The remains of a World War II fighter pilot from South Dakota will be laid to rest in his home town of Miller next week more than 70 years after he went missing during a fierce combat mission. The remains and some personal items belonging to 1st Lt. Ben B. Barnes were recovered by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency from a crash site northeast of Berlin. Barnes will be laid to rest at a ceremony at 2 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the GAR Cemetery in Miller. Barnes remained missing and presumed dead for decades, in part because the area where he crashed was located in East Germany behind the Iron Curtain after World War II ended and the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States began.
His final mission came on Dec. 5, 1944. Barnes, flying with the 361st Fighter Squadron, 356th Fighter Group, was on an escort mission to protect U.S. bombers. Following the bombing run, the group spotted 40 to 60 German FW-190 fighters, according to an after-action report by 2nd Lt. John Lindsay, who was Barnes’ wingman. Barnes was leading a group of fighters to attack when about five German fighters jumped them from behind. Lindsay reported becoming separated from Barnes in the ensuing dogfight, which lasted about 15 minutes. Full Story»