Hidden in a remote, moss-covered mountain forest lay the remains of a World War II hero for 82 years, until loggers discovered his B-17 bomber by chance.
Sgt. Thomas L. Cotner, from Casper, Wyoming, was a Silver Star recipient during World War II. In September of 1942, Cotner, aboard a B-17 Bomber on a night mission in Rabaul, Japan, was never heard from again until researcher Justin Taylan identified the hero in New Guinea, according to the Cowboy State Daily.
Cotner served as a radio operator and gunner during his service and was a member of the notorious 30th Squadron of the 19th Bombardment.
He was on a mission to destroy the Vunakanau Airfield with the secondary target of Lakunai Airfield.
Three hundred and sixty-seven anti-aircraft weapons defended the area, and Allied intelligence referred to it as ‘the most heavily defended target in the South-West Pacific Area,’ according to pacificwrecks.com.
Cortner and seven other Flying Fortresses left from Mareeba Airfield, each armed with four 500-pound bombs.
‘The weather was extremely bad with rain, lightning and thunderstorms and no moon,’ according to mission records found by the outlet.
Each bomber flew individually in radio silence, but the weather was so catastrophic that only two of the seven reached the target.
Taylan said to the source: ‘This plane was never heard from after takeoff. We know now, based on where it crashed, that it reached the target and likely bombed and probably was lost returning from the mission in bad weather.’
Cotner’s hometown paper broke the news of his disappearance in October of that year: ‘Word was received in Casper on Monday night from the War Department that Sergeant Tom Stoutenberg, son of Mr. and Mrs. Emma Stoutenberg, is reported missing in action since September 16th. No details were contained in the message.’
For more than eight decades, Cotner and the missing bomber plane remained a mystery until a logging company cutting down trees in the mountains of New Britain Island discovered the plane by accident while building a road.
‘This plane was discovered by accident and some pictures were posted online. I saw them and realized, ‘Oh my God, this is an American airplane. It’s a B-17.” said Taylan to the outlet.
The site of the crash was high up in the mossy mountain forest, where Taylan said that, although the climate is tropical, the elevation of the area causes a person’s breath to form condensation from the chill.
Taylan learned about the mysterious wreckage while researching a separate missing incident in Papua New Guinea in 2023.
Hellbound and Down 