By Philip R. Devlin.
Miller Appeared at Bradley Field During World War II Before Being Mysteriously Killed in a Plane Crash
October, 20, 2019) — (Alton) Glenn Miller of Clarinda, Iowa, formed his famous orchestra about 80 years ago. His group became wildly popular and commanded sellout crowds wherever they went, playing such popular tunes as “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” “Chattanooga Choo-Choo,” “At Last,” and “Tuxedo Junction.”
By the time the United States entered World War II in December of 1941, Miller himself was earning 15 to 20 thousand dollars a week—an enormous sum for the time. Moved by a patriotic desire to give back to his country, Glenn Miller interrupted his career, gave up enormous sums of money, and joined the Army in order to entertain the troops. That decision would cost him his life. In summarizing the value of Glenn Miller’s entertainment for the Army, General Jimmy Doolittle had this to say about Miller’s orchestra: “Next to a letter from home, that organization was the greatest morale builder in the European Theater of Operations.”
The Bradley Beam—the base newspaper during World War II—ran a headline story on April 8, 1944, announcing Miller’s arrival in Windsor Locks on Thursday, April 13th:
Bradley Field personnel will get the treat of their G.I lives this week when Captain Glenn Miller and his top notch musical aggregation, the AAF Eastern Technical Training Command Band, headline a variety show to be presented at the base gym on Thursday evening at 2000. Led by Capt. Miller in person, the show will be a longer version of the organization’s regular Saturday night radio program “I Sustain the Wings.” Cpl. Broderick Crawford, of radio, stage, and screen fame, who emcees the network show, will also act in that capacity at the Bradley performance.
Needless to say, the show was packed with people and was a big hit with the service personnel at Bradley Field. Soon, Miller and his entourage departed for England to entertain the troops there. While in England, Miller recorded a series of records with his 50-piece orchestra at the Abbey Road Studios, later made famous by the Beatles. I cannot be certain, but Miller’s concert at Bradley may very well have been his last ever concert in the United States.
About 7 weeks after Miller’s Bradley performance, the Normandy invasion occurred on June 6, 1944. By December of 1944, the Allies had secured a strong foothold in northwestern France. Accordingly, Glenn Miller decided to move his band to France in order to entertain the troops.
Miller boarded a UC-64 Norseman—a small plane—and headed to France at low altitude on December 15, 1944, to scout out a place in Paris for his group. The plane never arrived. It was lost over the English Channel and never found. Flying at low altitude over the English Channel, Miller’s plane may have been inadvertently hit by bombs from a higher flying squadron of heavy bombers returning from an unsuccessful bombing run, as those planes were required to jettison their bombs over water before landing in England. Most people, however, believe that the U-64 Norseman that Miller was a passenger in, experienced carburetor icing, causing the crash. No remains of anyone on the plane were ever found.
Besides visiting Bradley Field in April of 1944, Miller had numerous other connections to Connecticut. His regular Saturday night radio program, “I Sustain the Wings,” was often recorded at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. New Haven erected a memorial stone in Miller’s honor. Glenn Miller was also awarded posthumously a Bronze Star for his unselfish and devoted service to his country during World War II.
The latest version of the Glenn Miller Orchestra will perform at the Bushnell in Hartford on Thursday, October 24, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. The show lasts 2 hours and 15 minutes, including an intermission.
