Surplus Lend-Lease aircraft were scrapped, sold, abandoned, dumped, destroyed and recylced in most recipient nation. While most of these domestic and offshore disposals were well documented I have yet to find a single image of surplus Lend-Lease aircraft being scrapped in the UK. This is puzzling given that the UK was the largest single recipient of Lend-Lease aircraft. I would welcome any explanations for this. Thanks
Why was it? (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter bauple58
- Start date
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GregP
Major
The British pushed Lend-Lease aircraft over the side of carriers after the war was over.
cvairwerks
Staff Sergeant
Also some of them were required to be returned to the US or sent to other approved entities.
I think one of the issues would be that Lend Lease aircraft formed a small percentage of the total to be scrapped in the UK in 1945 compared to overseas. Most of the Lend Lease types for overseas theatres were delivered direct without ever visiting Britain.
For example, Bomber Command only had single operational squadrons of B-17 Fortresses and B-24 Liberators. Coastal Command only had 16 squadrons equipped with US Lend Lease types (Liberators,, Fortresses, Catalinas, Venturas). There were a fair number of Merlin Mustang squadrons with Fighter Command but only 2 A-20 Boston and 4 B-25 Mitchell squadrons with 2nd TAF.
A lot of the C-47 Dakotas were being retained for Transport Command.
This thread names quite a number of airfields where aircraft were scrapped.
Another that comes to mind was RAF Dumfries where I grew up. This is a photo of it around 1946.
