WWII Bomber sought

[Razor61]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4325313.stm

Search for WWII bomber wreckage

Historians will survey Victoria railway station for evidence of a Luftwaffe bomber brought down in one of the most famous crashes in World War II.
The site will be excavated in September if radar scans detect remains of its fuselage beneath the forecourt.

During the Battle of Britain, pilot Ray Holmes ran out of ammunition so he flew his Hurricane into the German Dornier on 15 September 1940.

He used his aircraft to slice off the bomber's tail before bailing out.

Piece of history

It is thought the German bomber may have been on a mission to destroy Buckingham Palace.

The engine and control panel of Sergeant Holmes' Hurricane was found last May near Buckingham Palace and is now on display at the Imperial War Museum.

Aviation historian Chris Bennett, who is leading the search, said the Dornier's remains are believed to be beneath the pavement on the corner of Wilton Road.

He told BBC News: "It is an important piece of history and it is a challenge to find the plane. It is the most famous crash in World War II."

If the excavation goes ahead in September, it would coincide with the unveiling of a memorial in Embankment marking Battle of Britain Day.

A spokeswoman from Network Rail said it would make sure no disruption is caused for passengers.

[Skylark4]

Am I the only one to consider that this is a complete waste of time and money? Are we going to learn anything new or useful from this exercise? I hope I can persuade myself not to watch the ensuing TV prog which will be worth a two minute slot on local news but will actually be a one hour waste of time on National TV.

Mike W

[foldingwings]

A spokeswoman from Network Rail said it would make sure no disruption is caused for passengers.

So how's she going to ensure that then? They can't bl**dy do it when they ain't looking for downed German Dorniers!! Paah!

What a waste of rations! I'm sure if they contacted the AHB at Bentley Priory, they would provide photographic evidence and the pilot's name and save them all the trouble!

All aboard the Skylark, I'm with him!

[SASless]

How many Bomber Command crews went missing during the war? Would not the money be better spent looking for some of them instead?

[DC10RealMan]

I have to agree with SASless. I believe that about two years ago the present governments of the Netherlands and UK agreed that there would be no further recovery of the remains of World War 2 aircraft even though the location was known and the crews remains where still in the aircraft because of "the cost". The uproar caused when the ordinary citizens of both countries found out about this agreement was such that it was hastely withdrawn.

[SASless]

Do we not owe it to them to do so when possible?

I am doing a research effort on a flight school classmate of mine that is MIA after being lost in combat in Vietnam. He was shot down in a Huey Gunship southwest of Kontum in 1969. His crew were able to exit the aircraft, a Command and Control Huey hovered down into the crash site...three of the four man crew werre able to climb into the Huey at a hover, my classmate was still getting onto the skid when the pilot made a decision to depart due to the hostile fire being received. At an altitude of about 300 feet and about 500 meters from the crash site, Hansen fell from the skid and was never seen again.

I have talked to the co-pilot of the rescue aircraft and have found a few others that have some recollections of that day. Everyone I have made contact with have immediately offered whatever assistance is needed to include money, time, manpower.

It proves to me the bond that exists between soldiers who serve together in combat.....they never forget those that did not come home.

Hopefully, we will at least be able to tell his story one day even if we do not develop enough information to justify a search effort.