Archaeologists work to find missing pilot

The pilot was flying a B-17 bomber when he died

Archaeologists searching for a missing World War Two bomber pilot are now at work on a "special site" hidden in woodland close to where his aircraft crashed.

Cotswold Archaeology are searching for the a B-17 pilot, who died when his plane's controls failed in 1944.

The Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency, a US government agency, has tasked the archaeologists with recovering the man's remains.

The organisation's mission is locate, identify, and, if possible, repatriate the remains of any fallen service members from America's past conflicts.

Expert say the excavation after 80 years "will not be easy".

The crash crater is "waterlogged and filled with 80 years' worth of sediment"

When the plane crashed in East Anglia, the 12,000lb (5.4 tonne) of Torpex explosive it was carrying, exploded on impact.

The young American man was declared Missing in Action (MIA).

In a post on social media, Cotswold Archaeology said: "This excavation will not be easy.

"The crash crater is waterlogged and filled with 80 years’ worth of sediment, the trees and undergrowth are thick, and all soil must be meticulously sieved to hopefully recover plane ID numbers, personal effects, and any human remains.

"We’ll take you with us over the coming weeks, as we do what we can to return him home."

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