Vanished

From a mesmerizing storyteller, the gripping search for a missing World War II crew, their bomber plane, and their legacy.

On September 1, 1944, a massive American bomber carrying eleven men vanished over the tiny Pacific archipelago of Palau, leaving behind a trail of mysteries.

For more than sixty years, the U.S. government, the children of the missing airmen, and a maverick team of scientists and scuba divers searched the archipelago for clues with cutting-edge technology and unyielding determination. They crawled through thickets of mangrove and slogged into groves of poison trees, flew over the islands in private planes shooting infrared photography, trolled the water with magnetometers and side-scan sonar, and launched grid searches on the seafloor, but the trail seemed to lead nowhere. Now, in a spellbinding narrative, Wil S. Hylton weaves together the true tale of the missing men, their final days, the loved ones left wondering, and the broad sweep of world events that converged upon their last mission.

With more than 56,000 troops still missing, the Pacific theater of World War II accounts for two-thirds of all American MIAs over the past century. These soldiers have never been seen again. But our government has never stopped trying to find them, and for two generations, their families have passed down the wounds of war, unable to find closure in a story without an ending. This is the story of those missing soldiers, the families they left behind, and the legion of scientists, explorers, archeologists, and deep-sea divers who offered everything to finally give their story an ending.

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Praise for Wil S. Hylton

 

“ Wil is not only a tenacious reporter, hes also a gifted storyteller. . . . By now you should know that when you see Wils byline on a piece, it doesnt really matter what its about. Just read it.”—Hugo Lindgren, The New York Times Magazine

 

“ There is no boosterism or puffery in saying that Wil Hylton is one of the best journalists

working today. I never read a piece of his that doesnt transport me and teach me something. But this story needed to be bigger, needed to be a book, and in order to tell it Hylton became an even better writer.” —John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead

 

Praise for Vanished

“This is an astonishing, kaleidoscopic book—part mystery, thriller, and ghost story that happens to be true. I read it with goosebumps, convinced that Vanished will take its place among the classics of World War II literature. Wil Hylton is a storyteller extraordinaire. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for honoring the fallen with such clear-eyed, big-hearted power here.”—Michael Paterniti, author of The Telling Room

 

"A breathtaking work of literary journalism and a dazzling debut. Vanished unfolds like a cinematic mystery while exploring the eternal questions of war, love, and loss. Hylton is a master storyteller."—Philipp Meyer, author of American Rust

 

Praise for Wil S. Hylton

 

“Wil is not only a tenacious reporter, hes also a gifted storyteller. . . . By now you should know that when you see Wils byline on a piece, it doesnt really matter what its about. Just read it.”—Hugo Lindgren, The New York Times Magazine

 

“There is no boosterism or puffery in saying that Wil Hylton is one of the best journalists working today.” —John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead

Praise for Vanished

and#8220;This is an astonishing, kaleidoscopic bookand#8212;part mystery, thriller, and ghost story that happens to be true. I read it with goosebumps, convinced that Vanished will take its place among the classics of World War II literature. Wil Hylton is a storyteller extraordinaire. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for honoring the fallen with such clear-eyed, big-hearted power here.and#8221;and#8212;Michael Paterniti, author of The Telling Room

and#160;

"A breathtaking work of literary journalism and a dazzling debut. Vanished unfolds like a cinematic mystery while exploring the eternal questions of war, love, and loss. Hylton is a master storyteller."and#8212;Philipp Meyer, author of American Rust

and#160;

Praise for Wil S. Hylton

and#160;

and#8220;Wil is not only a tenacious reporter, heand#8217;s also a gifted storyteller. . . . By now you should know that when you see Wiland#8217;s byline on a piece, it doesnand#8217;t really matter what itand#8217;s about. Just read it.and#8221;and#8212;Hugo Lindgren, The New York Times Magazine

and#160;

and#8220;There is no boosterism or puffery in saying that Wil Hylton is one of the best journalists working today.and#8221; and#8212;John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead

Praise for Vanished

 

"A powerful tale of war that's also a briskly-paced thriller of forensic sleuthing. Read Vanished, and you'll never think the same way again about the Pacific Theater—or the heroic flyers who gave their lives fighting in it."—Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers

 

"A B-24 bomber is shot down over Palau in 1944, its crew never recovered.  After sixty years, one hardly expects a happy ending, yet such is the love of the airmen's families, and the dedication of the men and women who take up the search, that a fierce hope burns through every page of Vanished.  Wil Hylton has given us a superb book."—Ben Fountain, author of Billy Lynn's Long Half-Time Walk

"Spellbinding, moving, and masterfully researched, Vanished is at once a first-rate mystery and an ode to the timelessness of a loved ones memories. In writing it, Wil Hylton has done more than tell a beautiful story; he has spoken, as his heroes do, to one of mans noblest instincts, that no one should be left behind." —Robert Kurson, author of Shadow Divers

“A beautifully reported tale sprawling from Texas to the South Pacific. Hylton writes about fathers and sons, what is lost forever, and what can be found after all hope is gone. Vanished is a crucial book for anyone who cares about the cost of war.” —Stephen Rodrick, author of The Magical Stranger

 

“A great read. Wil Hylton documents Americas noblest policy in riveting narrative detail.” —Stephen Hunter, Pultizer Prize-winning author of The Third Bullet

 

“This is an astonishing, kaleidoscopic book—part mystery, thriller, and ghost story that happens to be true. I read it with goose bumps, convinced that Vanished will take its place among the classics of World War II literature. Wil Hylton is a storyteller extraordinaire. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for honoring the fallen with such clear-eyed, bighearted power here.”—Michael Paterniti, author of Driving Mr. Albert

 

“A breathtaking work of literary journalism and a dazzling debut. Vanished unfolds like a cinematic mystery while exploring the eternal questions of war, love, and loss. Hylton is a master storyteller.”—Philipp Meyer, author of The Son

 

“One of the best journalists working today.”—John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead

"A powerful story, masterfully told."—GQ

"[A] deeply textured, propulsive new book...Hylton has fashioned something far more enduring than a feel-good read...Beyond the technical strength of Hylton's achievement...there are passages so expressive that we're constantly reminded we're in the hands of a phenomenal writer."—TIME.com

"Vanished...marries an almost cinematically well-paced narrative with a deep sensitivity to the people whose lives it tells."—The Boston Globe

"Superb... Part Pacific Theater history, part Indiana Jones thriller, Vanished pays tribute to the men who were lost in a largely forgotten campaign, and it celebrates the determination of the divers and scientists who risk their lives in exotic places to bring the missing home."—Newsday

"Bring[s] to life the exploits of a team of modern-day sleuths hell-bent on tracking down the remains of World War II MIAs from the Pacific Ocean theatre...Gives poignant insights into the families of the missing men."—BookPage

 

Praise for Vanished

and#160;

"Spellbinding, moving, and masterfully researched, Vanished is at once a first-rate mystery and an ode to the timelessness of a loved oneand#8217;s memories. In writing it, Wil Hylton has done more than tell a beautiful story; he has spoken, as his heroes do, to one of manand#8217;s noblest instincts, that no one should be left behind." and#8212;Robert Kurson, author of Shadow Divers

and#8220;A beautifully reported tale sprawling from Texas to the South Pacific. Hylton writes about fathers and sons, what is lost forever, and what can be found after all hope is gone. Vanished is a crucial book for anyone who cares about the cost of war.and#8221; and#8212;Stephen Rodrick, author of The Magical Stranger

and#160;

and#8220;A great read. Wil Hylton documents Americaand#8217;s noblest policy in riveting narrative detail.and#8221; and#8212;Stephen Hunter, Pultizer Prize-winning author of The Third Bullet

and#160;

and#8220;This is an astonishing, kaleidoscopic bookand#8212;part mystery, thriller, and ghost story that happens to be true. I read it with goose bumps, convinced that Vanished will take its place among the classics of World War II literature. Wil Hylton is a storyteller extraordinaire. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude for honoring the fallen with such clear-eyed, bighearted power here.and#8221;and#8212;Michael Paterniti, author of Driving Mr. Albert

and#160;

and#8220;A breathtaking work of literary journalism and a dazzling debut. Vanished unfolds like a cinematic mystery while exploring the eternal questions of war, love, and loss. Hylton is a master storyteller.and#8221;and#8212;Philipp Meyer, author ofand#160;The Son

and#160;

and#8220;There is no boosterism or puffery in saying that Wil Hylton is one of the best journalists working today.and#8221;and#8212;John Jeremiah Sullivan, author ofand#160;Pulphead

Praised by Robert Kurson, Philipp Meyer, Hampton Sides, Michael Paterniti, and many others
"A powerful story, masterfully told." GQ
" A] deeply textured, propulsive new book...a phenomenal writer." TIME.com
"Marries an almost cinematically well-paced narrative with a deep sensitivity to the people whose lives it tells." The Boston Globe
"Superb... Part Pacific Theater history, part Indiana Jones thriller." Newsday
As featured on NPR'sWeekend Edition and The Diane Rehm Show
In the fall of 1944, a massive American bomber carrying eleven men vanished over the Pacificislands of Palau, leaving a trail of mysteries. According to mission reports from the Army Air Forces, the plane crashed in shallow water but when investigators went to find it, the wreckage wasn't there. Witnesses saw the crew parachute to safety, yet the airmen were never seen again. Some of their relatives whispered that they had returned to the United States in secret and lived in hiding. But they never explained why.
For sixty years, the U.S. government, the children of the missing airmen, and a maverick team of scientists and scuba divers searched theislands for clues. They trolled the water with side-scan sonar, conducted grid searches on the seafloor, crawled through thickets of mangrove and poison trees, and flew over the islands in small planes to shoot infrared photography. With every clue they found, the mystery only deepened.
Now, in a spellbinding narrative, Wil S. Hylton weaves together the true story of the missing men, their final mission, the families they left behind, and the real reason their disappearance remained shrouded in secrecy for so long. This is a story of love, loss, sacrifice, and faith
of the undying hope among the families of the missing, and the relentless determination of scientists, explorers, archaeologists, and deep-sea divers to solve one of the enduring mysteries of World War II."

In the fall of 1944, a massive American bomber carrying eleven men vanished over the Pacific islands of Palau, leaving a trail of mysteries. According to mission reports from the Army Air Forces, the plane crashed in shallow water — but when investigators went to find it, the wreckage wasn't there. Witnesses saw the crew parachute to safety, yet the airmen were never seen again. Some of their relatives whispered that they had returned to the United States in secret and lived in hiding. But they never explained why.

For sixty years, the U.S. government, the children of the missing airmen, and a maverick team of scientists and scuba divers searched the islands for clues. They trolled the water with side-scan sonar, conducted grid searches on the seafloor, crawled through thickets of mangrove and poison trees, and flew over the islands in small planes to shoot infrared photography. With every clue they found, the mystery only deepened.

Now, in a spellbinding narrative, Wil S. Hylton weaves together the true story of the missing men, their final mission, the families they left behind, and the real reason their disappearance remained shrouded in secrecy for so long. This is a story of love, loss, sacrifice, and faith — of the undying hope among the families of the missing, and the relentless determination of scientists, explorers, archaeologists, and deep-sea divers to solve one of the enduring mysteries of World War II.

Wil S. Hylton is a contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine. His award-winning stories have appeared in many national magazines, including Harpers, Esquire, GQ, and Rolling Stone, and have been chosen for the books The Best American Political Writing, Best Music Writing, and The Best Business Stories of the Year. He teaches creative nonfiction in the Masters in Writing program at Johns Hopkins University. Vanished is his first book.