James Joseph Dolan was born at Los Angeles, California on September 26, 1920. His family and friends called him Jimmy Joe. He was the youngest of four children of Francis Hager Dolan (23 Jun 1880 – 24 Sep 1956), who was born in Nebraska, and Josephine Ware (Happersett) Dolan (19 Jul 1880 – 8 Dec 1967), who was born in Ohio. His parents married at the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana in Los Angeles, California on November 19, 1902. His father was a real estate broker. In January 1920 the family lived at 1726 W 54th Street, Los Angeles, California. By 1930 the family lived at 3660 Aureola Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. He completed three years of college, and was single, without dependents, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Los Angeles, California on June 5, 1942.

He completed Army Air Forces bombardier training, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant on July 10, 1943. He was then assigned to the heavy bomber crew of Lt Robert O. Shacklett in the 839th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. The Shacklett crew completed B-24 combat crew training with the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. There is a photo of Lt Dolan and the Robert O. Shacklett crew that was taken at Herington, Kansas during the overseas deployment. The Shacklett crew flew B-24H 42-52618 'Chief Wapello' overseas via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137, near the village of Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe. In July 1944 the 487th Bomb Group transitioned to flying the B-17 'Flying Fortress'.

After arrival at Lavenham, Lt Dolan was assigned to the lead crew of Lt Joseph A. Duncan in the 839th Bomb Squadron. On August 25, 1944, the Duncan crew took off from Lavenham Airfield on a mission to bomb the German airfield at Rechlin, Germany. Captain Winston S. Rogers flew in the copilot position as Air Leader. Copilot Lt James Hood Jr moved to the tail gunner postion as Officer Tail Gunner and formation observer. Lt Dolan and eight of his crew mates were killed in action when the aircraft was hit by flak just after bombs away over Rechlin, Germany. The right outer wing was lost, and the burning aircraft went into a right spin, exploded, and broke apart before crashing in Muritz Lake (Mόritzsee) near Boek, Germany, north of the target. Two crew members, 1/Lt Joseph Anderson Duncan and S/Sgt Monroe Stanley Wolyn, were blown clear and survived. Lt Hood's body was never found. He probably went to the bottom of Muritz Lake with the aircraft wreckage.

Lt Dolan's body was found in Muritz Lake near Steinhorn, northwest of Rechlin, on September 17, 1944. He was buried along with seven of his crew mates at the Retzow Cemetery in Retzow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, a short distance north of Rechlin Airfield.

His remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California on June 6, 1949. He is buried next to his parents.

B-17G 43-37980 crew:
• Duncan, Joseph A – 1/Lt – Pilot – POW
• Rogers, Winston S – Capt – Air Leader – KIA
• Jones, Richard L – Capt – Pilotage Navigator – KIA
• Friedman, Ely N – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Dolan, James J – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Henahan, Joseph W – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Brown, Gerard F – T/Sgt – Radio operator – KIA
• Everett, Lloyd E – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Brown, Rhodes L – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – KIA
• Wolyn, Monroe S – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – POW
• Hood Jr, James – 2/Lt – Tail Gunner – MIA

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com