Burmese Spitfires

[Keith Mitchell]

Wow!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... to-UK.html

[BRIAN RAWCLIFFE]

Keith,it's also in this mornings Mail.Can you imaging 20 mk2 Spitfires.Mike Booth will say it's better than sex.

[Tony Collins 1073]

Perhaps the new fashion will be to have a pristine Spitty That looks as though it has just come out of the factory.
Think of all the work it would save.

[Paul Holt]

It was also on the BBC website. Imagine that, 20 Spit's still in their crates!!

[Neil Hutchinson]

Hi All,

20 Spitfires in Burma? Maybe, but I'm sceptical. There's supposed to be a whole pile of Mosquitoes all crated up in China, but no-ones found any - yet! Several people have been looking for many years, too, without success!

TTFN,
Neil

[paul hughes]

I'm with you Neil, about 25 years ago i read a story about some Lancasters buried near the Lincolnshire coast, but nothing has come fron that.

[Bob Thompson1894]

Seems like its happening, Paul.... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... to-UK.html
They are reported to be Griffon-engined Mk XIVs.

[stewart clifford]

Sure a lot of this stuff was buried but big stuff was generally bulldozered into big holes. I don't doubt these Spitfires are there and there are some ex Burmese Spits already recovered, not sure these ones will be boxed up neat and tidy as they think, lets hope they are. Many think the rumours of big dumps of aircraft, parts, trucks, bicycles etc are exactly that but I can tell you some definately exist, the super charger cooling hood on my P38 thread plus some walk around oxygen bottles I delivered to Sally B came from a dig on one of these sites.

[Mark Partington 2989]

It was also on the BBC website. Imagine that, 20 Spit's still in their crates!!

Hmmmm, and it's nearly 70 years since they were buried...


Mark.

[Vince Raia]

This is great news, and a fantastic coup for our warbird preservation movement, as was stated, they were all crated up, and although the wooden crates may have rotted away, the fact that the parts were wrapped in greased wrapping should ensure their survival, but whatever comes out of that hole will add to our Spitfire numbers, even if the stuff is only good enough for spares.

It's amazing what can be achieved today, aircraft that crashed in the jungle have been removed and rebuilt back into flying condition, anything and everything is worth investigation to secure these valuable aircraft or parts, the only big problem, is that the witnesses to these burials are fast dying off, and their location maybe lost forever!

[stewart clifford]

Its amazing what you can do with a data plate and a big pot of gold coins

[Mark Partington 2989]

This is great news, and a fantastic coup for our warbird preservation movement, as was stated, they were all crated up, and although the wooden crates may have rotted away, the fact that the parts were wrapped in greased wrapping should ensure their survival, but whatever comes out of that hole will add to our Spitfire numbers, even if the stuff is only good enough for spares.

It's amazing what can be achieved today, aircraft that crashed in the jungle have been removed and rebuilt back into flying condition, anything and everything is worth investigation to secure these valuable aircraft or parts, the only big problem, is that the witnesses to these burials are fast dying off, and their location maybe lost forever!

Vince,

I know what can be achieved, I spent 30+ years working on aircraft, including the repair/rebuild of AB910, a mk5 Spit after it was written off after a head-on collision with a Harvard, and other WWII aircraft. I also know how the protective wrappings and coatings react with high temps and humidity, and what could be required, in time and cost, to put just one Spit back in the air. It's likely that anything on these aircraft would need major restoration/repair/maintenance work to even be classed as 'fit for spares'.

Having said that, I really hope the airframes are salvageable and that they can find the backers prepared to put these back in the air.


Mark.

[Mike Booth]

Cameron is delivering mine personally, though after 65 odd yrs underground I'm expecting to have more to do than a quick assembly job. Fairly sure that they will all be MK 14s.

[Bob Thompson1894]

Cameron is delivering mine personally, though after 65 odd yrs underground I'm expecting to have more to do than a quick assembly job. Fairly sure that they will all be MK 14s.

not like you to get an ARTF, Mike!

[Vince Raia]

This is great news, and a fantastic coup for our warbird preservation movement, as was stated, they were all crated up, and although the wooden crates may have rotted away, the fact that the parts were wrapped in greased wrapping should ensure their survival, but whatever comes out of that hole will add to our Spitfire numbers, even if the stuff is only good enough for spares.

It's amazing what can be achieved today, aircraft that crashed in the jungle have been removed and rebuilt back into flying condition, anything and everything is worth investigation to secure these valuable aircraft or parts, the only big problem, is that the witnesses to these burials are fast dying off, and their location maybe lost forever!

Vince,

I know what can be achieved, I spent 30+ years working on aircraft, including the repair/rebuild of AB910, a mk5 Spit after it was written off after a head-on collision with a Harvard, and other WWII aircraft. I also know how the protective wrappings and coatings react with high temps and humidity, and what could be required, in time and cost, to put just one Spit back in the air. It's likely that anything on these aircraft would need major restoration/repair/maintenance work to even be classed as 'fit for spares'.

Having said that, I really hope the airframes are salvageable and that they can find the backers prepared to put these back in the air.


Mark.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your experienced reply, I totally concur with all you say, let's just keep our fingers crossed as to what comes out of that pit, and as you say, finding a person or persons with enough spare money/funds to spend on getting flyable aircraft out of the cache.

Cheers, Vince.

[Tony Collins 1073]

Just one thing lads. I'm not quite sure how anything buried forty feet below the ground as was stated can be affected by high temperatures or humidity to that degree. On the surface yes, but that far down??? They were obviously buried with a view to recovery so must have been very well protected.

[Vince Raia]

Yes another good point Tony, I suppose we'll have that agonising wait till they get round to digging that hole, these excavation/recovery jobs always seem to take a long time before it all happens, I'm waiting with baited breath till the news breaks. I must say that I find all this recovery stuff a really interesting subject, we often get reports of aircraft etc. that have been discovered, and thats the last you hear about it, hope that's not the case here. "Get Time Team in"

[Bob Thompson1894]

Yes another good point Tony, I suppose we'll have that agonising wait till they get round to digging that hole, these excavation/recovery jobs always seem to take a long time before it all happens, I'm waiting with baited breath till the news breaks. I must say that I find all this recovery stuff a really interesting subject, we often get reports of aircraft etc. that have been discovered, and thats the last you hear about it, hope that's not the case here. "Get Time Team in"

I gather Time Team are hated by proper archaeologists for their 'gung ho' attitude and mechanical digger methods!

[Mike Booth]

I'm know one thing, I'd love to be team member out there on the dig. Wouldn't be the first time either.

[Vince Raia]

I'm know one thing, I'd love to be team member out there on the dig. Wouldn't be the first time either.

Oooohhh, good story for the Journal Dave