Human Remains Found Aboard WWII US Bomber: The Race To Recover Missing Airmen

Underwater archaeologists have found possible human remains aboard a World War II U.S. bomber that had crashed into the Adriatic Sea in 1944, according to Live Science.

Nicknamed the Tulsamerican, the B-25 bomber had crashed into the sea with 10 members on board. While seven of them had been saved by local fishermen and rescuers, three airmen — Lt. Eugene Ford, Sgt. Charles Priest, and 1st Lt. Russell Landry — could not be found. More than 70 years after the incident, the archaeologists embarked on a mission to bring home the remains of the airmen and discovered what might possibly be other items like a life vest and flight boot, apart from the remains.

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According to the report by Live Science, the team collected any material that looked like a bone. The report also stated that DNA analysis of the retrieved bone will be done to try and link any remains to those who went missing so they could receive proper burials. The divers also brought equipment and a clothing to the surface that could be related to the servicemen. They also brought several tons of soil that might contain smaller artifacts.

The mission was coordinated by the U.S. military's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), which is an agency launched by the United States Department of Defense. Its mission is to recover missing personnel who are listed as Prisoners of War (POW) or Missing in Action (MIA) from all past wars and conflicts from countries across the world. According to statistics, a total of 73,048 personnel have been missing from World War II. A majority of them (48,027) are from the Asia-Pacific region and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea.

The DPAA conducts regular operations to find and bring back the remains of the missing crew members. Kevin Dalton, a DPAA forensic archeologist who led a team on a quest to find another WWII pilot in France talked about the process and said: “We scientifically excavate the site; we control for provenance, which is the location of every item that comes out, and we identify probative material such as dog tags and pieces of bone to take back to our lab for analysis,” Dalton said.

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Another project that specializes in underwater search operations is “Project Recover.” The organization relies on historical data and firsthand accounts for its recovery work. It also uses robots equipped with sonar to map the ocean floor for the wrecks of long-lost World War II planes and missing U.S. soldiers. Divers then meticulously search sites that look promising. The US Navy is then informed of any possible findings and operations are carried out to bring out the remains. Circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools including DNA testing are used to find out the identity of the soldiers and the families are informed after thorough confirmation.

The month-long project in the Croatian Sea is a successful example of such missions, although the airmen are yet to be identified. Live Science quoted underwater archaeologist Brendan Foley saying about the mission: “It was incredibly emotional for all of us. We’re all still trying to get our heads around what we just experienced. This is the most worthwhile thing we've ever done underwater”.