Sighting of Glenn Miller's doomed plane
Mon Jan 09, 2012 9:32 pm
Sighting of Glenn Miller's doomed plane by amateur spotter shatters theory that aircraft was downed by falling WWII bomb'
By David Wilkes
For almost 70 years, Glenn Miller's death in a wartime plane crash over the Channel has been a source of fascination and speculation.
Neither the great American bandleader's body nor the wreckage were ever found, leading to countless claims of a cover-up.
But now a previously unreported sighting of the doomed plane has emerged in a teenage planespotter's notebook – and seems to shatter the main theory over Miller's death.
The popular explanation suggested that after taking off from England on December 15, 1944, for Paris, where he was due to give a series of morale-boosting concerts to troops, Miller's Norseman light aircraft was hit by a bomb jettisoned by an RAF Lancaster returning to England after an aborted raid on Germany.
But now it has emerged that Richard Anderton, then 17, jotted in his notebook how he saw Miller's plane that day east of Reading – and west of London – flying in an east-south-east direction towards the Sussex coast.
The timings suggest the Norseman was miles away from the bomb jettison zone over the Channel.
The significance of the sighting was established after the notebook was taken to a BBC Antiques Roadshow event for valuation by relatives of Mr Anderton, who died in 1982.
The Notebook: The Glenn Miller archive in Colorado is satisfied that the highlighted line '1 Norseman going ESE' refers to Miller's plane
The Notebook: The Glenn Miller archive in Colorado is satisfied that the highlighted line '1 Norseman going ESE' refers to Miller's plane
Eyewitness: Richard Anderton who noted his sighting of Miller's plane in his logbook
Eyewitness: Richard Anderton who noted his sighting of Miller's plane in his logbook
It supports the original, official version of events that Miller's plane crashed in the sea due to pilot or mechanical error.
Dennis Spragg, historian at the Glenn Miller Archive in Colorado, U.S., which has authenticated Mr Anderton's sighting, said: 'One theory for the cause of the crash was that the pilot strayed east into a restricted zone for bombers and the plane was struck by friendly fire.
'But by December 1944, when the Allies were in control of northern France, it would have been extremely problematic to have a bomb jettison zone off the south coast because of the location of transport routes for aircraft and pipelines under the Channel. It is likely the restricted area was further east towards the North Sea.
'This document is very important because it shows the pilot was flying on the right route and was on schedule and didn't fly to the east as speculated.'
Other more outlandish theories have suggested that Miller, best known for his hit In The Mood, was a spy and made it to France, or was captured by the Germans.
Mr Anderton's notebook, valued at £1,000, is featured on the Antiques Roadshow tomorrow. He was working at a factory at Woodley Airfield in Berkshire when he saw the plane and made a note of it.
But he did not realise it might be Miller's until 1969 when he read a newspaper article about him. He didn't mention it to anyone, and it was only after he died that his family found the notebook.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1j1DKrfwN
By David Wilkes
For almost 70 years, Glenn Miller's death in a wartime plane crash over the Channel has been a source of fascination and speculation.
Neither the great American bandleader's body nor the wreckage were ever found, leading to countless claims of a cover-up.
But now a previously unreported sighting of the doomed plane has emerged in a teenage planespotter's notebook – and seems to shatter the main theory over Miller's death.
The popular explanation suggested that after taking off from England on December 15, 1944, for Paris, where he was due to give a series of morale-boosting concerts to troops, Miller's Norseman light aircraft was hit by a bomb jettisoned by an RAF Lancaster returning to England after an aborted raid on Germany.
But now it has emerged that Richard Anderton, then 17, jotted in his notebook how he saw Miller's plane that day east of Reading – and west of London – flying in an east-south-east direction towards the Sussex coast.
The timings suggest the Norseman was miles away from the bomb jettison zone over the Channel.
The significance of the sighting was established after the notebook was taken to a BBC Antiques Roadshow event for valuation by relatives of Mr Anderton, who died in 1982.
The Notebook: The Glenn Miller archive in Colorado is satisfied that the highlighted line '1 Norseman going ESE' refers to Miller's plane
The Notebook: The Glenn Miller archive in Colorado is satisfied that the highlighted line '1 Norseman going ESE' refers to Miller's plane
Eyewitness: Richard Anderton who noted his sighting of Miller's plane in his logbook
Eyewitness: Richard Anderton who noted his sighting of Miller's plane in his logbook
It supports the original, official version of events that Miller's plane crashed in the sea due to pilot or mechanical error.
Dennis Spragg, historian at the Glenn Miller Archive in Colorado, U.S., which has authenticated Mr Anderton's sighting, said: 'One theory for the cause of the crash was that the pilot strayed east into a restricted zone for bombers and the plane was struck by friendly fire.
'But by December 1944, when the Allies were in control of northern France, it would have been extremely problematic to have a bomb jettison zone off the south coast because of the location of transport routes for aircraft and pipelines under the Channel. It is likely the restricted area was further east towards the North Sea.
'This document is very important because it shows the pilot was flying on the right route and was on schedule and didn't fly to the east as speculated.'
Other more outlandish theories have suggested that Miller, best known for his hit In The Mood, was a spy and made it to France, or was captured by the Germans.
Mr Anderton's notebook, valued at £1,000, is featured on the Antiques Roadshow tomorrow. He was working at a factory at Woodley Airfield in Berkshire when he saw the plane and made a note of it.
But he did not realise it might be Miller's until 1969 when he read a newspaper article about him. He didn't mention it to anyone, and it was only after he died that his family found the notebook.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1j1DKrfwN
Re: Sighting of Glenn Miller's doomed plane
Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:30 pm
I wonder how many Norsemen were flying over southern England on that particular day? 
Re: Sighting of Glenn Miller's doomed plane
Tue Jan 10, 2012 2:10 am
Is it April 1 already?! 
Re: Sighting of Glenn Miller's doomed plane
Tue Jan 10, 2012 2:46 am
sounds like a longshot at best. question.......... what is the average depth of the channel??
Re: Sighting of Glenn Miller's doomed plane
Tue Jan 10, 2012 9:36 am
This latest 'revelation' is a sighting in the air of a Norseman heading SSE (not ESE) over Reading that day. Looking at the photo of the logbook entry, I'm prepared to believe the observer would know what a Norseman looked like and it's generally agreed that Miller's was the only one airborne that time and day.tom d. friedman wrote:sounds like a longshot at best. question.......... what is the average depth of the channel??
It doesn't add much to the mystery[sic] except to cast further doubts on the friendly fire (jettisoned bomb) theory.
If you want to refresh your memory on the whole affair, try this:
http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/A2654822
Re: Sighting of Glenn Miller's doomed plane
Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:12 am
tom d. friedman wrote:sounds like a longshot at best. question.......... what is the average depth of the channel??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Channel Tom, scroll down to "geography"