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Archaeologists search English crash site of World War II bomber for remains of lost American pilot
In recent months, the U.S. Department of Defense has accounted for dozens of missing airmen killed in combat — and for each of them, there’s a harrowing story of the troops’ final moments. One servicemember from Michigan died on a World War II bombing mission in Southeast Asia when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire, causing its wing to catch fire. A 21-year-old from Pittsburgh was killed when his plane crashed during another bombing mission during that war against oil fields in Romania. A pilot from Florida disappeared during a solo spy missions during the Vietnam War.
While most of those missing troops were identified primarily using DNA and dental records, the U.S. government is turning to British archaeologists to help find a World War II pilot whose plane crashed in a dense English woodland in 1944. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has tasked Cotswold Archaeology with recovering the remains of the unnamed pilot, who was listed as missing in action after his B-17 went down, the company revealed this week.
The crash site is in East Anglia, in eastern England, Cotsworld Archaeology told CBS News on Tuesday. That region, with its rural farmland and tiny villages, became the headquarters of the Allies’ so-called “Bomber War” during the 1940s, according to the National WWII Museum.
Cotswold Archaeology
The bomber, loaded with 12,000 pounds of explosives, crashed after its controls failed, and now Cotswold Archaeology plans to spend six weeks excavating the “exceptionally special site.”
“This excavation will not be easy — the crash crater is waterlogged and filled with 80 years’ worth of sediment, the trees and undergrowth are thick, and all soil must be meticulously sieved to hopefully recover plane ID numbers, personal effects, and any human remains,” the company said in a social media post showing images of the site.
Developed in 1935, the B-17 Flying Fortress is an American bomber that served in every combat zone, according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The bomber was mainly used in Europe during World War II and was best known for the strategic bombing of German industrial targets, the Air Force said.
According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the remains of more than 1,500 Americans killed during World War II have been identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors. More than 72,000 servicemembers from the war remain unaccounted for.
While archaeologists will try to locate the remains of the missing B-17 pilot in England, a team from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is in Normandy, France, searching for three other missing airmen whose aircraft was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The team is combing the soil to find any bone fragments, as well as personal items such as uniforms, navigation protractors, watches and rings.
“It’s a real honor being here on this recovery mission. It’s a humbling experience, and I’m happy to help bring the full accounting of the missing to their families,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Raul Castillo, the team’s lead support investigator on the mission in France.
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The U.S. men’s soccer team roster that will represent Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Paris was released Monday. This is the first time the U.S. men are in the Olympic soccer tournament since 2008.
The 18-man team roster will include defenders Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman along with forward Djordje Mihailovic as the overage players. The three players failed to get used by the senior national team that crashed out of at the Copa America in the group stage earlier this month.
Olympic soccer is largely limited to players under 23 years old, with each team allowed only three players over the age limit.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have this group of great players and great people represent us at the Olympic Games,” head coach Marko Mitrović said in a statement. “It’s a special moment for all of us as they have worked their entire lives to reach this stage.”
Fifteen players on the roster have international appearances with the full U.S. men’s national soccer team.
Zimmerman, 31, leads the team with 42 international appearances. He last played for the U.S. against Canada in the June 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Final.
Robinson, 27, was on the U.S. roster for the Copa America but didn’t get any playing time. He had 29 international appearances.
Mihailovic, 25, has 11 international appearances but hasn’t played for the national team since the loss to Panama in the July 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal.
Others with senior national team experience are midfielders Gianluca Busio, Tanner Tessmann, and Jack McGlynn; defenders John Tolkin, Kevin Paredes, Caleb Wikey, and Benjamin Cremaschi; forwards Taylor Booth, Paxten Aaronson and Duncan McGuire and goalkeepers Patrick Schulte and Gaga Slonia.
Defenders Maximilian Dietz and Nathan Harriel and forward Griffin Yow have never played for the senior team.
Cremaschi at 19 is the youngest player on the roster and is also age-eligible for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In the roster, 10 players are from MLS, two each from newly promoted Venezia in Italy and the Dutch Eredivisie and one each from the Premier League, the German Bundesliga, the Germany second tier and Belgium’s top tier. All but Dietz played in MLS at some point or in an MLS development academy.
The alternates named to the roster are goalkeeper John Pulskamp, defender Jacob Davis, midfielder Josh Atencio and forward Johan Gomez.
“We’re grateful to the clubs that released their players in support of our mission,” Mitrović said. “Our goal is to make our country proud and we will give everything for the United States.”
FIFA does not require clubs to release players for the Olympics.
The U.S. men open their tournament play on July 24 against host France, then meet New Zealand and Guinea. The top two nations in each group advance to the quarterfinals.
U.S. men’s Olympic soccer team — full list
Marko Mitrović — Coach
Djordje Mihailovic — Forward
Taylor Booth — Forward
Paxten Aaronson — Forward
Duncan McGuire — Forward
Griffin Yow — Forward
Johan Gomez — Forward (alternate)
Miles Robinson — Defender
Walker Zimmerman — Defender
John Tolkin — Defender
Kevin Paredes — Defender
Caleb Wikey — Defender
Benjamin Cremaschi — Defender
Maximilian Dietz — Defender
Nathan Harriel — Defender
Jacob Davis — Defender (alternate)
Gianluca Busio — Midfielder
Tanner Tessmann — Midfielder
Jack McGlynn — Midfielder
Josh Atencio — Midfielder (alternate)
Patrick Schulte — Goalkeeper
Gaga Slonia — Goalkeeper
John Pulskamp — Goalkeeper (alternate)
