What happened to Glenn Miller? The 80-year mystery

“Military observers charted the aircraft south from England over Beachy Head between 14:30 and 14:45. But it did not appear over France,” said Dennis Spragg, who has written a biography on Glenn Miller.

His band arrived in Paris on 18 December expecting to meet their leader. Confused, they contacted the military authorities, who had not been informed of his travel plans.

“He was in violation of his actual travel orders. However, under pressure to meet a deadline, he had sought to perform his duties as he saw fit,” said Mr Spragg.

“The gravity of the Glenn Miller disappearance caused shockwaves from London to Washington,” he added.

No trace of the Norseman nor the men on board has ever been found.

Various theories have sprung up to explain Miller’s disappearance, although most agreed the plane had gone down over the English Channel.

Was it shot down by enemy bombers, or the victim of friendly fire? Had it accidentally been hit by bombs discharged from Allied aircraft?

Others claimed Miller had made it to Paris and was at the Allies’ HQ when a German group attacked, or he died in a brothel in the French capital.