After 80 years of being missing, a fighter plane that mysteriously vanished during a bold raid on Italy has been discovered.

World War II Fighter Plane Found

On August 25, 1943, US airman Warren Singer disappeared with his P-38 Lightning. This happened during an attack over the airfields of Italy close to Foggia at the coutnry's east.

The mission aimed to blunt the aerial response of the country to the coming landings. It was then found to be a success. However, on top of destroying up to 65 planes of the enemy, it came at the expense of the P-38s.

However, the second lieutenant Singer was never able to reach his target. Records of the air force also show that the airman was last seen flying close to Manfredonia, which is situated 22 miles at Foggia's east.

Now, after 80 years, divers were able to find the plane wreckage 12 meters deep in the Gulf of Manfredonia.

According to Dr. Fabio Bisciotti, who heads the underwater study group of the Italian Naval League, no body traces have been found. Bisciotti thinks that 2nd Lt. Singer could have escaped the wreckage but eventually ended up drowning, adding that the windows were found to be open. Singer could have tried swimming but ended up going down due to his uniform.

The diver was able to identify that the plane wreck was a P-38 because of the unique twin-boom design of the structure. He was also able to narrow down the finding to the aircraft of Singer, as records reveal that Signer's P-38 was the only one that was lost at sea in this specific region.

Singer was a 22-year-old second year student from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign when his disappearance happened. He is survived by Margaret, his wife, whom he married just five months prior. Margaret later birthed Peggy, their daughter, in January 1944. Singer was declared dead after a year and one day.

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Flying P-38 Crafts

In the Lightning Strikes publication of the P-38 National Association, Steve Blake, a historian, recounted the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Singer. He noted that during that day, 166 crafts took off all the way from Tunisia. They flew easily and crossed the Italian peninsula, then followed the coast to Manfredonia's north before moving to Foggia.

Among the planes that took off, 137 were able to reach the target. The others ended up turning back due to different mechanical issues. One P-38, Singer's plane, ended up totally vanishing.

According to the reports, Singer was last seen when he turned back to join Lieutenant Carl Hendrix at the coast.

While both the US and Italy were at war during the time of Singer's death, Dr. Bisciottie explains that it was an honor to identify the plane of Singer, noting that whether he was a friend or enemy did not matter as Singer was still a human being after all.

The DPAA (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) has also been alerted of the finding.

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