Son of James Hill Sr and Gladys (Tharin) Hill.
2nd Lt James C. Hill, Jr. was co-pilot aboard B-29 SuperFortress tail # 42-24506, 768th Bomber Squadron, USAAF when it crashed shortly after takeoff at Piardoba Airfield, West Bengal, India, on February 20, 1945.
Its number 3 engine caught fire immediately after takeoff, leading to catastrophic wing failure. All eight crew members were killed in the resulting crash which occurred within 2 miles of the base. A definitive cause of the engine fire was unable to be ascertained despite investigation by a Boeing representative. The B-29 was a new aircraft, and Hill's squadron was one of the first units to be equipped with them.
Hill was initially buried at the US Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda, India. In 1948, at the request of his family, his remains were returned to the US and permanently interred.
Hill had been overseas since October, 1944 and had completed 16 trips over the "Hump" (the Himalayas), as co-pilot of a B-29 SuperFortress. Among his raids were targets in Formosa (present day Taiwan), one in Singapore and a number into Japanese occupied China. He was a graduate of the Georgia Military Academy and was a sophomore at The Citadel (The Military College of South Carolina, c/o 1945) when he volunteered as an Army aviation cadet. During his freshman year at The Citadel, he was in L Company and his company commander was Fritz Hollings (later a US Senator).
He was married with a daughter at the time of his death.
2nd Lt James C. Hill, Jr. was co-pilot aboard B-29 SuperFortress tail # 42-24506, 768th Bomber Squadron, USAAF when it crashed shortly after takeoff at Piardoba Airfield, West Bengal, India, on February 20, 1945.
Its number 3 engine caught fire immediately after takeoff, leading to catastrophic wing failure. All eight crew members were killed in the resulting crash which occurred within 2 miles of the base. A definitive cause of the engine fire was unable to be ascertained despite investigation by a Boeing representative. The B-29 was a new aircraft, and Hill's squadron was one of the first units to be equipped with them.
Hill was initially buried at the US Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda, India. In 1948, at the request of his family, his remains were returned to the US and permanently interred.
Hill had been overseas since October, 1944 and had completed 16 trips over the "Hump" (the Himalayas), as co-pilot of a B-29 SuperFortress. Among his raids were targets in Formosa (present day Taiwan), one in Singapore and a number into Japanese occupied China. He was a graduate of the Georgia Military Academy and was a sophomore at The Citadel (The Military College of South Carolina, c/o 1945) when he volunteered as an Army aviation cadet. During his freshman year at The Citadel, he was in L Company and his company commander was Fritz Hollings (later a US Senator).
He was married with a daughter at the time of his death.
Son of James Hill Sr and Gladys (Tharin) Hill.
2nd Lt James C. Hill, Jr. was co-pilot aboard B-29 SuperFortress tail # 42-24506, 768th Bomber Squadron, USAAF when it crashed shortly after takeoff at Piardoba Airfield, West Bengal, India, on February 20, 1945.
Its number 3 engine caught fire immediately after takeoff, leading to catastrophic wing failure. All eight crew members were killed in the resulting crash which occurred within 2 miles of the base. A definitive cause of the engine fire was unable to be ascertained despite investigation by a Boeing representative. The B-29 was a new aircraft, and Hill's squadron was one of the first units to be equipped with them.
Hill was initially buried at the US Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda, India. In 1948, at the request of his family, his remains were returned to the US and permanently interred.
Hill had been overseas since October, 1944 and had completed 16 trips over the "Hump" (the Himalayas), as co-pilot of a B-29 SuperFortress. Among his raids were targets in Formosa (present day Taiwan), one in Singapore and a number into Japanese occupied China. He was a graduate of the Georgia Military Academy and was a sophomore at The Citadel (The Military College of South Carolina, c/o 1945) when he volunteered as an Army aviation cadet. During his freshman year at The Citadel, he was in L Company and his company commander was Fritz Hollings (later a US Senator).
He was married with a daughter at the time of his death.
2nd Lt James C. Hill, Jr. was co-pilot aboard B-29 SuperFortress tail # 42-24506, 768th Bomber Squadron, USAAF when it crashed shortly after takeoff at Piardoba Airfield, West Bengal, India, on February 20, 1945.
Its number 3 engine caught fire immediately after takeoff, leading to catastrophic wing failure. All eight crew members were killed in the resulting crash which occurred within 2 miles of the base. A definitive cause of the engine fire was unable to be ascertained despite investigation by a Boeing representative. The B-29 was a new aircraft, and Hill's squadron was one of the first units to be equipped with them.
Hill was initially buried at the US Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda, India. In 1948, at the request of his family, his remains were returned to the US and permanently interred.
Hill had been overseas since October, 1944 and had completed 16 trips over the "Hump" (the Himalayas), as co-pilot of a B-29 SuperFortress. Among his raids were targets in Formosa (present day Taiwan), one in Singapore and a number into Japanese occupied China. He was a graduate of the Georgia Military Academy and was a sophomore at The Citadel (The Military College of South Carolina, c/o 1945) when he volunteered as an Army aviation cadet. During his freshman year at The Citadel, he was in L Company and his company commander was Fritz Hollings (later a US Senator).
He was married with a daughter at the time of his death.
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