Donald E. Hillman military service information

File — Box MS0532

Staff Only

The file consists of detailed World War II memoirs [unpublished], including discussion of bombing missions and his time as a prisoner of war. T

Dates

From the Collection: Majority of material found within 1941 - 1995

Creator

Hillman, Donald E. (Person)

Extent

From the Collection: 5.5 cubic feet (5 boxes)

Additional Description

Biographical / Historical

Donald E. Hillman (1918-2012); pilot, World War II European Theater; German prisoner of war (then escapee); served with 8th and 9th Air Forces. From his obituary published in the Seattle Times (March 24, 2012): "Donald E. Hillman was a highly decorated U.S. Army pilot, an ace fighter who had shot down five enemy airplanes during World War II. He flew 145 missions in 10 months, then was taken prisoner by the Nazis in 1944 after bailing out of a flaming airplane at 12,000 feet. Mr. Hillman twice escaped from German prison camps — the second time with the help of a German officer with whom he would later develop an extraordinary friendship. Mr. Hillman’s wartime exploits landed him on the front pages of newspapers in Seattle, and on the cover of Life magazine [December 9, 1946] — a bona fide war hero who was fast running out of cloth on which to pin his service medals."