Remains of Columbus pilot killed during World War II officially identified 70 years later
A local pilot whose plane was shot down during a bombing mission in World War II has officially had his remains identified 70 years later.
U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. George Winger, 25, died Aug. 1, 1943, while fighting in the European arena of World War II.
Winger was assigned to the 66th Bombardment Squadron, 44th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force.
Winger's B-24 Liberator plane, dubbed "Wing Dinger," was one of 177 planes that participated in Operation Tidal Wave, a bombing mission targeting oil fields and refineries in an area north of Bucharest, Romania. The planes involved in the mission dropped their bombs from altitudes of a few hundred feet instead of the traditional several thousand feet, according to the National World War II Museum.
Winger's plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed Aug. 1, 1943, one of 51 planes that was shot down during the mission. Accounts of the plane's final moments indicated it caught fire, but the pilots, including Winger, tried to climb to reach a safe altitude for others on the plane to safely bail out.
Winger's remains were not able to be identified after the war and were buried as unknown at the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania in the Hero Section.
After the war, remains at that cemetery were disinterred in hopes of being able to identify them. More than 80 people were still unable to be identified, and those remains were reburied at Ardennes American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery. Both of those cemeteries are in Belgium.
Scientists began using forensic anthropological techniques to identify remains starting in 2017 and analyzed mitochondrial DNA to identify Winger's remains earlier this year.
Winger's name was listed at the Tables of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery site in Impruneta, Italy, along with others who remain missing from World War II. A rosette will now be placed by Winger's name to indicate that he has been accounted for and his remains identified.
In 2018, Columbus Academy wrote a profile of Winger, who graduated from the school in 1936. The profile said Winger enrolled at Ohio State University with plans to be an engineer but joined the military in 1941.
Information published at the time showed Winger was married to Harlan Marshall, who lived in Washington. Winger was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal and Purple Heart during his service.
Winger will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on a date that will be determined later.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Remains of Columbus pilot killed during World War II identified
