On December 15, 1944, Maj. Alton Glenn Miller, commanding officer of the Army Air Force Band (Special), boarded a plane in England bound for France with Lt. Col. Norman Francis Baessell. Somewhere over the English Channel the plane vanished. No trace of the aircraft or its occupants has ever been found. To this day Miller, Baessell, and the pilot, John Robert Stuart Morgan, are classified as missing in action. Weaving together cultural and military history, Glenn Miller Declassified tells the story of the musical legend Miller and his military career as commanding officer of the Army Air Force Band during World War II. Miller’s disappearance resulted in numerous conspiracy theories, especially since much of the information surrounding his military service had been classified, restricted, or, in some cases, lost. Dennis M. Spragg has gained unprecedented access to the Miller family archives as well as military and government documents to lay such theories to rest and to demonstrate the lasting legacy and importance of Miller’s life, career, and service to his country.
Dennis M. Spragg is the senior consultant of the Glenn Miller Archives and the American Music Research Center at the University of Colorado–Boulder. A veteran broadcasting and media research professional, he is an internationally known expert on Glenn Miller who has been featured in the PBS television series History Detectives, the series Mysteries at the Museum, two BBC Radio productions, numerous media interviews, and many presentations. For more information about Glenn Miller Declassified, visit dennismspragg.com.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Author’s Note List of Abbreviations Prelude Part 1. Sustineo Alas 1. A Sense of Duty 2. Director of Bands 3. Shotgun Marriage Part 2. Oranges and Lemons 4. A Hunk o’ Home 5. The Far Shore 6. Stormy Weather Part 3. Per Ardua ad Astra 7. Bomber Autobahn 8. On the Continent 9. Homeward Bound Coda Notes Bibliography Index
