The North American B-25 Mitchell heavy bomber with a crew of six was one of 52 air losses with personnel missing in the area during WW2, mostly during 1943.
An archaeological excavation in Sicily has uncovered traces of a lost World War II American heavy bomber that was shot down in 1943, and possible human remains that could identify five airmen whose bodies were never recovered.
The six-week excavation that ended this week was conducted by a team from the Pentagon’s Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which locates and identifies missing US military personnel around the world.
The site near Sitica was identified in 2017 by investigators using historical records and metal detectors.
The expedition’s scientific director, archaeologist Clive Vela, said that this year’s excavations revealed debris, “consistent only with a B-25 aircraft”, contributing to the hope that any confirmed remains may be linked to the missing crew. Will be
“We give accurate answers to (their) families,” Vela told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The North American B-25 Mitchell heavy bomber with a crew of six was one of 52 air losses with personnel missing in the area during WW2, mostly during 1943 when the Allies pushed into southeastern Sicily.
It was shot down on July 10, 1943, while targeting a hidden German airstrip among olive groves and pastures. A German military report documented the crash of a US plane about two km (just over a mile) from Siakka airport, Vela said.
One crew member was immediately located and buried in the city cemetery. The body was claimed by US military officials in 1944, but the other five airmen remained missing.
In the intervening decades, the crash site “was scoured for metal, like most others in the Mediterranean, the land was restored to its original use”, Vela said. “The scars of an accident were mostly gone.” The evidence, which includes possible human bones as well as possible remains of aircraft, has been taken to a laboratory in the US for examination.
Worldwide, there are more than 81,600 missing US military personnel, including 72,350 from World War II, 7,550 from the Korean War, and 1,584 from the Vietnam War. Of the total, more than 41,000 are believed to have been lost at sea.
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