Colin Purdie Kelly Jr. (/ˈkoʊlɪn/ KOH-lin; July 11, 1915 – December 10, 1941) was a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress pilot who flew bombing runs against the Japanese navy in the first days after the Pearl Harbor attack.

He is remembered as one of the first American heroes of the war after ordering his crew to bail out while he remained at the bomber's controls trying to keep the plane in the air before it exploded, killing him.

[1] On December 10, 1941 (December 9 in the United States), Kelly, with 14th Bombardment Squadron, 19th Bombardment Group, United States Army Air Forces was in command of B-17C Flying Fortress heavy bomber, #40-2045, which departed from Clark Field, on the island of Luzon, Commonwealth of the Philippines, alone and without escort, to search for an enemy aircraft carrier which had been reported near the coastal city of Aparri, at the northern end of the island.

While en route to their assigned target area, Kelly and his crew sighted a Japanese amphibious assault task force north of Aparri, including what they believed was a Fusō-class battleship.

The crew was unable to locate the reported aircraft carrier and Kelly decided to return to attack the ships that they had seen earlier.

[2] Kelly made two passes at 20,000 feet (6,100 m) while the bombardier, MSgt Meyer Levin, set up for a precise drop.

The first bomb struck about 50 yards short, the next alongside, and the third squarely amidship... A great cloud of smoke arose from the point of impact.

Large trails of oil followed in its wake... On its return flight, the bomber was then engaged by the Tainan Air Group A6Ms which had been patrolling over Vigan.

As co-pilot Lieutenant Donald Robins tried to open the cockpit's upper escape hatch, the Flying Fortress exploded.

The attacking planes did not see this, and initially were credited only with a probable "kill", shared jointly by Toyoda, Yamagami, Kikuchi, Nozawa, and Izumi.

[3] Early reports misidentified ship attacked as the Japanese heavy cruiser Ashigara, which was present, or as the battleship Haruna, which was not.

[5] The United States Junior Chamber of Commerce posthumously gave its 1941 distinguished service award to Kelly on January 22, 1942, in Chicago.

[8] Colin Kelly Rd in South Portland, Maine was one of multiple streets in the city named to honor WW II heroes.