Because this enigmatic air force flew in such a remote and unchartered theatre, it is not surprising that so many of its losses were airplanes which simply disappeared (termed Missing In Action or MIA). In 2008 there are still more than three hundred Fifth Air Force aircraft missing from New Guinea to the Philippines. Many would have been lost in oceans, but others have yet to be discovered, their remains lying in jungles, on the sides of mountains, or buried in swamps. On average, two new discoveries of previously undocumented Allied aircraft wrecks are found in the Pacific per year. This section aims to provide a few samples of the extent of MIA legacy of the U.S Fifth Air Force. This Air Force roamed the largest WW2 theatre, and in the end covered more territory than either the 7th or 13th Air Forces which also served in the vast Pacific.

Other Fifth Air Force MIA cases, both resolved and unresolved:

The Mt Obree Fortress, discovered 1986

Liberator 'Beautiful Betsy', discovered in Australia in 1994

Raymond Henry Brock, A-20G pilot, Unresolved

Mitchell Mountain Collision - four Returned to Duty, one still MIA

Delivery to Oblivion - B-25G disappearance near Kokoda, Unresolved

Only One Survivor - The Beheading of a Fortress Crewmember

Uncle Paul Finally Comes Home - discovery of a Mitchell in the Philippines

Five Executed - What happened to the crew of a Mitchell behind Wewak?

A Fire Which was so Bright

Unlucky Hit - A Swimmer Goes Missing

The Allied POW Cage near Wewak