I always feel this subject isn't really talked about much besides, they died or they got captured and died. what are the most common causes for soldiers going missing and never being found? soldiers going MIA has always been a very interesting subject to me
On many occasions, direct hits from large shells and other gruesome or freak deaths can literally vaporize a soldier, leaving them completely unidentifiable except for, say, a piece of a foot or arm. If a soldier who did not return to their unit after a battle was not confirmed as killed, they were often listed as missing in action. If a submarine did not return from a war patrol, the crew was usually first listed as missing, because it was not confirmed whether they died. After a period of time, typically a year (for the United States) they were officially declared dead and then listed as killed in action.
For pilots, it was a different story. Famous ace Edward "Butch" O'Hare was believed killed in action on November 26th, 1943, while attacking Japanese bombers. O'Hare's F6F Hellcat was last seen, navigation lights off, making a dive into a cloud. Other pilots couldn't contact him on the radio, and didn't see him crash; he didn't return to his carrier and was listed as missing in action. He was officially declared dead a year later, on November 26, 1944.
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