Vanished: The Sixty-Year Search for the Missing Men of World War II

In the fall of 1944, a massive American bomber carrying eleven men vanished over the Pacific islands of Palau, leaving a trail of mysteries. According to mission reports from the Army Air Forces, the plane crashed in shallow water - but when investigators went to find it, the wreckage wasn't there. Witnesses saw the crew parachute to safety, yet the airmen were never seen again. Some of their relatives whispered that they had returned to the United States in secret and lived in hiding. But they never explained why. For sixty years, the U.S. government, the children of the missing airmen, and a maverick team of scientists and scuba divers searched the islands for clues. They trolled the water with side-scan sonar, conducted grid searches on the seafloor, crawled through thickets of mangrove and poison trees, and flew over the islands in small planes to shoot infrared photography. With every clue they found, the mystery only deepened. Now, in a spellbinding narrative, Wil S. Hylton weaves together the true story of the missing men, their final mission, the families they left behind, and the real reason their disappearance remained shrouded in secrecy for so long. This is a story of love, loss, sacrifice, and faith - of the undying hope among the families of the missing, and the relentless determination of scientists, explorers, archaeologists, and deep-sea divers to solve one of the enduring mysteries of World War II. Praise for Vanished 'A powerful tale of war that's also a briskly paced thriller of forensic sleuthing. Read Vanished , and you'll never think the same again about the Pacific theater - or the heroic fliers who gave their lives fighting in it.' Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers 'A breathtaking work of literary journalism and a dazzling debut. Vanished unfolds like a cinematic mystery while exploring the eternal questions of war, love, and loss. Hylton is a master storyteller.' Philipp Meyer, author of The Son 'A great read. Wil Hylton documents America's noblest policy in riveting narrative detail.' Stephen Hunter, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Third Bullet 'This is an astonishing, kaleidoscopic book - part mystery, thriller, and ghost story that happens to be true. I read it with goose bumps, convinced that Vanished will take its place among the classics of World War 11 literature. Wil Hylton is a storyteller extraordinaire.' Michael Paterniti, author of Driving Mr. Albert 'One of the best journalists working today.' John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead 'A B-24 bomber is shot down over Palau in 1944, its crew never recovered. After sixty years, one hardly expects a happy ending, yet such is the love of the airmen's families, and the dedication of the men and women who take up the search, that a fierce hope burns through every page of Vanished . Wil Hylton has given us a superb book.' Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk 'Spellbinding, moving, and masterfully researched, Vanished is at once a first-rate mystery and an ode to the timelessness of a loved one's memories.' Robert Kurson, author of Shadow Divers