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N5MDT > ALL 16.12.15 21:16l 73 Lines 3310 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Sent: 151216/1826Z 782@N5MDT.TX.USA.NOAM BPQ1.4.65
Another Taday in History - December 15th
On this day in 1944, big band leader Glenn Miller disappears over the English Channel. He and his plane were never found.
Miller was a much-loved and successful musician of the era. He had a string
of big hits, such as “Moonlight Serenadeö and “In the Mood.ö He’d worked
on a few successful movies. He was married to his college sweetheart! He
had two kids.
In short, he was a man with A LOT to lose. But that didn’t stop him from
putting everything on the line for his country.
Miller was in his late 30s when World War II began. Because of his age,
he didn’t have to volunteer. He could have simply stayed home in America
throughout the war. Nevertheless, Miller tried to sign up for the Navy.
When the Navy rejected him, he tried the Army. He ultimately persuaded
the Army to take him so he could “put a little more spring into the
feet of our marching men and a little more joy in their hearts.ö
As a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Force, he had a special task. He
would use his talent and fame to boost morale.
Miller put together his Army Air Force Band, which traveled and performed
for the troops. Many of these performances were even broadcast back home.
Miller had a weekly radio show and was in high demand for much of the
long war.
In December 1944, Miller was in England, planning for a Christmas concert
in Paris. It was time to celebrate! The French capital had been liberated
a few months earlier. He’d arranged to hitch a ride with Lt. Col. Norman
Baessell, who was taking a small plane to Paris on December 15. When
Miller arrived at the airfield, the weather was less than stellar.
Reportedly, Miller expressed concern about the lack of parachutes in the
plane. “What’s the matter with you, Miller?ö Baessell asked. “Do you want
to live forever?ö
No one knows exactly what happened next. Miller never arrived in Paris,
but his disappearance wasn’t immediately noticed. (The Battle of the
Bulge began at about the same time, so attention was focused
elsewhere.) Miller’s disappearance finally came to light after a
72-hour delay.
Unfortunately, the long delay hindered the investigation. Rumors took
root and grew. Was he assassinated? Was he the victim of friendly
fire? On the night of his disappearance, an aerial attack had been
planned into Germany. The weather had forced the Allies to abort
the mission. Some of their bombs had to be jettisoned over the
English Channel. Had one of these bombs inadvertently landed on
Miller’s plane?
Other stories flew around, too, including one in which he made it
to Paris but had a heart attack in somewhat unsavory circumstances.
The truth is probably much more simple, according to researcher
Dennis Spragg of the Glenn Miller Archive. In all likelihood,
Miller’s disappearance can be attributed to simple mechanical
failure. Miller was on a plane that was known to have problems with
its carburetor heater. The weather conditions that evening were the
sort that could have prompted a mechanical issue related to that
problem. The plane most likely crashed into the ocean, killing its
passengers quickly.
Miller was a man who could have stayed safely at home in America.
Instead he risked—and lost—everything.
73,
Mark Taylor
N5MDT@N5MDT.TX.US.NOAM
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