Collins, Herman Fred, Collins, born 12-07-1924, in Halifax, Vermont, 
and grew up in Massachusetts. Herman enlisted in the American Army 
on 09-09-1942, and volunteered for the parachute infantry. Herman was sent to Camp Toccoa 
in Georgia for training, and then was assigned to the headquarters section of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion/506th PIR, 
101st Airborne Division. 
After training in the U.S. and England, Collins was prepared to make his first combat jump into Normandy. He was placed with the company headquarters under the command of 1 Lieutenant Thomas Meehan. 
Just after 11:00 PM on 05-06-1944, the plane carrying Collins and the other members of Chalk #66 took off. 1 Lieutenant Richard Davis “Dick”, Band of Brothers Winters 
followed just behind in Chalk #67.
Death and burial ground of Collins, Herman Fred.
After crossing over the coastline and into occupied Normandy, Easy Company’s C-47s
came under anti-aircraft and small arms fire for roughly 10 miles before reaching their drop zones. Around 1:12 AM, Collins’s plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and began to lose altitude with an engine fire. Two miles south of Sainte Mere Eglise,
the plane hit the ground and exploded on impact, killing all 5 of the flight crew and 17 parachute infantrymen aboard, including Collins. One of the few items recovered from the crash site were his dog tags, which are now on display at the D-Day Experience Museum in Normandy.Collins was only 19 years old when he died. He and 20 other victims of the crash are interred together in Section 84, Site 25-31 at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Honor his service at his virtual Veterans Legacy Memorial page.
Today located in one of the airfields original Nissen huts there is a heritage centre run by the South West Airfields Heritage Trust which tells the story of the airfield and the men who departed from it for the Invasion of Normandy, including some panels on Lieutenant Meehan and the crash of the aircraft he was travelling in.
slchtoffers of the crash Thomas Meehan’s C-47
D-DAYJune 6, 1944 in 1:12 A.M.the crew of a C-47 of the 439th Troop Carrier Groupand 17 paratroopers of the 506th Infantry Regimentof 101st AIRBORNE DIVISION were killed á BEUZEVILLE AL PLAIN for our freedomI N MEMORYCrew C-47 of 439th T.C.G.
Pilot 1st Lt CAPELUTO Harold 
Co-Pilot 2nd Lt FARNELLI John J0-696844 Navigator 2nd Lt FRIEDMAN Bernard 0-698426 Engineer Sergeant TILLOTSON, Abert R Jr 18201054 Radio Operator Sgt Thompson Norman PARACHUTISTES du 506 P.I.R.1st Lt Meehan Thomas, P.F.CELLIOTT George L14139866 1st Sgt EVANS William 
, P.F.C Mc CONIGAL William T11102116S/ Sgt ROBERTS Murrat B 
, P.F.C MILLER John N33216794 Sgt MURRAY Elmer L Jr 19125297, P.F.C MOYA Sergio G39124865, Sgt OWEN Richard 
P.F.C SNIDER Gerald R 
Sgt RIGGS Carl N 
, P.F.C TELSTAD Elmer L
,COLLINS Herman F11098566,P.F.C WARREN Thomas W
, WENTZEL Jerry A 
, Pvt OATS Earnest L15331144T/5 and WIMER Ralph H 
45 years after the crash the site was excavated, some of the artefacts from the excavation can now be seen on display at Dead Man’s Corner Museum including dog tags, rings and a watch which had stopped at the time of the crash, 01:12.
Among the items recovered were the parachute hooks, which were all still locked proving that none of the paratroopers escaped from the plane before it crashed.
Collins was only 19 years old when he died. He and 20 other victims of the crash are interred together in Section 84, Site 25-31 at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
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