WW2 Plane Crash Wreck Hunting
Discussion
Simpo Two said:
I have an inlet valve from Hurricane Z7010, which crashed near Princes Risborough in 1941, polished up as an interesting ornament 
Wrecks were quite easy to come upon in my neck of the woods, I even found a badly corroded Merlin washed up on the beach at Lossiemouth in the 70s, the reduction gear looked new, like chrome but the casing was ruined. It still had a bit of tubular engine mounting on it. The local scrapyards had loads of old Mk1 Buccaneers, Percival Provosts, Venoms, Vampires etc, I had the gunsight from a Vampire, a pal had an old MB ejection seat and various dials. Another made a lampstand from a Griffon/Merlin camshaft and a beautiful clock from a piston rod lying on it's side.
There was also a pit in Bishopmill Elgin that was full of similar stuff and was filled in. If anyone knows anyone interested I could point em in the right direction.
http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/aircraft-requests...
I drove by the Laacher See on a regular basis. There were stories in the Rhein-Lahn Zeitung about a plane being found a few years ago, and pictures of boats on the lake with explosives experts looking for munitions.
I think there may have been a ditched Wellington in there as well as the heavily crashed Halifax. Hadn't heard of the fighter.
I drove by the Laacher See on a regular basis. There were stories in the Rhein-Lahn Zeitung about a plane being found a few years ago, and pictures of boats on the lake with explosives experts looking for munitions.
I think there may have been a ditched Wellington in there as well as the heavily crashed Halifax. Hadn't heard of the fighter.
51°38'38.09"N 0° 1'14.26"W Is King Georges Reservoir, its home to a sailing club. There is another reservoir immediately to the South of the King George. I can’t remember its name.
30 odd years ago, I mentioned to an old Tom, a guy that I worked with, that I sailed there.
The old guy came out with this story. It was his personal moment of glory and contribution to the war effort. He said it made all the nights spent on that light worthwhile, because this was ‘his Jerry’. The one he got. He went all misty eyed and recounted the tale.
During the war, he had been posted to a searchlight battery near these reservoirs. One night he had got a German bomber in his searchlight. Mostly they got away. But this night, he managed to hang as the pilot tried to shake him off. He held on to it until the guns found the range and it started to come down.
Determined not to lose it, he kept the light on it all the way in case the pilot was faking it. The aircraft was still under some control and the pilot ditched into the reservoir just South of the King George. It sank somewhere out in the middle, but I don’t know any closer than that.
He did tell me what aircraft type it was, but I have forgotten. I have no idea if it was ever salvaged, or if all the crew go out. I think he said they were still on the way to the target, so the bombs may still be aboard.
If anyone knows if it was recovered, do tell.
If anyone knows a team of interested diver/ aircraft archaeologist types that might take a look please pass it on.
30 odd years ago, I mentioned to an old Tom, a guy that I worked with, that I sailed there.
The old guy came out with this story. It was his personal moment of glory and contribution to the war effort. He said it made all the nights spent on that light worthwhile, because this was ‘his Jerry’. The one he got. He went all misty eyed and recounted the tale.
During the war, he had been posted to a searchlight battery near these reservoirs. One night he had got a German bomber in his searchlight. Mostly they got away. But this night, he managed to hang as the pilot tried to shake him off. He held on to it until the guns found the range and it started to come down.
Determined not to lose it, he kept the light on it all the way in case the pilot was faking it. The aircraft was still under some control and the pilot ditched into the reservoir just South of the King George. It sank somewhere out in the middle, but I don’t know any closer than that.
He did tell me what aircraft type it was, but I have forgotten. I have no idea if it was ever salvaged, or if all the crew go out. I think he said they were still on the way to the target, so the bombs may still be aboard.
If anyone knows if it was recovered, do tell.
If anyone knows a team of interested diver/ aircraft archaeologist types that might take a look please pass it on.
THX138 said:
cazzer said:
Eric, you might be able to help here.....
When I was a kid, (i'd guess this was about 1975 or so) I remember watching a news report about the finding of two buried bombers on the moors. My brain has turned them into Lancasters over the years, but they may not have been.
They were found buried, wrapped in oilskins with the wings off and put at the sides down the side of the fusilage.
I seem to remember something about them being stored during the war in case of invasion or some such.
Do you know anything about this or is it so vague I have no hope of finding out what it was?
Or perhaps I just dreamed it
A little Googling turned up this, so it seems you are not alone with this legend of long lost ghost aircraft and countless others..When I was a kid, (i'd guess this was about 1975 or so) I remember watching a news report about the finding of two buried bombers on the moors. My brain has turned them into Lancasters over the years, but they may not have been.
They were found buried, wrapped in oilskins with the wings off and put at the sides down the side of the fusilage.
I seem to remember something about them being stored during the war in case of invasion or some such.
Do you know anything about this or is it so vague I have no hope of finding out what it was?
Or perhaps I just dreamed it
the first post mentions the possibility of Lancasters buried in Yorkshire!!
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/archive/index.php...
Edited by THX138 on Tuesday 10th February 13:32
Fascinating legend, although I think it may just have been war propoganda leaked out to boost the spirits of the civvies that we could do something if the Hun had came marching up Pall Mall.
edited for dreadfull spelling after a long duty day.
Edited by Chainguy on Tuesday 10th February 16:37
Puff Puff said:
M@T.R said:
My only piece of plane wreckage is the bomb release button from the wellington bomber that crashed into loch ness and is now at Brooklands museum.
Wny not donate it to the museum?When brooklands first decided to renovate the plane they put hundreds of tiny bits and pieces in a box and to raise money let people help themselves to a few bits for a monetary donation. I found about 3 or 4 bits that all fitted together and looked like a button and always told my dad it must be for the bomb release. Anyway went back there a couple of weeks ago and had a look at the plane now it is finished and it definitely was the bomb release button.
Uncle Fester said:
51°38'38.09"N 0° 1'14.26"W Is King Georges Reservoir, its home to a sailing club. There is another reservoir immediately to the South of the King George. I can’t remember its name.
30 odd years ago, I mentioned to an old Tom, a guy that I worked with, that I sailed there.
The old guy came out with this story. It was his personal moment of glory and contribution to the war effort. He said it made all the nights spent on that light worthwhile, because this was ‘his Jerry’. The one he got. He went all misty eyed and recounted the tale.
During the war, he had been posted to a searchlight battery near these reservoirs. One night he had got a German bomber in his searchlight. Mostly they got away. But this night, he managed to hang as the pilot tried to shake him off. He held on to it until the guns found the range and it started to come down.
Determined not to lose it, he kept the light on it all the way in case the pilot was faking it. The aircraft was still under some control and the pilot ditched into the reservoir just South of the King George. It sank somewhere out in the middle, but I don’t know any closer than that.
He did tell me what aircraft type it was, but I have forgotten. I have no idea if it was ever salvaged, or if all the crew go out. I think he said they were still on the way to the target, so the bombs may still be aboard.
If anyone knows if it was recovered, do tell.
If anyone knows a team of interested diver/ aircraft archaeologist types that might take a look please pass it on.
Interestingly before construction of the other reservoir (the William Girling) the land was a RNAS (Royal Naval Air Service) Aerodrome 1916 -1919 30 odd years ago, I mentioned to an old Tom, a guy that I worked with, that I sailed there.
The old guy came out with this story. It was his personal moment of glory and contribution to the war effort. He said it made all the nights spent on that light worthwhile, because this was ‘his Jerry’. The one he got. He went all misty eyed and recounted the tale.
During the war, he had been posted to a searchlight battery near these reservoirs. One night he had got a German bomber in his searchlight. Mostly they got away. But this night, he managed to hang as the pilot tried to shake him off. He held on to it until the guns found the range and it started to come down.
Determined not to lose it, he kept the light on it all the way in case the pilot was faking it. The aircraft was still under some control and the pilot ditched into the reservoir just South of the King George. It sank somewhere out in the middle, but I don’t know any closer than that.
He did tell me what aircraft type it was, but I have forgotten. I have no idea if it was ever salvaged, or if all the crew go out. I think he said they were still on the way to the target, so the bombs may still be aboard.
If anyone knows if it was recovered, do tell.
If anyone knows a team of interested diver/ aircraft archaeologist types that might take a look please pass it on.
It's just a few miles or so from the Royal Enfield Ordnance factory (sadly gone now) a tantalising target for the Germans if there ever was one!
Off on a bit of a tangent,when my Grandfather died about 12 years ago, we found a photo of him in front of a Coastal Command B17. As a bit of luck you could also see the serial FL455.
I did some digging around and a guy from Canada contacted me with further details.
My Grandfathers Squadron (206 sqn) had converted to Liberators, but the B17 went on to a weather flight squadron 519 Met Recce Squadron. It was with this squadron the aircraft flew into a mountain in Wick. Six of the nine crew lost their lives.
The guy from Canada also emailed me an aerial photo of the aircraft crashed on the mountainside and a picture of the memorial.
As a final piece to the story, one of the recovered engines was restored and I believe is at Aeroventure Doncaster.
I must try and get to see it sometime.
I did some digging around and a guy from Canada contacted me with further details.
My Grandfathers Squadron (206 sqn) had converted to Liberators, but the B17 went on to a weather flight squadron 519 Met Recce Squadron. It was with this squadron the aircraft flew into a mountain in Wick. Six of the nine crew lost their lives.
The guy from Canada also emailed me an aerial photo of the aircraft crashed on the mountainside and a picture of the memorial.
As a final piece to the story, one of the recovered engines was restored and I believe is at Aeroventure Doncaster.
I must try and get to see it sometime.
I found this site that lists details of Airfields and also crashes (not just WW2) in Hampshire, Dorset and IOW.
http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/h.html
Interesting generally but moreso if you live in one of these areas.
Some really odd crashes listed around Farnborough as you may expect when they were evaluating captured Luftwaffe aircraft.
Steve
http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/h.html
Interesting generally but moreso if you live in one of these areas.
Some really odd crashes listed around Farnborough as you may expect when they were evaluating captured Luftwaffe aircraft.
Steve
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff