer Levin as bombardier, Kelly's plane slightly damaged the Japanese cruiser Natori. On its return flight, the bomber was then engaged by the Tainan Air Group A6Ms which had been patrolling over Vigan. They attacked it, followed it, and attacked again. At last near Clark Field it began to burn, and Kelly ordered his crew to bail out; the aircraft then blew up, killing him. The attackers did not see this, and initially were credited only with a probable "kill", shared jointly by Toyoda, Yamagami, Kikuchi, Nozawa, and Izumi. Saburō Sakai, who has often been credited with destroying this aircraft, was indeed a flight (諸隊 shotai) leader engaged in this fight with the bomber, but he and his two wingmen do not appear to have been given official credit for its despatch.
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