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name
DURAND, Donald L - Date of
birth
10 March 1918 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
San Joaquin County, California -
Hometown
San Joaquin County, California
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-748931 -
Rank
Second Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
77th Fighter Squadron,
20th Fighter Group
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Finding of Death - Date of
death
18 September 1945 - Place of
death
Northeast of Liège, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle - Tablets of the Missing
Immediate family
-
Members
Herbert Durand (father)
Mary E. (Southrey) Durand (mother)
Rosamond Durand (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-67407 -
Data
Type: P38-J
Destibation: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Mission: Bomber Escort
MACR: 2117
More information
2nd Lt Donald L. Durand enlisted in Sacramento, California, on 21 February 1941.Statement of 1st Lt Russell G. Quinn:
"I was flying #4 in Yellow Flight at 21,000 at 1300 o'clock when I saw Lt Durand on single engine with right prop feathered. He was at about 15,000, just above overcast. I notices light flak breaking around his ship. He then disappeared and called on RT, saying he was in overcast. After this, I saw him flying in and out of clouds round top of overcast. About this time, I saw one burst of flak hit his left engine, which started to smoke. He then turned slowly left approximately 160 degrees and started a gradual descent through an opening in the clouds. Plane seemed to reach bottom of overcast and then started a slow spiral counterclockwise. He may have bailed out, but I saw no chute. This was in the vicinity of Liège, Belgium."
The mission took place on 4 February 1944. Lt Durand was officially declared dead on 18 September 1945.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Michel Beckers, Terry Hirsch, 20th Fighter Group, www.ancestry.com - 1940 Census / California Birth Index, www.fold3.com - MACR
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, Danielle Roubroeks