P-38 wreck found in north Thailand
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P-38 wreck found in north Thailand
From today's bangkok Post (9/8/2004)
quote
WARTIME HISTORY/ SALVAGING THE PIECES
US plane wreck from WWII found in North
SUBIN KHUENKAEW
Chiang Mai _ The wreck of a US combat aircraft, believed to be from World War II period, has been found near the Burmese border in Wiang Haeng district.
The wreckage is believed a P-38, a twin-engine twin-boom fighter-reconnaissance plane, also known as a Lightning.
The discovery was revealed by Anuchat Palakawongse na Ayudhaya, of the Environmental Division of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, who recently went to Ban Huay Khrai near the border to do artifact research.
Mr Anuchat said a Thai of Shan origin identified only as Long, 73, had led him to the wreck.
Mr Long said he and other villagers had seen the plane crash, but could not recall exactly how many years back. They heard a loud explosion about 2km west of the village and saw black smoke billowing in the air.
''We ran to the scene and saw the plane in flames. A man had died in the plane,'' Mr Anuchat quoted Mr Long as saying.
At the time, Japanese soldiers had a base on the bank of Mae Taeng river near the village.
Mr Anuchat reported the discovery to the air force. A team led by Group Captain Sakpinit Promthep of the air force museum went to the scene recently and identified the plane as a P-38. He said it was fitted with four machineguns and was believed to have been brought down during a reconnaissance mission.
At the time, the US had an air base in Yunnan, China, and another inside Burma.
He said a US team was planning to go to the crash site.
unquote
www.bangkokpost.com
quote
WARTIME HISTORY/ SALVAGING THE PIECES
US plane wreck from WWII found in North
SUBIN KHUENKAEW
Chiang Mai _ The wreck of a US combat aircraft, believed to be from World War II period, has been found near the Burmese border in Wiang Haeng district.
The wreckage is believed a P-38, a twin-engine twin-boom fighter-reconnaissance plane, also known as a Lightning.
The discovery was revealed by Anuchat Palakawongse na Ayudhaya, of the Environmental Division of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, who recently went to Ban Huay Khrai near the border to do artifact research.
Mr Anuchat said a Thai of Shan origin identified only as Long, 73, had led him to the wreck.
Mr Long said he and other villagers had seen the plane crash, but could not recall exactly how many years back. They heard a loud explosion about 2km west of the village and saw black smoke billowing in the air.
''We ran to the scene and saw the plane in flames. A man had died in the plane,'' Mr Anuchat quoted Mr Long as saying.
At the time, Japanese soldiers had a base on the bank of Mae Taeng river near the village.
Mr Anuchat reported the discovery to the air force. A team led by Group Captain Sakpinit Promthep of the air force museum went to the scene recently and identified the plane as a P-38. He said it was fitted with four machineguns and was believed to have been brought down during a reconnaissance mission.
At the time, the US had an air base in Yunnan, China, and another inside Burma.
He said a US team was planning to go to the crash site.
unquote
www.bangkokpost.com
