Paratroopers during the 70th anniversary of the landing in 2014. - JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD / AFP

Missing for seventy-five years, an American fighter pilot who officiated during the Second World War has been identified. Second lieutenant William James McGowan, 23, was shot down on his P47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber on June 6, 1944, Actu Normandie reports on Wednesday.

The aircraft had crashed in Moon-sur-Elle (Manche) after being hit by a German missile fire. The remains of William James McGowan have so far never been identified.

Fruitful investigations in 2018

Despite searches carried out in 1947 at the crash site, the American authorities had declared that the body found in the carcass of the fighter-bomber was irretrievable, making identification of the lieutenant impossible. His family members, however, never gave up the search.

In 2010, new investigations were led by the Missing in Action Accounting Agency (DDPA), the agency responsible for finding missing American soldiers, explains Normandie Actu. After interrogating witnesses to the crash and discovering new elements, new excavations were undertaken in August 2018. Human remains were then found on the site, as well as debris from the aircraft.

First soldier buried in twenty-three years

In May 2019, DNA analyzes finally revealed that it was indeed the body of William James McGowan. "To say that my DNA identified my uncle 75 years after his death is impressive," said Anne Gray, the lieutenant's niece who was from Minnesota.

In the American cemetery of Colleville (Seine-Maritime), a rosette - a sign allowing to confirm that a body has indeed been identified - will be placed next to his name on the wall of the missing soldiers, reports Actu Normandie. The remains of the American soldier will be buried next July in this cemetery. It will be the first American soldier buried in twenty-three years, specifies the regional daily.

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