Airframes
Benevolens Magister
But it could mean you could have two Spits, rather than just the one !
Spitfires Found!
- Thread starter GavC
- Start date
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fubar57
General
Please don't screw this up.........please don't screw this up........please don't screw this up.................
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
Well...to be honest, they had to go somewhere.
If they had been cut up for scrap, someone would have recalled that just as there would be someone who would have recalled purchasing the material. If they had been taken intact by someone, they would have popped up at one location or another eventually.
There were also many instances of U.S. aircraft after the conclusion of the PTO, that were pushed off the ends of island runways by bulldozers. I used to have a good article about it somewhere and I think that the site "Pacific Wrecks" may have actually located one of the piles of aircraft, too.
If they had been cut up for scrap, someone would have recalled that just as there would be someone who would have recalled purchasing the material. If they had been taken intact by someone, they would have popped up at one location or another eventually.
There were also many instances of U.S. aircraft after the conclusion of the PTO, that were pushed off the ends of island runways by bulldozers. I used to have a good article about it somewhere and I think that the site "Pacific Wrecks" may have actually located one of the piles of aircraft, too.
Eyewitness accounts, sadly, are highly unreliable.
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
well, personal recollections are better than nothing.
And think about it, if one or more people recalled driving truckloads of scrapped aircraft to the smelter/metal dealer, then that would be a clue as to what may have happened. The dates/times/places may be inaccurate, but that would be a clue as to what may have happened.
As it is, several people have recollected the crated aircraft, but no one can recall exactly what happened. Now, if they were indeed buried, I am sure the equipment operators were under an NDA agreement, because if they went around telling people "yeah, we just dug a bigass hole and dropped them in", that would defeat the purpose of burying them - which was to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
So it'll be interesting to see if they are actually found - that would at least one mystery (as there's plenty of other hidden/buried aircraft stories out there)
And think about it, if one or more people recalled driving truckloads of scrapped aircraft to the smelter/metal dealer, then that would be a clue as to what may have happened. The dates/times/places may be inaccurate, but that would be a clue as to what may have happened.
As it is, several people have recollected the crated aircraft, but no one can recall exactly what happened. Now, if they were indeed buried, I am sure the equipment operators were under an NDA agreement, because if they went around telling people "yeah, we just dug a bigass hole and dropped them in", that would defeat the purpose of burying them - which was to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.
So it'll be interesting to see if they are actually found - that would at least one mystery (as there's plenty of other hidden/buried aircraft stories out there)
Saw this photo in a magazine today. Inside the box is a British Auster light aircraft. I would imagine a boxed Spitfire to be a lot bigger. Now, how many boxed Spitfires did this guy think were buried in Burma - 60? You can now imagine the amount of earth that had to moved to fit them. That's why the whole thing seems ludicrous to me...
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
Perhaps they were packed on the Nazi Gold train so it's just a really long and deep trench.......
bobbysocks
Chief Master Sergeant
he must have found more backers.....why does PT Barnum's comments....a sucker born every minute come to mind?
bobbysocks
Chief Master Sergeant
I don't know Graeme...if the engine were removed the box looks like it could fit an airframe from the firewall back and wings. but like you said that is a heck of a lot of earth to move. would be easier to burn them, crush them with a dozer, them push them in a hole. there was a thread years ago about a place in Norway where the germans did that or the allies did that to german AC.
Will certainly be interesting to see what comes from the search.
Crimea_River
Marshal
Well, I'm not holding my breath!
GrauGeist
Generalfeldmarschall zur Luftschiff Abteilung
If you think about it, as the war wound down, there were plenty of men and equipment available...nothing surprises me, to be honest.
Here in the U.S., they are pursuing a dig permit at Freeman field, where many Axis planes are buried. They are not sure how many actually ended up there, but they do know that there was a huge pit dug and the planes were shoved in and buried (not in crates, of course).
fubar57
General
They need this if they're going to find those Spitfires
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
LMAO, BRILLIANT!
Dave, no hole dug by Americans would surprise me. Saw this photo in a book the other day. Seabees preparing an airfield in the Pacific - dunno how they got that boulder(?) on whatever that machinery is. Looks like something from the Thunderbirds. Awesome earth-moving capabilities.
But Burma?
The British?
Mate, I keep seeing images of villagers with cane baskets and wheelbarrows preparing airfields there.
Apparently there's a Burmese spitfire been restored....
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Nice one.
Here it is at the BoB airshow at Duxford, in September last year.
Here it is at the BoB airshow at Duxford, in September last year.
