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Divers’ discovery of World War II plane crash leads to ID of US soldier, officials say

By Kate Linderman

A 22-year-old soldier was one of eight American airmen who vanished during a 1944 crash when their plane went “spinning down into the sea” during World War II, federal officials said.

His remains were never accounted for — until now.

A 2019 discovery by Danish divers found the wreck in the depth of the Baltic Sea, leading excavators to later pull evidence and human remains. This led to the identification of Lt. Robert T. McCollum of Cleveland, Ohio, decades after he went missing in action, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said in a Feb. 26 news release.

McCollum was onboard a B-24J “Liberator” bomber on June 20, 1944, when the plane crashed with another aircraft in the formation, the agency said. The pilot and co-pilot survived but were taken as prisoners of war while the eight others vanished, officials said.

A Finding of Death was issued on June 21, 1945, and his remains weren’t discovered for decades. Then, Danish divers made the discovery in 2019 that opened the door to identifying the missing soldiers, according to the news release. They alerted the Royal Danish Navy to a World War II-era aircraft found in the Baltic Sea near where McCollum’s plane had crashed 75 years prior.

Kansas City Star

Lt. McCollum has returned home.

Thanks to a Usual Suspect for the link.

Category: We Remember