PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Hi everyone,

On 4 March 1944, Paul Miller's Lightning is shot by German Aircraft over Bordeaux. Paul Miller tries to reach Spain and he finally belly lands his P38 at Escos, in the South West of France, near the Pyrénées Mountains;

He escapes with the help of local French people and he reaches Spain safely. We have his escape report but no other information about him.

We now look for Paul Miller's relatives : family, children etc..

Someone could help us in this respect ?

Thanks and stay safe.

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Paul S Miller E & E report:

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5555201

I believe this is him:
Obit: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5042...lu-advertiser/


https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...terling-miller

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Thanks a lot RSwank.

If any US reader would be great enough to contact one of his children (or grandchildren) and connect me.. that would be lovely.

my mail : gilles.collaveri at hotmail.com

Thanks a lot

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

You may want to read the MACR 3062 report written by Maj. Mark Shipman. He was not overly happy with Miller running low on gas and having to head home. One of the more frank reports I've seen.

Kent

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

MACR is here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/90935560

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Thanks Rolland and Kent

the reason why I am trying to find Miller's family is because the crash site of his P38 has been located in the South West of France.

We contacted an 80 year old witness from the next village, who was 4 year old when the P38 crashed: he remembers very well and he climbed on board the lightning (he was thereafter himself a pilot : Fouga Magister, Ouragan, Mirage F1 etc..).

We also know that Paul Miller Helmet used to be in the village and we try to find it.When Paul Miller escaped to Spain, he gave it to some of the local people who helped him;

We now try to put the pieces of the puzzle together...

Anybody can help tracing Paul Miller children or grandchildren ?

As per the newspaper clip that RSwank found, we know that he was buried in Hawai, his wife was Tina, his sons were Gary in New York, John in Washington, Lee in Colorado, His daughters : Mary Kennedy and Christina in Washington, Elen Katzenberger in Louisiana, Linda Garcia of California, Kimberley Rodriges of Hilo, Hawai;

Thanks in advance to any American reader than can help.

My mail is gilles.collaveri at hotmail.fr

have a good day

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Gilles,

I found a more complete obit for Paul. This gives the names of the children and their spouses.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5049...ribune-herald/


Son Gary (Wanda) Miller New York
Son John (Allison) Miller of Washington
Son Lee Miller of Colorado
Daughter Mary Kennedy of Washington
Daughter Christina Miller of Washington
Daughter Ellen (Mark) Katzenberger of Louisiana
Daughter Linda (Ray) Garcia of California
Daughter Kimberly (Raymond) Rodrigues of Hilo Hawaii

The last one above may be:

Kimberly Paige? Miller who married Raymond Rodrigues III

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Giles, I sent the link to this thread to a number of ancestry.com family trees, including I think three of the children above but I fear they haven't logged in in some time to their accounts so it might come to nothing.

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Gilles,

I may have a line on one of the grandchildren. Will try to make contact

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Waouh, that's great.
Thanks alot to both of you,
looking forward to your next feedback.
All best from France;
Gilles

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Gilles, his step grandaughter emailed you earlier but had a bounch back so I will you her email address in a PM now.

Dennis

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

This is wonderful, Dennis,

Thanks a thousand for making the contact.

I'll get in touch with her and I shall keep you posted;

All best

Gilles

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Gilles,


I have made contact with a grandson, I will PM you his email address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For some reason the links to the E & E report and MACR given in previous posts do not seem to be working at the moment. If they remain "broken" are are a couple of alternatives.


Here is an alternate link to the MACR (select report 3062 toward the bottom of the page).

https://catalog.archives.gov/search?...orNaIds=305256


An Alternate link for the E&E report:

https://catalog.archives.gov/search?...ler%20Paul%20S

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

contact made with the family of Paul Miller, exchanges have started,

thanks a lot to both of you, I am grateful for that.

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Clipping announcing marriage of Paul Sterling Miller and Mary Palmer Barker. January, 1943.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5071...angeles-times/

(I believe his first tour (96 missions) was possibly with the 8th FG in the South Pacific, anyone know for sure? There is an P-39 crash reported for "a" Paul S Miller, 35th FS mentioned here: https://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircra...units/8fg.html)

Clipping on birth of a daughter in March, 1944. This appeared in the Los Angeles Times on March 11, 1944. Miller went missing on March 5, 1944.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5071...angeles-times/

Clipping with announcement of Miller missing that appeared in the Times on April 29. 1944. This would be after he had already returned to England from Spain on April 17, 1944.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5071...angeles-times/

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

This is excellent. Thanks to you, I will probably bring to the Miller family documents concerning them, that they forgot.

On site, we will soon go the exact place where the P38 crashed and we keep some hope to find in the village the helmet or the google that Paul Miller gave before escaping.

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Miller supposedly flew 96 missions in the Pacific Theater but I do not know which unit. Also, am I missing something on his loss date? The MACR and 364th records say March 5, not 4. Shipman's MACR is even off by a month as he says February 5.

Kent

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Kent,

I send you a PM

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

In France Miller crashed on 4 March (it is true that the report of Major mark Shipmann mentions Feb. 4, but it is obvioulsy a mistake).

The path Miller followed to escape from France to Spain is very well documented, village after village: it starts on 4 March and finishes on 21 March when he is arrested by the Spanish police.

(Miller was also shot down in Pacific)

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Is there a chance the report (which I can't pull up either, which is strange as I check the site often) has the date wrong? On March 4, the 364th Fighter Group flew a sweep which was recalled shortly after reaching the Walcheren area. No losses as stated in unit records and Freeman's Mighty Eighth War Diary. On March 5 the 364th flew a withdrawal support and made R/V northeast of Bordeaux, which fits Shipman's report of an escort mission with R/V near Angouleme and again matches unit records and Freeman's book. I have seen some errors in E & E reports, perhaps this is one? I will keep trying to open the report to see what it says exactly.

Kent

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Very strange.
Miller's escape report is very clear : mission was on 4 March, to Bordeaux.
Then, he describes in detail his way out of France and how he arrives in Spain on 10 March.
But we cannot exclude that he made a mistake on the date ?

Mark Shipman's report mentions 5 Feb. and 5 Mar.

In the light of what you found, I personally would be inclined to say that the true date of the crash of Miller was 5 March.

BTW, 5 March is the same day that Chuck Yeager was shot down by FW190 in the same area
https://aerocherche.fr/index.php/art...ces-d-un-mythe


If you want I can email you both reports.

Have a nice day

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Gilles

Also the book Losses of the US 8th & 9th AF says March 5th.
I cannot locate any mission to Bordeaux on the 4th, but just as Kent says, on the 5th. Seems it was a fighter-sweep only.

Cheers
Stig

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Stig, thanks;

so this would match: we can assume that Miller crashed on 5 March and that he made a mistake in his escape report (he wrote 4 March instead of 5 March) which is understandable, after three weeks of walking, hiding, running, etc....

I send you a PM.

Gilles

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

I went back thru the unit records to triple check; Miller flew with the 385th FS on March 5 (even though flying a 383rd FS P-38) and according to their missions summary for March 5, quote, "Capt. Miller, short on gas, headed S on Kingpost's instructions midway between Anguleme and Poities."

Kent

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Dear all,

Here is a picture of Paul Miller which was communicated by his children.

He did fly 96 missions in the Pacific front, 3 on the European front, and he crash landed his P38 , short of fuel, on 5 March 1944. He escaped to Spain through the Pyrénées mountains in an epic trip where he almost died.

After the war, he continued his career in the US Air Force and it appears that he was really somebody, he was a indeed strong personality.

However, we have no picture of him (but the one attached), and we would love to know more about his career post war (Vietnam?)

Can you help us in this regard ?

Thanks again to DPBurke, RSwank, Kent and everybody for finding the relatives of Paul Miller and connecting me to them.

All best

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

I found a couple of newspaper articles that reveal a little more about Paul S Miller. This first article is from Fresno Bee of December 12, 1941, and it mentions that Miller is in the Philippines. He was commissioned at Stockton Field in the summer of 1941 (possibly class 41-H or 41-G). He probably was assigned to one of the squadrons of the 28th Pursuit Group once in the Philippines.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5195...he-republican/

This second story is from the Hanford Sentinel of 29 April, 1943.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5195...ford-sentinel/
The article describes how Miller was flown out of the Philippines (Mindanao) in a B-17 just before the Japanese took over all the islands. The John “Buckley” (Bulkeley) mentioned in the story is the navy PT-boat skipper (of “They Were Expendable” fame) who had taken General MacArthur from Corregidor south to Mindanao by PT-boat in March of 1942. MacArthur was then flown on to Australia in a B-17 on March 17.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Bulkeley

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougla...he_Philippines

The B-17 flight described in the newspaper story took place on 13 April 1942. The Philippine pilot mentioned in the story, Captain Jesus Villamor, would later return to the Philippines as a guerrilla fighter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jes%C3%BAs_A._Villamor
The assumption would be the Paul Miller joined a Fighter Group in Australia (possible the 8th FG) and served in New Guinea. He was back in the US by April 1943.

Herbert M Wheatley's story is also quite interesting. He was a tail gunner on one of the B-17s that arrived at Peal Harbor during the Japanese attack on December 7th, 1941. His plane landed on a golf course. He later was the tail gunner on the B-17 that did fly MacArthur to Australia 17 March 1942. I don't know if he ever became a pilot.

Search for all the Wheatleys on this link:
https://archive.org/stream/ryanflyin...1ryan_djvu.txt


https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5202...ford-sentinel/

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...rt-m_-wheatley


As far a Miller's claim of a Zero in New Guinea, Miller is not listed for any claims on the official post war claim list.

http://aces.safarikovi.org/victories...ii-by.name.pdf

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Thanks a lot Rolland,

the children of Paul Miller did not know much about their father, who was not talkative about his military career,

So, they appreciate a lot the information you gathered.

All best

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

I just found another picture of Paul Miller
he is the forth starting from the right;

https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/p...ts-6-1-42.html

caption:
35th Fighter Squadron Pilots at 7-Mile Drome near Port Moresby
(L to R) Max Wiecks, John Case, Hervey Carpenterter, Irving Erickson, Gentry Plunkett, William Hosford, James Selzer, Jerry Quandt, Paul Miller, J.W. Eagan, E. B. Connell, D. C. Gibson. Hosford was KIA on the mission this day.

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Found this extensive write up on Paul S Miller here:

https://pacificwrecks.com/people/vet...aul/index.html

Note for example it states when he first went to the Philippines he was assigned to the 14th BS as a co-pilot flying B-17s (not a Pursuit group as I had speculated in post #26 and can no-longer correct).

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

Yes, thanks, I saw this,

I am in contact with Pacific wrecks which is very helpful and positive, we exchange information.

Best

GC

Re: PAUL MILLER - P38 Pilot
 

I now try to know more about his career post WWII (see my on "Post WWII" chapter, particularly on his crash in 1958 near Kunsan, after which he was court-martialed)

If you have any clue ?....

GC