Archaeology & History

Mystery of missing WWII fighter pilot finally solved over 80 years on

By T.K. Randall
November 30, 2023 ·  0 comments

The mystery has been solved at last. Image Credit: US Air Force One of the most enduring aviation mysteries of the Second World War has been solved at last following the discovery by divers of the wreckage of the P-38 Lightning that had been flown by fighter pilot Lt Warren Singer when he disappeared over the Gulf of Manfredonia 80 years ago.

Singer had been participating in an attack on airfields near Foggia, Italy on August 25, 1943 when his plane, which had still been four miles out to sea, vanished without a trace.

Exactly what had happened to the 22-year-old, who had wedded his fiance a mere 5 months earlier, would go on to remain a mystery for decades. His plane had been too far away from the coast to have been hit by anti-aircraft guns and no trace of either him or his plane was ever found.

That was, until now.

The remains of Singer's P-38 Lightning have finally been discovered around 40ft beneath the Gulf of Manfredonia by divers of the underwater study group at the Italian Naval League.According to Fabio Bisciotti, who identified the wreck, the plane was in remarkably good condition and it didn't look as though it had been hit by enemy fire before it went down.

In all likelihood, Singer had been forced to ditch in the water due to mechanical problems.

"Warren is a hero to us all, and we love him," said his grandson, Dave Clark.

"He was a very young man with love, hope, and dreams. One of the really amazing things about the story is that Warren has 12 descendants."

"We are all alive because of the very short time that Margaret and Warren had together. My mother recently realized there were three days between the wedding and him being shipped out."

Source: Metro.co.uk | Comments (0)

Tags: World War II, Pilot