Airmen Missing From WWII Accounted For | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-05.20.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.28.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.22.24 Airborne-FlightTraining-05.23.24

Airborne-Unlimited-05.24.24

Sat, Aug 23, 2014

Airmen Missing From WWII Accounted For

Had Been Part Of B-26B Crew On A Bombing Mission

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that two U.S. servicemen, missing from World War II, have been identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

The two servicemen are Army Air Force Staff Sgts. Robert E. Howard, 21, of Moravia, IA, and David R. Kittredge, 22, of Oneida, WI. The individually identified remains of Howard were buried on July 19, in Moulton, IA. The individually identified remains of Kittredge were buried on Aug. 13, in Green Bay, WI. The remains that could not be individually identified will be buried as a group in a single casket, at a future date at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

On April 16, 1945, three aircraft were flying in a formation on a bombing raid to Wittenberg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany, when the pilots of two other aircraft reported seeing Howard and Kittredge’s aircraft hit by enemy fire. The B-26B descended into a deep dive and exploded upon ground impact.

In 2007, a German aircraft researcher interviewed eyewitnesses, who reported seeing two deceased crew members buried near the crash site under an apple tree. He also reported the crew members as being exhumed in 1947 or 1948, by an allied recovery team.

In June 2012, a German national informed the U.S. government that he found possible human remains in Muhlanger, which he believed to have been associated with an April 1945, B-26B crash, and turned them over to the local police. In July 2012, a JPAC team began excavating the site recovering human remains, personal effects and aircraft wreckage. JPAC also took custody of the remains that the local German national had previously recovered. To identify Howard’s remains, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

To identify Kittredge’s remains, scientists from JPAC and AFDIL also used mtDNA and dental comparisons, which matched his records.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.dtic.mil/dpmo

Advertisement

More News

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (05.25.24)

“Warbirds in Review features veterans, aviation legends, and aircraft that simply cannot be seen together in one place anywhere else in the world. Many of these veterans main>[...]

Airborne 05.22.24: NS-25 Chute Failure, #HonorTheWASP, SkyCourier 'Combi'

Also: VAI v Anti-Heli Actions, Electric Aircraft Symposium, 2024 FAA Drone/AAM Symposium, Gravitymaster Blue Origin's seventh passenger flight ended with a smidgeon of drama when o>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (05.26.24)

“The importance of this YF-16 paint scheme is celebrating 50 years of the F-16 Viper. Everyone at Edwards has a big sense of pride for not only supporting the Viper Demo Team>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.26.24)

Aero Linx: National Aeronca Association We are dedicated to supporting the design and preserving the history of Aeronca aircraft. Founded by Jim Thompson and fostered by his leader>[...]

Klyde Morris (05.24.24)

Klyde Sounds Like He's Defining An 'Influencer' FMI: www.klydemorris.com>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC