After nearly 80 years, the remains of 2nd Lt. Robert T. McCollum, a U.S. Army Air Forces bombardier who went missing in action during World War II, have been identified. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) officially confirmed McCollum’s identification on December 10, 2024, bringing long-awaited closure to his family.

On June 20, 1944, McCollum’s B-24J Liberator bomber collided mid-air with another B-24 while flying over the Baltic Sea off the Danish coast. Credit: U.S. Air Force pH๏τos / DPAA

McCollum, from Cleveland, Ohio, served in the 565th Bombardment Squadron, 389th Bombardment Group, 2nd Combat Bomb Wing, 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force. His squadron had a significant impact on the strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany, attacking key industrial and military installations in Berlin, Merseburg, Münster, and Vegesack. The unit also participated in Operation Argument (Big Week) in February 1944, an all-out effort aimed at crippling Germany’s aircraft production industry.

On June 20, 1944, McCollum’s B-24J Liberator bomber collided mid-air with another B-24 while flying over the Baltic Sea off the Danish coast. The pilot and co-pilot managed to bail out and survive; however, McCollum and the other members of the crew perished in the crash. The U.S. War Department declared him deceased on June 21, 1944, and after efforts to find him proved unfruitful, he was declared “nonrecoverable” on May 12, 1950.

For decades, efforts to locate McCollum and his crew persisted. In 1948, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) performed an investigation but was unable to recover any remains. Over the years, the AGRC ᴀssessed unidentified remains that had washed ashore near the crash site but could not conclusively identify any of the missing airmen.

2nd Lt. Robert T. McCollum. Credit: DPAA

In 2019, divers from Denmark discovered wreckage of a WWII plane near the last known location of McCollum’s plane, leading to a significant breakthrough. Among the items retrieved was a .50-caliber machine gun, its serial number partially matching that of McCollum’s aircraft, although it was partly damaged after years in the sea. Consequently, a multinational recovery operation was launched, involving Project Recover, the University of Delaware, Trident Archaeology, WesSєx Archaeology, the Royal Danish Navy, and the Langelands Museum.

Underwater surveys and excavations took place between 2021 and 2024; unexploded ordnance was cleared from the site, the wreckage was mapped, and human remains, material evidence, and ID tags were recovered. DPAA scientists analyzed the recovered remains using dental and anthropological ᴀssessments, as well as mitochondrial and autosomal DNA testing, leading to McCollum’s official identification.

McCollum’s name has long been inscribed on the Wall of the Missing at the Cambridge American Cemetery in England, but now a rosette will be placed next to his name to signify that he has been identified and accounted for. Future plans are underway for his burial in San Jose, California; his family can now finally put him to rest with honor.

More information: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) / Project Recover