The Glenn Miller orchestra was formed in 1938 and enjoyed great success around the world. The orchestra had over 70 top 10 records in just 4 years, selling over 1 million copies.
War broke out in Europe in 1939 and when the United States of America joined, Glenn Miller enlisted in the American Army Air Corp where he was made a Captain, and later a Major.
Initially Miller helped set up over 50 bands which, amongst their other duties, entertained the troops at home and abroad. Eventually Glenn Miller was given permission to form his own band which he styled on the Glenn Miller Orchestra which had brought him so much success.
Miller's Flight to Paris
In spite of initial opposition, Miller brought his band to Britain in 1944 where he entertained the troops as well as broadcast over the radio for the BBC. Later that year, Miller won permission to take the band to Europe to entertain the troops at the front.
On December 15th 1944 Miller, Lt. Col. Norman Baessell and the pilot, John Morgan boarded a Noorduyn 'Norseman' C-64 Aeroplane to Paris. The weather was atrocious. The temperature outside the plane was 24 degrees Fahrenheit and the area was covered in dense, thick fog.
From the safety of the ground Don Haynes, the band's manager watched as the plane taxied down the runway before picking up speed and taking of into the fog. He was the last person to see the 3 men alive as the Norseman never arrived at its destination and no wreckage was ever found.
Just 2 months later, Miller's widow, Helen received the Bronze Star, posthumously awarded to Glenn Miller in recognition for his contribution to the war effort.
Because Glenn Miller's plane disappeared under such mysterious circumstances a number of conspiracy theories have evolved to explain the disappearance. None of them have ever been substantiated.
Conspiracy Theories Abound
Probably one of the most distasteful theories is that the plane carrying Glenn Miller did reach its destination, having left on the 14th and not the 15th of December as the records show and that the band leader later died while in the company of a French prostitute. Apart from the lack of evidence produced to substantiate this claim, Lt. Col. Robert Baker has confirmed that he spent the night of December 14th drinking in Miller's company.
A second theory claims that not only did Miller reach Paris, he completed his business and returned to Britain, later dying of lung cancer in an American military hospital.
Another theory claims that Miller's plane was destroyed as a result of friendly fire. While flying in the fog the plane strayed off course and ended up in a jettison zone which was a 10 mile circle some 50 miles south of Beachy Head. The jettison zone was a designated area where planes could jettison unused bombs if it would be hazardous for them to land with their pay load intact. The theory is that Miller's plane was caught up in the explosions caused when a plane jettisoned its load of incendiary bombs.
In 1985 a British diver by the name of Clive Ward discovered the remains of a plane off the French coast. The plane appeared to be a Norseman but the diver could distinguish any identifying marks or registration numbers or ascertain any damage to the fuselage other than the normal corrosive effect of the sea.
Most importantly there were no human remains on the plane so it cannot be eliminated as the aircraft carrying Glenn Miller, Norman Baessell and John Morgan. To this date the remains of the aircraft and its passengers is still a mystery.
Sources
- BBC History on Line
- Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Encarta
- Glenn Miller's Orchestra.com
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