http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/101/nation/Log_that_may_tell_of_Glenn_Miller _death_to_be_sold+.shtml Log that may tell of Glenn Miller death to be sold Jettisoned bombs may have hit plane By Mara D. Bellaby, Associated Press, 04/11/99 LONDON - A military logbook that sheds light on the disappearance of the American bandleader Glenn Miller in World War II will be up for auction next week, and will offer a chance to own a clue to one of aviation's most captivating puzzles. Miller, who created the 1940s big band sound, was en route to France to organize concerts for Allied troops when his plane disappeared over the English Channel on a foggy December day in 1944. No trace has ever been found of the single-engine aircraft, or of its passengers. Bad weather was viewed as the most likely cause, until the mid-1980s, when the flight log was produced. It suggests a more haunting theory: Miller's plane may have been blasted out of the sky by bombs jettisoned by a Royal Air Force squadron returning from an aborted raid on Germany. ''There are many theories ... and we'll never know for sure what happened. But this is certainly an intriguing possibility,'' said Stephen Maycock, an aeronautical specialist with Sotheby's, which is auctioning the logbook on Tuesday. The book, which belonged to the late Royal Air Force navigator Fred Shaw, will be sold with a letter from Britain's Ministry of Defense, bolstering the theory and a bundle of newspaper clippings and other materials. The items are expected to fetch $960 to $1,300. ''Glenn Miller is an extremely important character, and this is a fascinating story that has captured people's imaginations,'' said Rachel Aked, a Sotheby's spokeswoman. The trombonist's fans have spent decades trying to determine what happened to him on Dec. 15, 1944. It was not until the mid-1980s that Shaw dug out his logbook after going to see the film ''The Glenn Miller Story,'' which chronicles the life of the man who recorded such songs as ''In the Mood'' and ''Moonlight Serenade.'' In a single entry - ''Ops. Siegen Canceled. Jettison Southern Area'' - the logbook confirmed what Shaw had suspected: Miller's plane disappeared on the day that Shaw's squadron aborted a bombing raid on Siegen, Germany, and let loose their 4,000-pound bombs over the English Channel. The bombs, which had to be discarded before the bombers could safely land, exploded just above the water. Shaw remembered seeing a small plane spiraling out of control after the bombs were dropped. ''Around it, I could see the sea bubbling and blistering with the exploding bombs. As each bomb burst, I could see the blast wave from it radiating outwards.... It was obvious to me that airplane below was in trouble,'' he once said. ''Eventually, I saw it disappear into the English Channel.'' The downed plane was not reported, but Shaw's story was corroborated by other squadron members. And in 1985, Britain's Ministry of Defense wrote a letter to Shaw conceding his theory ''is certainly possible.'' ''In retrospect, we now lean towards this being the most likely solution to the `mystery,''' the department concluded. This story ran on page A16 of the Boston Globe on 04/11/99. � Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.
