#4. How Don Robins Miraculously Escaped the First B-17 Lost in WW2

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It was the morning of December 10, 1941. Captain Colin Kelly and Lieutenant Don Robins piloted their B-17 “Flying Fortress” Bomber on to the bombed-out runway at Clark Field in The Philippines.

They refueled, loaded bombs, and took off again — headed toward a Japanese aircraft carrier . . . and the stuff of legends.

That day Capt. Colin Kelly would become the first widely celebrated hero of World War 2. But his co-pilot Lt. Don Robins’ story on that December morning is nothing short of miraculous.

And this was just day 3 of the war.

Images

Proud new pilot Don Robins returns home to Washington state after flight school.

Don Robins’ mother’s scrapbook of Don’s achievements during World War 2

Colin Kelly while a cadet at West Point.

The orange arrows show the B-17 “Flying Fortress” Bomber air-ferry route that Capt. Kelly and Lt. Robins flew from Honolulu to The Philippines. Although Guam was closer to both Wake Island and The Philippines, it didn’t have the correct facilities to accommodate the B-17s and could not be used for the ferry.

A B-17 “Flying Fortress” Bomber during WW2.

This map shows some important places in Don Robins’ story. Clark Field, where Kelly and Robin’s B-17 took off on December 10, 1941, was just north of Manila’s red dot. The red X marks the approximate location where they bombed the Japanese cruiser. Their B-17 crash landed just 3 miles from Clark Field. And the prisoner transport ship Don Robins was on sunk in the China Sea between The Philippines and present-day Taiwan.

I was sitting at the back of in the waist –or middle — of the plane. In this pic you can see the aircraft’s construction is metal ribs covered in sheet metal. The jump seats we’re sitting in are there for today’s FAA standards. During the war, the waist and tail gunners sat on their parachutes during takeoff and landing.

The front most doorway leads to the Radio Room. Beyond that a narrow walkway leads through the bomb bay to the flight deck. You can just glimpse the navigator and pilot sitting up in the flight deck. The bombardier sat below the flight deck.

The two gunners’ windows were covered with plexiglass. You can see the gap between the plexiglass and the gun mount. It let so much air in. As I understand it, in the early days of WW2, there were no coverings on those windows.

I’m sitting directly across from the plane’s rear entrance. Notice the wires moving and giggling at the top of the plane. Those control the tail and other aircraft mechanics and are manipulated by the pilot up front. The flight cautioned us strongly NOT to grab onto those wires while we walked around the plane mid-flight.

Discovering Don Robins’ Biological Parents

To start with, we don’t know exactly when Don Robins was born.

None of the records I’ve discovered for him have his exact birthdate. And that is kind of strange
The 1920 US Census—taken in January 1920—gives his age as 3 years and 8 months old.
- So, working backward, that places his birth around April or May 1916.

Second, we don’t know where he was born.

Some records say Oregon.
He was raised in southwestern Washington state, just across the Columbia River from the Portland, Oregon, area.

Third, I can’t find official records of who his birth parents are.

The 1920 census states that young Don is the adopted son of Robert and Anna Robins
- That obviously lets us know that he was adopted—but any chance we can discover his birth parents?
This is where the family rumors that I discovered in online family trees come in. These rumors suggest that Don Robins’ birth parents are Rose Ballhorn and Harry Sigel.
- I have a love/hate relationship with family rumors. They can be anywhere on a spectrum between true or false. And often, we can’t find documentation to prove a rumor one way or another.
- But . . . me being me, I went down this rabbit hole, and here’s what I discovered. (I’ll try to keep it as simple as possible.)
Don Robins was raised by his adoptive mother, Anna Robins.
- Anna’s maiden name was Ballhorn.
- Anna had a much younger sister (by 15 years) named Rose Ballhorn (this, you’ll remember, is the name of Don Robins’ suspected birth mother).
- In 1910, about 6 years before Don was born, Rose Ballhorn lived with her sister Anna and brother-in-law Robert in Clark County, Washington, which is just across the Columbia River from Portland.
  - Robert owned a saloon at this time, which is not part of the Don’s birth story, just something I thought was interesting
- It wasn’t unusual back in this time for family members to raise illegitimate children, and for there to be no official records of an “adoption” or name change.
  - So, the fact that Don’s adoptive mom Anna Robin’s was the sister of Don’s supposed birth mother Rose Ballhorn makes sense.
  - Not proof of parentage, but believable
Don Robins’ middle name is “Donham.”
- “Donham” is the maiden name of Harry Sigel’s mother.
  - Harry Sigel is rumored to be Don Robin’s biological father.
- So . . . Don Robin’s having the middle name of “Donham” does seem to connect him to Harry Sigel or to Harry Sigel’s mother’s family.
  - I tend to believe the name “Donham” connects Don Robin’s to Harry, because of geography
  - Most of Harry’s extend family (ie, the Donhams) were in Ohio around the time that Don Robins was born in Washington or Oregon.
  - Harry was in southwest Washington. Rose was in southwest Washington. There isn’t proof, but it isn’t far fetched to imagine these two could be Don’s biological parents.
This is strengthened by something I haven’t told you – Rose Ballhorn married Harry Sigel in August 1916 – that’s about 3 months after we believe Don Robins was born.
- Do I have documentary proof that Rose and Harry were Don’s bio parents? No. But it wouldn’t surprise me if they were. And if I were going to do some DNA testing—assuming I had the right people at hand—they’re the couple I’d start the testing with.
There’s one more thing I need to tell you about Rose.
- In March 1913, 21-year-old Rose gave birth to an unnamed baby girl in Portland, Oregon.
  - I’ve seen the actual birth certificate for this child. And it’s interesting because under the heading “Father” a hand-written note states:
    - “Mother refuses to give name of father.”
  - Rose’s occupation is stated as “Student,” so perhaps she was going to college in Portland, across the Columbia River from where her family lived.
- There’s a rumor about the identity of this daughter’s father—and you’ll honestly never believe who it is.
  - It’s not Harry Sigel, Don Robins’ supposed bio father and Rose’s eventual husband.
  - No, the rumored father of Rose’s daughter is Harry’s uncle William Donham
    - Does that last name sound familiar? It should because that is Don Robin’s middle name and the maiden name of Harry’s mother.
    - William Donham was the much younger brother of Harry’s mother. He was the same age as Harry and Rose
  - Now William Donham lived in Ohio his entire life. He’s living in Ohio in every record I’ve discovered about him.
    - His older sister (ie, Harry’s mom) moved to southwest Washington state in the early 1900s with her husband and family. The settled the area where Rose and the Robins lived.
    - IF William Donham was the father of Rose’s eldest daughter, then I suspect that he was visiting his sister in Washington state in summer 1912, became acquainted with Rose Ballhorn, and Rose became pregnant.
  - It’s a rumor filled with charged emotion and leaves many unanswered questions.
- In December 1916, when Rose’s daughter was almost 4 years old, she was adopted by an unrelated family in Oregon
  - This adoption happened about 4 months after Rose and Harry married, and 7 months after Don Robins was born.
  - Naomi seems to have lived a long and happy life, from what I’ve found.
- Harry and Rose had a daughter in 1918 and (from what I’ve found) stayed married until Rose died in 1961.

Robins & Kelly Bio Sources

Robins Kelly Sources
Alma Salm,” Luzon Holiday,” typewritten manuscript, page 170, in possession of Anastasia M. Harman.
“Arisan Maru,” Wikipedia, accessed 2 November 2022.
Baby Girl Ballhorn entry, “Oregon, U.S., State Births, 1842-1920,” database online: Ancestry.com, Lehi, Utah, 1918, original data: Oregon State Archives. Oregon, Birth Records, 1842-1920. Salem, Oregon, accessed 1 November 2022.
“Barnstorming,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnstorming, accessed 1 November 2022.
“Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress,” Wikipedia, accessed 2 November 2022.
“Capt. Kelly, U.S. Army Pilot, Who Scored Direct Hits on Jap Battleship, Killed in Action,” Daily Press, Newport News, Virginia, 14 December 1941, age 4, published online at Newspapers.com, accessed 11 May 2022
Chrystle Louise Sigel entry, “Washington, U.S., King County Delayed Births, 1869-1950,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2014, original data: Washington, King County Delayed Births, 1869-1950, Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013, accessed 1 November 2022.
Clark Lee, Associated Press Staff Writer, “Kelly Only Two Minutes from Base When Slain,” newspaper clipping in Anna Robin’s scrapbook, photographed and posted online at Ancestry.com by Sue Januscheitis, October 2016, saved to Donald D Robins profile page, POW—Robins, Donald family tree, accessed 1 November 2022.
“Colin Kelly,”’ Wikipedia, accessed 1 November 2022.
“Colin Kelly’s Copilot Dies,” newspaper article published 26 June 1945, newspaper clipping posted online at Ancestry.com by Sue Januscheitis, October 2016, saved to Donald D Robins profile page, POW—Robins, Donald family tree.
Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr., memorial on Find A Grave, online at accessed 11 May 2022.
Colin Purdie Kelly III entry, “California Birth Index, 1905-1995,”database online, Ancestry.com, Lehi, Utah, 2005, original data from State of California, California Birth Index, 1905-1995, Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics, accessed online 11 May 2022.
Donald D Robins entry, “World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1946,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, UT, 2005, original data: World War II Prisoners of War Data File [Archival Database], Records of World War II Prisoners of War, 1942-1947, Records of the Office of the Provost Marshal General, Record Group 389, National Archives at College Park, College Park, Md., accessed 26 October 2022.
Donald D Robin entry, “U.S., Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2007, original data: United States, Army, Quartermaster General’s Office, Rosters of World War II Dead (all services), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army, accessed 26 October 2022.
Donald D Robins entry “US, World War II Prisoners of the Japanese, 1941-1945,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2010, original data: National Archives and Records Administration, World War II Prisoners of the Japanese File, 2007 Update, 1941-1945. ARC ID: 212383, World War II Prisoners of the Japanese Data Files, 4/2005 – 10/2007, ARC ID: 731002, Records of the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, Collection ADBC, ARC: 718969, National Archives at College Park. College Park, Maryland, accessed 26 October 2022
Donald DRobins [sic] entry, “U.S., World War II Military Personnel Missing in Action or Lost at Sea, 1941-1946,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2007, original data: Department of Defense, Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office, http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/WWII_MIA/MIA_MAIN.HTM, July 2007, accessed 26 October 2022.
Donald D. Robins entry, “U.S., Headstone and Interment Records for U.S., Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942-1949,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2014, original data: Cemetery Records, Records of the American Battle Monuments Commission, Arlington, VA., Headstone Inscription and Interment Records for U.S. Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil, 1942–1949, Series A1 43, NAI ID: 7408555, Records of the American Battle Monuments Commission, 1918–ca. 1995, Record Group 117, The National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C, accessed 26 October 2022.
Donald D Robins entry, “U.S., World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2000; original data: National Archives and Records Administration, Register, World War II Dead Interred in American Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil and World War II and Korea Missing or Lost or Buried at Sea, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, accessed 26 October 2022.
Donald Robins, “Here It Is…THE Story of Colin Kelly’s Feat: Woodland, Wash., Boy Tells of Epic Air Battle,” The Seattle Star, Seattle, Washington, 7 March 1942, pages 1-2, published online at Newspapers.com, accessed 11 May 2022.
Ernest W. Hood, United Press Staff Correspondent,” Woodland and Robin’s Pa and Ma Proud of Exploit,” The Seattle Star, 7 March 1942, page 2, published online at Newspapers.com, accessed 1 November 2022.
Harry Sigel family, “1930 United States Federal Census,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, UT, 2002, original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930, T626, 2,667 rolls, accessed 1 November 2022.
Hass Family Tree, created by Randi Bjerke, online at Ancestry.com, accessed 1 November 2022.
Jessie Dunham and Christian Sigle entry, “Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993,” database online: Ancestry.com, Lehi, Utah, 2016, original data: Marriage Records. Ohio Marriages, Various Ohio County Courthouses, accessed 1 November 2022. Note: Sources give the surname spelling as “Donham,” “Dunham,” “Danham,” and other. The commonly used, and apparently accepted, spelling is “Donham.”
Jessie Donham profile page, POW—Robins, Donald family tree, accessed 1 November 2022
William B Donham profile Page, POW—Robins, Donald family tree, accessed 1 November 2022.
Marriage announcement of Wick/Kelly, “The News,” Paterson, New Jersey, 13 August 1937, page 12, published online at Newspapers.com, accessed 11 May 2022.
Naoma May Smith profile page, Hass Family Tree, created by Randi Bjerke, member family tree, online at Ancestry.com, accessed 1 November 2022.
Naomi Eva May Smith entry, “Oregon, Adoptions and Name Changes, 1876-1918,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2013, original data: Laws of the State of Oregon [1876, 1880, 1882, 1885, 1887, 1889, 1891, 1893, 1895, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1909, 1911, 1913, 1915, 1917, 1919], Oregon State Library, Salem, Oregon, accessed 1 November 2022.
“Narrative Report of Flight of Captain Colin P. Kelly, Air Corps, O-20811 (deceased) on Dec 10, 1941,” by Eugene L. Eubank, Colonel, Air Corps, Commanding, Headquarters, 5th Bomber Command, Malang, Java, Feb 19, 1942, as quoted on “Colin Kelly,” Wikipdeia, accessed 11 May 2022.
PE Matt, “The South Pacific Air Ferry Route,” Pacific Eagles: WWII Pacific Air Combat, accessed 2 November 2022.
Robert Robins family, “1910 United States Federal Census,” database online: Ancestry.com, Lehi, UT, 2006, original data: Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls), Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C., accessed 26 October 2022.
Robert Robins family, “1920 United States Federal Census,” database online: Ancestry.com, Lehi, UT, 2010, original data: Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920 (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls), Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C, accessed 26 October 2022.
Robert Robbins family, “1930 United States Federal Census,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, UT, 2002, original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census, Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930, T626, 2,667 rolls, accessed 26 October 2022.
Robert Robins family, “1940 United States Federal Census,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2012, Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940, T627, 4,643 roll, accessed 26 October 2022.
“Robins_Don mom’s scrapbook page,” photograph posted online at Ancestry.com by Sue Januscheitis, October 2016, saved to Donald D Robins profile page, POW—Robins, Donald family tree, accessed 2 November 2022.
Rose Myrtle Ballhorn profile page, POW—Robins, Donald family tree, created by Anastasia Harman, member family tree, online at Ancestry.com, accessed 1 November 2022.
Rose Ballhorn and Harry E Sigel entry, “Washington, US, Marriage Records, 1854-2013,” database online: Ancestry.com, Provo, Utah, 2012, original data: Washington State Archives, Olympia, Washington, accessed 1 November 2022.
“Saburō Sakai,” Wikipedia, accessed 15 May 2022.
“14^th Bombardment Squadron,” Wikipedia, accessed 2 November 2022.
2LT Donald D Robins memorial, Find a Grave, accessed 26 October 2022.

Image Sources

Don Robins photos and scrapbook: Uploaded to Ancestry.com member trees by member Sue Januscheitis, 12 August 2015.
Colin Kelly Photos: Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr., memorial on Find A Grave, online at accessed 11 May 2022.

Historic Audio Source

1941-12-10-CBS-John-Daly-Bulletin-On-Japanese-Attacks-In-Phillipine, 1941 Radio News : WA4CZD : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive