Paul D. Minor was born on September 18, 1915. He served in the 53rd Troop Carrier Squadron, 61st Troop Carrier Group, as a Captain and Pilot of C-109 #42-51766 during World War II.

On the morning of December 18, 1944, the C-109 Liberator Express, #42-51766, took off from RAF Barkston Heath as part of a routine transport and training mission under the U.S. Army Air Forces 61st Troop Carrier Group (53rd Troop Carrier Squadron). Shortly after takeoff, while climbing and turning over the countryside near Carlton Scroop, the aircraft was involved in a mid-air collision with another U.S. transport-configured B-24, known as “Lazy Lou.” The C-109 sustained catastrophic damage when one of Lazy Lou’s propellers shredded its rear control surfaces. Losing stability almost instantly, the aircraft began a fatal descent over the village. It narrowly missed the school and church before crashing in flames in a nearby field, exploding on impact and killing all five crew members.

Cpt Minor was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com, www.loveden.org.uk