http://news.yam.com/cna/international/200806/20080625183218.html
美国将搜索印度东北边境二战失踪美军遗骸
中央社╱中央社 2008-06-25 14:27
（中央社记者郭传信新德里二
五日专电）自二零零六年二月，在印度东北部阿鲁纳查省东桑朗地区发现一架第二次世界大战期间的美军军机残骸后，美国军方联合战俘及作战失踪人员鉴定指挥部开端与印度官方联系，准备在今秋前往当地搜索失踪美军的遗骸。
二次大战期间，以美军为主的盟军协助中国军队对抗日本，并在印度东北部阿萨姆省和中国云南昆明之间，开辟了一条转运战略物资的空中通道，由美军飞行员驾机往来进行大规模的空中运补任务。
但这条又名「驼峰」的航线，经过地区都是海拔四千五百到五千五百公尺的高峰，由于地形与气候恶劣，又被称为「死亡航线」，许多盟军飞机常在中途坠毁或失踪。据联合战俘及作战失踪人员鉴定指挥部估计，仅是在印度东北地区下落未知的美军机员就有四百多人。
其他在邻近的中国和缅甸边境地区，坠机失踪的美军人数也将近一千人。
「英国广播公司」今天引述联合战俘及作战失踪人员鉴定指挥部发言人戴桑提斯报导，美方曾在今年三月与印度政府洽谈美军B-24轰炸机残骸的事情，并希望前往阿省地区鉴定和找寻飞机上失踪美军的遗骸。
戴桑提斯说，美方当前已派遣调查小组前往阿鲁纳查省，与当地官员实地商谈搜索任务事宜，包含在今年初秋就前往发现地区查看，评估可能的后勤需求，作为后继搜索小组的任务准备。
戴桑提斯表示，搜索小组的任务将会在九月雨季退出后展开，并预计在今年底前完成所有任务。
美国军方联合战俘及作战失踪人员鉴定指挥部，专责调查和找寻美国在世界各地战争中被俘或失踪的美军下落。据报导，第二次世界大战失踪的美军超过七万八千人，被认为找回的遗体约有三万五千具。
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7471494.stm
US seeks pilot remains in India
By Subir Bhaumik
BBC News, Guwahati
A US team is visiting the remote state of Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India to search for the remains of US pilots who crashed during WWII.
US Consul-General in Calcutta Henry Jardine told the BBC the mission "was in its preliminary stages".
It is thought the remains of up to 400 Americans could still be in Arunachal Pradesh, which borders Burma and China.
Many more servicemen went missing during allied operations to supply China's Kuomintang army fighting Japan.
The team which has been sent is from the US Joint POW-MIA Accounting Comand (Jpac).
"We are just going to Arunachal Pradesh to speak to various people in the government who could help in the search," said Mr Jardine, who is accompanying the team.
Jpac conducts investigation and recovery missions for US defence personnel around the world who went missing during America's many wars.
More than 78,000 Americans are unaccounted for from World War II, with the remains of about 35,000 deemed recoverable.
'The Hump'
The groundwork for the investigation mission to Arunachal Pradesh was done during a meeting between its officials and those of the Indian government in Delhi in March.
During the meeting, the officials discussed a tentative timeline for future investigations and recoveries of aircraft crash sites associated with missing US servicemen from World War II, said Jpac spokesman Major Brian DeSantis.
"Now our team is going to Arunachal Pradesh to discuss details of future operations with Ministry of Defence and Arunachal Pradesh officials.
"This will be followed by site visits in early fall [autumn] to determine the scope of debris fields and evaluate unique logistical requirements associated with each site. This process sets the groundwork for future recovery teams," said Major DeSantis.
The first full excavation mission should begin after the monsoon and is scheduled to be finished by the end of the year, he said.
There are more than 1,300 individuals missing - primarily from aircraft crashes - in and around the border area between India, Burma and China, an area known to pilots as "the Hump".
The dangers of flying over the region have been recounted by veterans like Jack Barnard.
While it is impossible to say with certainty in which country a specific plane was lost, Jpac analysts estimate that more than 400 Americans are unaccounted for in Arunachal Pradesh.
Many of the crash sites are across the border in Burma and not accessible to the US team because the Burmese military is not expected to co-operate.
'Every spare moment'
The Jpac mission to Arunachal Pradesh will make the likes of Gary Zaetz very happy.
His uncle, US Army Air Force 1st Lieutenant Irwin "Zipper" Zaetz, disappeared along with his entire crew on 25 January, 1944 when his B-24 Liberator aircraft failed to arrive at Chabua airfield in India's Assam state from Kunming in China.
Then last summer, Mr Zaetz learnt that wreckage had been discovered in the district of East Siang in Arunachal Pradesh in December 2006.
"Since learning of this find, my father and I have spent every spare moment searching for relatives of the other crewmen and have worked with the US government to arrange the sending of a recovery team to the site of the crash," Gary Zaetz said in an email.
Allied pilots flew thousands of sorties to supply the Kuomintang army fighting against Japan.
The planes took off from airfields in north-east India and flew into China's Yunan Province, but many like Irwin Zaetz just vanished over "the Hump".
Later, the Allies built the Stilwell Road connecting north-east India to Yunan through Burma to beef up supplies to keep China in the war.
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