Experts aim to finally solve plane war mystery of famed big band leader Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller was one of the most famous casualties of the second world war
Nearly 74 years after a plane carrying big band leader Glenn Miller vanished over the English Channel, a US-based historical aviation organisation is launching a new investigation to try to find out what happened.
There are numerous theories about the disappearance of the small aircraft with Miller, who at the time was a major in the US Army and performing for the troops fighting in Europe in the second world war. Two other people were on board the flight from England to France on December 15, 1944.
The most widely cited explanations suggest the single-engine plane was either hit by friendly fire or suffered a catastrophic mechanical fault because of bad weather.
Two recent books have advanced both ideas and The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) has finished an initial investigation into a report that a fisherman briefly snagged what might have been Miller’s C-64 Norseman aircraft off England’s south coast.
The group concluded the wreck could be Miller’s aircraft, meaning that the next step will be studying hydrographical surveys to see whether any unidentified anomalies have been found on the seabed. Wrecks that have been found can be more closely examined, while areas that have not been mapped can be searched with state-of-the-art sonar.
If the remains of the aircraft can be recovered, it may be possible to determine the fate of the bestselling recording artist in the world during the early years of the war, famous for hits like In the Mood and Moonlight Serenade.