Joseph Cudarby Wilkins was born on June 22, 1919, in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. He was the son of Harry Fraser Wilkins Sr. and Susan L. "Sue" Colpetzer Wilkins. He served in the 368th Bomber Squadron, 306th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and Bombardier of B-17F #41-24514 during World War II.

On March 8, 1943, the B-17F #41-24514 departed Station 111 at Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, at 11:45 on a mission against the Rennes marshalling yards in France. At 14:30, over Plouguenast (Côtes-d’Armor, France), the bomber was attacked and shot down by a German Fw 190 fighter. The crew bailed out by parachute; however, the pilot was killed when his chute failed to open at low altitude. The majority of the crew were captured and spent the remainder of the war as prisoners, while one evaded capture and made it back to the United Kingdom with assistance from the local resistance and a fishing boat escape.

1Lt Wilkins was taken as a prisoner of war and held at Stalag Luft 3 in Sagan, Silesia, Bavaria. After being freed, he returned to duty and ended his military service as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force. He died on September 22, 1966, and is now buried in the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA.

Source of information: francecrashes39-45.net, www.findagrave.com