REST IN PEACE SIR!
http://www.therolladailynews.com/newsno ... n-IllinoisWWII pilot's remains return to southern Illinois
St. Louis, Mo. —
The remains of a World War II pilot killed in a midair collision during training over England finally returned to his southern Illinois hometown Thursday, ending a decades-old mystery that might never have been solved had a group not happened upon the buried wreckage in search of the other aircraft
Moritz, a member of the 496th Fighter Group stationed in England, was 21 when he died on June 7, 1944, after his P-51C Mustang collided in midair with another U.S. aircraft over Lincolnshire, England. Eyewitnesses reported seeing
Moritz's fighter plane spiraling out of the sky before slamming into the ground, exploding and bursting into flames.
The other pilot parachuted to safety.
Last September, members of a private English group that searches for vintage aircraft were scouring the countryside for the plane that collided with
Moritz's aircraft when they happened upon
Moritz's remains and what little was left of his P-51, both buried 18 feet in the ground. Found at the scene were
Moritz dog tags, ID bracelet and a wallet containing papers with his name.
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