Missing World War II fighter plane is FOUND after 80 years: Plane that disappeared during a daring raid on Italy is discovered 40 feet underwater off the Gulf of Manfredonia
A fighter plane that disappeared during a daring raid on Italy – just days before the Allies invaded – has been found, solving a mystery that has persisted since World War II.
Warren Singer, an American pilot, disappeared with his P-38 Lightning on August 25, 1943 during an attack on Italian airfields near Foggia, in the east of the country.
The mission attempted to weaken Italy’s air response to the coming landings, and was a complete success, destroying 65 enemy aircraft, at the cost of seven P-38s.
But 2nd Lt. Singer never reached his target, and Air Force records show he was last seen near Manfredonia, a town 22 miles east of Foggia.
Now, 80 years later, divers have found the wreckage of Singer’s plane at a depth of 40 feet beneath the Gulf of Manfredonia.
A fighter plane that disappeared during a daring raid on Italy – just days before the Allies invaded – has been found, solving a mystery that has persisted since World War II
Now, 80 years later, divers have found the wreckage of Singer’s plane at a depth of 40 feet beneath the Gulf of Manfredonia.
Warren Singer, an American pilot, disappeared with his P-38 Lightning on August 25, 1943 during an attack on Italian airfields near Foggia, in the east of the country
Singer, who was only 22, left behind his wife Margaret, whom he had married five months earlier, and who later gave birth to their daughter Peggy in January 1944.
Commenting on the discovery of the plane, grandson Dave Clark said, “Warren is a hero to all of us, and we love him.
‘He was a very young man with love, hopes and dreams.
“One of the really amazing things about the story is that Warren has twelve descendants.
“We are all alive because of the very short time Margaret and Warren had together.
“My mother recently realized there were three days between the wedding and the time it was shipped.”
The diver who identified the wreck, Fabio Bisciotti, said it was in surprisingly good condition.
He said: ‘The aircraft is in reasonably good condition… it most likely suffered a mechanical failure and was dumped in the water.
“It wasn’t hit hard by anti-aircraft fire because it was very far from the coast – we’re talking about four miles, about four miles.”
The diver who identified the wreck, Fabio Bisciotti, said it was in surprisingly good condition
The diver said: ‘The plane is in fairly good condition… it most likely had a mechanical failure and was dumped in the water’
Dr. Bisciotti, leader of the Italian Naval League’s underwater study group, said there was no sign of a body.
He believes 2nd Lt. Singer probably escaped the wreckage but subsequently drowned.
He said: ‘The windows are open so we’re pretty sure he managed to ditch the plane and then who knows what happened.
“Maybe he tried to swim or maybe he went down because of his uniform.
“We’re pretty sure he drowned.”
The diver was able to identify the wreckage as a P-38 due to the aircraft’s distinctive twin-boom design.
And he was able to narrow it down to Singer’s plane, as records show it was the only P-38 lost at sea in the area.
In Lightning Strikes, the internal publication of the P-38 National Association, historian Steve Blake recounted the circumstances of Singer’s disappearance.
He said 166 P-38s took off from Tunisia that day, flew east, crossed the Italian peninsula and then followed the coast north to Manfredonia before turning inland toward Foggia.
137 planes reached their destination, others turned back due to various mechanical problems, and one disappeared altogether: Singer’s plane.
A Missing Air Crew Report for the young pilot described how his comrade, Carl Hendrix, had struggled to jettison his extra fuel tanks and had fallen behind his formation.
The report said that “the last time Singer was seen” was when he “returned to be with Lt. Hendrix at the shore.”
The diver was able to identify the wreckage as a P-38 due to the aircraft’s distinctive twin-boom design
The diver was able to narrow it down to Singer’s aircraft as records show it was the only P-38 lost at sea in the area.
The divers discovered .50 caliber bullets and an engine crankcase in the P-38 Lightning aircraft
Another comrade, his witness Fred Selle, later recalled that the stray pilot had flown next to him and indicated that he too had difficulty jettisoning his tanks before returning.
Whatever happened, Singer, of Peoria, Illinois, was never found.
The pilot, a sophomore at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was pronounced dead a year and a day later, on August 26, 1944.
His name is listed on the Tablets of the Missing at the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial in Carthage, Tunisia.
Dr. Bisciotti was assisted by fellow divers Mariagrazia Antonaci, Alessandro Aulicino and Pietro Amoruso, with historical research conducted by Giuseppe Iacomino.
The shipwreck was discovered by divers searching off the coast of Italy’s Gulf of Manfredonia
And while Italy and the US may have been at war when Singer died, Dr. Bisciotti said it was a “great honor” to identify his plane.
He said: ‘It is important to remember that we are talking about a human being; that he believed in what he did, so it doesn’t matter whether enemy or friend, he should be honored.”
A spokesperson for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), which is investigating what happened to missing U.S. troops, said it had been notified of the discovery.
They said: ‘The DPAA has received the information about this case from the Italian Naval League and is investigating the situation.’