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name
HIGGINS, David Parsons - Date of
birth
9 December 1919 -
Age
25 - Place of
birth
New York City, New York -
Hometown
Seaford, Nassau County, New York
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-2060286 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Navigator -
Unit
365th Bombardment Squadron,
305th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Finding of Death - Date of
death
15 October 1945 - Place of
death
Freight yard of Niehl, north of Cologne, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten - Walls of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
David Higgins (father)
Elsie L. (Garrett) Higgins (mother)
Mary G. Higgins (sister)
Arthur M. Higgins (brother)
Rosemary (Mullin) Higgins (wife)
Michael Higgins (son)
Darby K. Higgins (daughter)
Plane data
- Serial
number
43-38108 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Cologne, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the marshalling yard
MACR: 9475
More information
The incident took place on 14 October 1944.The aircraft collided with aircraft 43-38066 in midair. Its propellers chewed through the other airplane. It went down out of controle and broke into small pieces and exploded below the formation.
The entire crew of nine men was killed. They were initially buried at the West Cemetery of Cologne on 15 October 1944.
2nd Lt Higgins was declared officially dead one day and one year after he was reported missing in action.
In 1947 the remains of Richard Smith and David Higgins could not be identified at the West Cemetery of Cologne. Although the remains of an unknown deceased were recovered and at first identified as David Higgins, after further investigation this could not be confirmed with enough certainty.
Source of information: André Koch, Raf Dyckmans, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.fold3.com - MACR9475, www.ancestry.com - Ginnan Family Tree, IDPF
Photo source: André Koch, Nassau Daily Review Star 16 June 1944