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Press Release | March 18, 2026

Pilot Accounted For From World War II (Mossman, Jr., E.)

WASHINGTON  –  

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Edward T. Mossman, Jr., 24, killed during World War II, was accounted for Jan. 6, 2026.

In December 1944, Mossman was assigned to the 510th Fighter Squadron, 405th Fighter Group in the European Theater. He was piloting a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter on an armed reconnaissance mission to Saint-Vith, Belgium, when his plane was hit in the wing by anti-aircraft fire. An eyewitness said the plane flipped on its back, but Mossman was able to recover and began descending to the ground. However, he never returned to base. There is no evidence Mossman survived or was a prisoner of war.

This is an initial release. The complete accounting of Mossman’s case will be published once his family receives a full briefing.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving their country, visit the DPAA website at www.dpaa.mil or on social media at www.facebook.com/dodpaahttps://www.linkedin.com/company/dodpaahttps://www.instagram.com/dodpaa/, or https://x.com/dodpaa.