Aircraft of Amchitka Army Airfield and The Airfield (fighter-strip) being built

[Soldier]

 

[Capt. Vick]

Great photographs! Thanks for posting! That Liberator has seen better days huh?

 

[gumbyk]

WOW!! Great pics!

 

[Soldier]

Yep, A while I aked my Grandfather what had happened and he told me that there was a heavy fog and the aircraft misjudged the ground and then didn't have enough speed to get up over the ridge at the end of the strip. He was tasked with helping bury the crewman the day after. He was in the artillery and actually helped build the airstrip for the fighters. That would be the last pic.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Great pics, thanks for posting them!

 

[drgondog]

The pictures with shadows had to be taken on the only sunny day of the war..

 

[Soldier]

More PICs B-26s and others

 

[Pete_Homer_AK]

Really great photos! Thanks for posting them. I was especially interested in the B-24 wreck. There was a crash on Feb 25, 1943 which included the death of the bombardier, 2nd lt Socrates S. Pappas. He was buried on Amchitka in the Base Cemetery. The prop on number 4 engine was feathered as is the one in your photo. Also the nose of the aircraft was badly smashed as is the one in your photo. The only difference is the tail of the of the Pappas wreck is pretty much intact and yours appears to be missing.

The fighter strip was still under construction at the time as you can see heavy machinery in the background. Do you have an approximate date for your photo?

 

[Soldier]

I am not sure when the photo was taken but it looks like it might have been taken after they recovered the aircraft and not at the spot of the crash. according to my grandfathers diary, the fighter airstrip was built in early february of 43. The first p40s landed on the 16th of Feb.
It is definatey possible

 

[Judith Zaffirini]

Really great photos! Thanks for posting them. I was especially interested in the B-24 wreck. There was a crash on Feb 25, 1943 which included the death of the bombardier, 2nd lt Socrates S. Pappas. He was buried on Amchitka in the Base Cemetery. The prop on number 4 engine was feathered as is the one in your photo. Also the nose of the aircraft was badly smashed as is the one in your photo. The only difference is the tail of the of the Pappas wreck is pretty much intact and yours appears to be missing.

The fighter strip was still under construction at the time as you can see heavy machinery in the background. Do you have an approximate date for your photo?View attachment 244134

2nd Lt. Socrates Pappas was my father's younger brother. He died before I was born, but we referred to him as "Tio Catis" ("Uncle Catis"). Today I found out that seven weeks after he was killed, the rest of his squadron was killed in a raid. How very, very sad.

 

[airminded88]

A very sad outcome for that crew.
From a Texan to another, I salute the service of 2nd Lt. Pappas.

Valuable information, thanks for sharing.

 

[Judith Zaffirini]

A very sad outcome for that crew.
Valuable information, thanks for sharing.

Yes. Sad, indeed. I shared photos of my uncle with his colleague's descendant who wrote to me.

 

[airminded88]

Yes. Sad, indeed. I shared photos of my uncle with his colleague's descendant who wrote to me.

To keep their legacy and memory alive is a small way in which we could ever repay the service and sacrifice of the Greatest Generation.