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Burmese Spitfires, they've found a crate.
BBC News - Burma Spitfire hunters discover crate
Full of dirty water so are pumping it out.... Looking promising. |
...but they don't yet know if there's a crate in the crate. :}
(Yeah, I know. Coat, door etc) |
Is it just me, but I'd hardly describe a crate that has spent 70 years in another crate full of "dirty water" promising.....
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At least if they are pumping water out it means that the crate hasn't been pancaked by the weight of soil.
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Aircraft parts in a crate full of water?
If the F731 says its serviceable then pump the water out, brush the dirt off, stick it back on the shelf, jobs a good 'un.;) |
If the F731 says its serviceable then pump the water out, brush the dirt off, stick it back on the shelf, jobs a good 'un. |
Found a crate? Crate of what... Herforder, stella, worthy best?
yeah, yeah I know... Taxi for one... |
No, a crate, as in "Let's take the jolly old crate up for a spin, what?"
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Found a crate? Crate of what... Herforder, stella, worthy best? |
Careful, ShyTorque. Shepard Neame will be wanting your email address and details. ;)
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Tastes not that far away from the muddy w.... either :suspect:
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Careful, ShyTorque. Shepard Neame will be wanting your email address and details. |
Someone mention a crate of Spitfires ...
http://www.ocado.com/catalog/images-...a6519a0c4a5c4a I know ... Hat, coat, gloves, scarf ... Door |
Someone mention a crate of Spitfires ... |
ShyTorque ...
Can't have too many crates :ok: |
Andrea Neame used to live next door to us.
Prior to that the house was occupied by an ex RAF Pilot who flew Wellingtons, very nice guy. Commanded a Fairey Battle Sqn in 1940 (!!). Also flew Stalin. He wrote his story in "Climbing Turns". Patrick Foss. lsh :E |
I went to school with Charlotte Neame....gorgeous she was, and regrettably totally out of my league. :sad:
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One of the benefits of age is that you can chat to old girl friends and tell them that you fancied them something rotten when you were a kid but you knew that they didn't fancy you.
And then they stun you by saying that they fancied you rotten as well but thought that you didn't fancy them. Funny old world. |
Come on chaps, thread drift, or did the crate drift when they pumped it out?
Sounds like the thing is still buried and only had pumps put on it. |
Not too much thread drift...'old crates' (well they are now....) :}
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Back in 1973 the RAF recovered a Halifax bomber from the bottom of a ffiord in Norway. I think it is now on display in the RAF museum.
The condition of the aircraft after 30 years submerged in fresh water was quite good apart from the damage sustained during the war. On recovery it was subjected to some preservation/restoration procedures. I am not saying that the Spitfires - if found - are in the same state but perhaps they will not be as bad as some are thinking. Just thinking out load. Aaron. |
Depends if the water/mud is anaerobic, which bogs generally are and hence why bodies and other items don't corrode. Hopefully they'll be wet, but intact.
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The Halifax in the RAF museum was too far gone to be restored even for static standard though. Except as a 'build a new one around the data plate' job.
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Having viewed the Halifax at Hendon on several occasions, I feel that it could be restored to a good static condition and retain a majority of its originality. Its present condition has a patina of a long submerged relic but, it really deserves the museum standard rebuild that the RAF museum has not faced up to (yet)!
OAP |
Apologies for drifting the thread off track, but..
Ref the Halifax in the lake post. The Canadians also raised a Halifax VII a few years ago. This now sits in the museum at CFB Trenton and has been restored to 'as new'. She looks magnificent.
Can any poster from CAF / RCAF advise on how much is new, and how much has been replaced on this grand old lady? Sorry, just curious!:8 |
The reason the Halifax is as it is was they could not afford to restore it, they did the turret and that was it. I actually think the way it is displayed is excellent and puts across the losses far more than an immaculate static rebuild, though the turret looks out of place beside it.
I was suprised to learn recently on a TV documentary having been taught of the horrors of war in the WW1 trench's that the losses incurred by Bomber Command meant you had a greater chance of survival during WW1 than crewing a bomber. . |
I was suprised to learn recently on a TV documentary having been taught of the horrors of war in WW1 trench's that the losses incurred by Bomber Command meant you had a greater chance of survival during WW1 than crewing a bomber. |
Oh, what fun!
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I doubt he would have been aware of that statistic though. Perhaps not that particular Statistic.....but I am sure he could count the empty chairs in the Mess after each Raid and knew the "odds". Hand Salute to yer Dad! |
I wish they would hurry up because at this rate if they manage to find the crates and construct 70 Spitfires they will be required by the RAF.
Mr Camerloon will be stating that he has been so good to the RAF that he gave them 70 (nearly) new Airplanes. Never underestimate a politician. |
It was on the Fifties British War Films : Days of Glory shown on BBC4
It's noted as he goes to the Bomber Command Memorial whilst discussing the success and how people could relate to the Dambuster film he states and i quote.. "Bomber Command had a death rate of 44.4%, you had more chance of returning from the trenches in the Great War than you did of surviving as Bomber Crew" Stunned me when he said that, but when you look at the losses it makes sense sadly. From Wikipedia Bomber Command crews also suffered an extremely high casualty rate: 55,573 killed out of a total of 125,000 aircrew (a 44.4% death rate), a further 8,403 were wounded in action and 9,838 became prisoners of war. This covered all Bomber Command operations including tactical support for ground operations and mining of sea lanes.[clarification needed][24] A Bomber Command crew member had a worse chance of survival than an infantry officer in World War I.[24] By comparison, the US Eighth Air Force, which flew daylight raids over Europe had 350,000 aircrew during the war and suffered 26,000 killed and 23,000 POWs.[24] Of the RAF Bomber Command personnel killed during the war, 72% were British, 18% were Canadian, 7% were Australian and 3% were New Zealanders. [25] Taking an example of 100 airmen:[26] 55 killed on operations or died as result of wounds three injured (in varying levels of severity) on operations or active service 12 taken prisoner of war (some injured) two shot down and evaded capture 27 survived a tour of operations RAF Bomber Command - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
Bloody 'ell... How long does it take to bust open a crate, the suspense is killing me!
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55,573 killed out of a total of 125,000 |
At the rate that aircrew were being pushed through can well believe that a significant number were lost in training flights. Interested in hearing whether ground crew were considered non-combatants. There would have been quite a few lost due to enemy bombing, and maintenance accidents given the need to get aircraft airworthy ASAP.
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John Terraine's history of the RAF in WW2 "The Right of the Line" gives a total of 70,253 RAF aircrew killed or missing on operations.
Of that figure Bomber Command made up 47,268. In addition there were a further 8,305 Bomber Command aircrew lost in non-operational flying. - ie 15% of the total Bomber Command losses. |
If you have a row of crates and are pumping one out, one would imagine you are doing them all plus the surrounding ground, top that off with pumping it up some 30ft and it may take a while.
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The reason the Halifax is as it is was they could not afford to restore it |
If water got in the crate that would suggest the water table is above the crate. As you pump it out it will surely fill up again. They really need to put in a coffer dam.
Anyway, where are the photos? |
It's true that the bomber offensive was thought to be a good idea at the time, in part in hope of avoiding the horrendous losses suffered in the trench warfare twenty years earlier.
In the 'unforeseen circumstances' stakes, this failed in two different ways: (1) the losses we equally, if not more, horrendous than those of the WW1 trenches, and (2) probably more important in the long run, and more tragic for the UK and Commonwealth countries involved, it wiped out, not just such large numbers of one generation, but the very best of that generation - the potential future leaders of those countries. You only have to look at the political and business leadership in those countries after the war and to this day to see the stark truth in point (2). |
.. should I have added "military leadership" to that list?
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