Joseph M. Hinds was born on August 7, 1913. He was the son of Thomas J. Hinds and Mary E. Beatty Hinds. He resided in Cumberland County, Maine prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army on August 4, 1942 in Portland, Maine. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Mail carrier and also as Single, with dependents. Joseph served as a Sergeant and Engineer / Gunner on B-25J #43-27810, 490th Bomber Squadron, 341st Bomber Group, Medium, U.S. Army Air Forced during World War II.

B-25J #43-27810 took off, with a crew of six and other B-25s, from Hanchung, China on a low level strafing & bombing mission over the Sincheng railroad bridge in China. After making a successful bombing run B-25J #43-27810 then returned to the railroad bridge and strafed railroad cars. They were apparently hit by ground anti-aircraft fire and ended up crashing approximately two miles southeast of the railroad bridge. The entire crew was lost. Joseph was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash during the war. His name is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines.

Joseph was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is commemorated on the The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan in Nanjing, China.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov