Identification of a missing US pilot from World War II!

The defense Pow/Mia Accounting Agency (dpaa) has the identification of the remains of 2nd Lt. Robert T. McCollum confirmed, who has been missing in the Second World War since 1944. McCollum served as a bombardier for the 565th Bombardment Squadron, which was sent to England in 1943 to take part in the strategic bomb campaign against Nazi Germany. The destinations included industrial locations in Berlin, oil production facilities in Merseburg, factories in Münster and shipyards in Vegesack. In addition, the squadron participated in the large -scale attacks on German aircraft production during the Operation Argument (Big Week) in February 1944.

On June 20, 1944, there was a tragic incident: McCollum B-24J Liberator Bomber collided in the air with a different B-24 and fell into the Baltic Sea off the Danish coast. While the pilot and co-pilot were survived and captured, McCollum and the rest of the crew died in the crash. Despite an investigation by the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) in 1948, in which the crash location was examined, none of the missing crew members could be recovered.

discovery and identification of the remains

In 2019, Danish divers discovered wreckage of a WWII aircraft near the last known location of McCollum Aircraft. This led to a recovery project, which was led by Project Recover and Experts of Trident Archeology, Wessex Archaeology, Royal Danish Navy and Langeland's museum. Underwater excavations that were carried out from September 21 to October 11, 2022 led to the rescue of human remains, material evidence and ID tags by two crew members. The information found enabled a detailed laboratory analysis.

by dental and anthropological analyzes as well as mitochondrial and autosomal DNA tests, McCollum's remains were finally identified. His name is engraved at the Wall of the Missing in the Cambridge American Cemetery in Cambridgeshire, England. A rosette is placed next to its name to signal that it has been identified and recorded, such as Heritage daily reported. The comprehensive rescue and analysis operations also led to the identification of McCollum, which underlines the efforts of the DPAA as part of their mission to identify missing relatives of the US armed forces, such as dpaa found.