A US Marines plane that went down during World War Two has been discovered in the South Pacific, 80 years after it went missing in action, DailyMail.com can confirm.
The twisted wreckage of a Douglas SBD Dauntless was found in January in the jungle of Papua New Guinea by locals who had heard tales of a nearby crash for generations.
Photos of the plane’s serial number (35971) match a Dauntless that went down on January 14, 1944 with pilot Lt. Billy Ray Ramsey and gunner Sgt. Charlie J. Sciara aboard.
The two Marines were officially declared dead within a year of the crash, but their remains have not been recovered, and both remain listed as Missing In Action (MIA).
US Department of Defense officials told DailyMail.com this week they are aware of the reports of the wreck and are currently working to get a team of investigators to the site.
A US Marines plane that went down during World War Two has been discovered in the South Pacific, 80 years after it went missing in action
Pilot Lt. Billy Ray Ramsey (left) was killed in the crash, while gunner Sgt. Charlie J. Sciara (right) is believed to have died soon after in a Japanese POW camp
Pictures from the crash site on the island of New Ireland show the engine, propeller and wreckage from the downed plane littered across the jungle floor.
According to locals who discovered the wreckage, human remains were also found with the wreck – but their identity has not yet been confirmed.
‘The story was told by some of our grandparents and passed on to us that there was a plane crash on the mountain part of the jungle, but they did not know where exactly it crashed,’ said local Kilala Kindau, who led the team that made the find.
Kindau said his team conducted a search through the jungle in December into January before locating the wreckage.
Kindau said his team found a serial number on the wreckage and sent it to the US embassy, which confirmed the plane was American.
‘The plane was crashed and broke into three pieces, leaving the pilot trapped inside and unable to escape,’ he said.
That fits with accounts of tragic final mission of Ramsey’s Dauntless, which was assigned to Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 236, also known as the ‘Black Panthers’.
On January 14, 1944, the light bomber took off from Munda Airfield on New Georgia with Ramsey at the controls and Sciara manning the rear gunner position.
A group of US Navy Douglas Dauntless dive-bombers prepare for a run on Japanese-held Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands, 1944
The incident was recorded in the war diary of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 236, also known as the ‘Black Panthers’
On January 14, 1944, the light bomber took off from Munda Airfield on New Georgia with Ramsey at the controls and Sciara manning the rear gunner position
Pictures from the crash site show the engine and propeller and shrapnel from the downed plane littered across the jungle floor
Parts of the plane are seen after they were found across the jungle floor in Papua New Guinea
Kilala Kindau said his team conducted a search through the jungle in December into January before locating the wreckage
The SBD Dauntless was found in early January deep in the jungle in Papua New Guinea
The target was Japanese shipping in the vicinity of Rabaul Harbor, and the attack force included 36 Dauntless planes and 18 TBF Avengers escorted by 73 fighters.
War records indicate the mission encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire and was intercepted by multiple waves of enemy fighters.
‘Lt. Billy R. Ramsey of this squadron had his tail shot off by anti-aircraft fire while the flight was approaching the target area,’ according to the squadron’s war diary.
When last seen the plane was in a ‘flat spin,’ according to the diary.
Initially, both Ramsey and Sciara were presumed dead in the crash, but after the war ended, information came to light indicating that Sciara survived and was captured by Japanese forces.
‘After the war my parents received a letter from the Marine Corps stating Sgt Charles Sciara did not die on January 14, 1944,’ said Sciara’s brother John Sciara in a remembrance posted to Pacific Wrecks.
‘He somehow survived the crash and was taken prisoner by the Japanese and died in an unknown prison camp,’ he added.
‘They say he might have died February 22, 1944 from Malaria and beri-beri. He probably was murdered by the Japanese,’ the brother said. ‘My family was very upset after the war and was not sure what to believe.’
John was only 10 months old when his brother died, and never saw him alive. Sgt. Sciara, a Brooklyn native, was 20 at the time of his death in a POW camp.
‘They and many others gave up their tomorrows for our todays,’ said John in the online tribute.
Ramsey, the pilot from Eastland, Texas, is believed to have died in the crash. He was posthumously promoted to captain and earned the Purple Heart.
Both Ramsey and Sciara are memorialized on the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery. Sciara also has a memorial marker at Arlington National Cemetery, in section H.
Kindau said his team found a serial number on the wreckage and sent it to the US embassy, which confirmed the plane was American
‘Lt. Billy R. Ramsey of this squadron had his tail shot off by anti-aircraft fire while the flight was approaching the target area,’ according to the squadron’s war diary
Photos of the wrecked plane’s serial number 35971 match that of a Dauntless that went down on January 14, 1944
Another piece of wreckage with identifying marks and and a transcription is seen above
Ammunition and other items found at the crash site are seen above
DailyMail.com was unable to locate surviving family members of either Ramsey or Sciara.
The Dauntless was a versatile naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944, which flew from both carriers and airstrips.
The constructor’s number on the wreck – 4610 – matches up to information on Ramsey’s Dauntless available online.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, part of the US Department of Defense, is charged with recovering American military personnel who are prisoners of war or missing in action.
A spokesperson said on Wednesday: ‘DPAA has received multiple reports that wreckage potentially associated with missing personnel was recently discovered on New Ireland, Papua New Guinea.
‘We are working to get a team of investigators to the site as soon as we can.
‘As the agency responsible for recovering the remains of Americans missing from past conflicts, DPAA is committed to pursuing this lead.’