Home > Guest Book > Historians > Pages & Links > About Us > B26 Site Index
Joe “Bud” Miller was born December 27, 1924, in Mankato, Minnesota, one of 11 children born to Michael and Catherine Miller. Joe entered military service on June 11, 1943, during WWII where he became an armored tail gunner on a B-26 Marauder. He was assigned to his crew in July 1944 at Barksdale Field, Louisiana.
The crew flew their B-26 to Scotland in August 1944, flying the northern route from Savannah, Georgia, through Labrador, Iceland and Greenland. They eventually gathered in Matching Green, England, to join other members of the 9th Air Force.
On December 23, 1944, they were dispatched from their base in Roye/Amy,
France, on a mission to bomb the Ahrweiler Bridge in Germany – their 15th
mission. After circling their target, they encountered enemy planes and
were shot down near Kelberg, Germany. Two crew members (Ed Potocnik and
Joseph Kowalski) jumped to safety and became POWs, however, Joe and the
three remaining crew members, 1st Lt. Dale C Detjens - MIA; 2nd Lt. Joseph
M Blair, Luxemburg American Cemetery D-3-17; and 2nd Lt. Frederick
T Kaye, Luxemburg American Cemetery G-9-9 crashed with their plane “Snake's Revenge” (41-35010).
S/Sgt. Joseph J. Miller was buried on his 20th birthday, December 27,
1944, near the crash site in a cemetery at Mullenbach, Germany. In March
1946, his remains were moved to the American military cemetery in
Luxemburg. In 1949, his remains were moved again to a cemetery in Temmels,
Germany, where he lies buried with his grandparents and other relatives
from his father's homeland.
While Joe was not yet 20 years of age when he lost his life, along with the many other military men and women who have given their lives for our country, he will be remembered and loved by his family and friends.
At the time of the crash, 1st Lt. Dale Detjens was not recovered from the plane and was listed as "Missing in Action." In an attempt to recover Detjens' remains, the American Graves Registration Command (AGRC) visited the area believed to be the crash site in July 1949; however, they were not able to locate any remains. In September 2006, a German aviation historian (Herman-Josef Stolz) informed AGRC that he had visited the crash site and recovered airplane parts and other items. The site was excavated by the U.S. Recovery Team in August 2009, and many items were found, including the radio call sign plate indicating this was Snake's Revenge. The excavation concluded in September 2009, and all evidence was shipped to the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) lab in Hawaii for identification.
Family members of Miller, Detjens, Kaye, and Blair were contacted to provide DNA samples for possible matching with any evidence found at the site. In February 2024, a report was issued by DPAA indicating that no reportable DNA could be identified from anything that was recovered. However, Blair's dog tags were found along with various tiny bone fragments and clothing shreds.
Because the body of Dale Detjens could not be recovered, the “group remains” were transferred to Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, NE, in June 2025 for a repatriation ceremony, which was held on July 1, 2025. Joseph Miller's brother and niece, along with Dale Detjens' and Joseph Blair's family members, were in attendance. Kaye's family members were unable to attend.
Remains flown from Hawaii to DFW and then from DFW to Omaha.
The group remains were buried in the Omaha National Cemetery.
(Note underneath the headstone photo that Joseph Miller's middle initial should
be “J” not “W.”
An interview of family members was conducted by the local Omaha television
station.
World War II heroes laid to rest at Omaha National Cemetery
Home > Guest Book > Historians > Pages & Links > About Us > B26 Site Index