Colin Kelly
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Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr. (July 11, 1915 – December 10, 1941). Born in Madison, Florida, he 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 a war hero for sacrificing his own life to save his crew when his plane became the first American B-17 to be shot down in combat. Colin Kelly has been called the first American hero of the Second World War.
On December 10, 1941, Kelly's plane lifted off from Clark Field in the Philippines. During its bombing run, Kelly's bomber hit the Japanese cruiser Ashigara. On its return flight the bomber came under attack by Zeros, one of which was piloted by famed Japanese flying ace Saburo Sakai. Kelly stayed at the controls of the badly damaged aircraft so that the surviving crew members could bail out. Just after the last crew member escaped the plane exploded. Early reports misidentified the Ashigara as the battleship Haruna, and also mistaknely reported that he had crashed his plane into the smokestack of the Haruna, becoming the first Suicide pilot of the war.
For his extraordinary heroism and selfless bravery, Kelly was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Aviation artist Robert Taylor has painted a painting entitled The Legend of Colin Kelly.
In World War II the United States liberty ship SS Colin P. Kelly, Jr. was named in his honor.
[edit] See Also
[edit] External links
- Air Force Magazine article - Colin Kelly: He was a hero in legend and in fact
- Artwork of Colin Kelly and Saburo Sakai by Robert Taylor and Stan Stokes
- Captain Colin P. Kelly, Jr. Post Office (with a short biography)
