Posted on 05/11/2012 9:07:30 AM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
It’s not quite the same as the opening sequence to “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” but it’s awfully close.
The Daily Mail reports that a Polish oil company worker, Jakub Perka, has discovered an “almost perfectly preserved” Kittyhawk P-40 that crash-landed in the Sahara Desert in 1942.
“Despite the crash impact, most of the aircraft’s cockpit instruments are intact,” according to the report.
This is just like landing in the ocean. Same results. Death.
The gun camera videos from P-47’s are amazing to watch. When they straffed German trains that blew up...trying to avoid the pieces coming up at them wasn’t very easy....
aka P-40 Kittyhawk
My mistake. I was think P-47. Thanks.
That was probably a P-40D (Kittyhawk Mk I) or P-40E (Kittyhawk Mk IA). The Mk I had two .50-caliber M2 Brownings in each wing, the Mk IA had three. The earliest P-40s had two .50s in the nose above the engine (firing through the prop) and four .303s in the wings, but that crashed plane has the wrong cowling for that configuration. It’s probably a Mk IA since more of those were made and they were in wide service in North Africa in mid-1942.
}:-)4
I always thought the WarHawk was the B model and the KittyHawk was an updated model.
Regardless, this is WAY cool.
Thanks for the correction. That was the one I was thinking of. The P-47
I saw a movie several years back about a B-24 crew who stayed with their plane out in the desert, playing baseball etc. When a group of rescuers came across them some time later it turned out they were all dead and were just ghost continuing to live their lives. Kinda like the "Sixth Sense" movie..they did not know they were dead.
After they were buried they all disappeared,went to heaven except for one guy because he went out in the desert to search for help and the rescuers did not find his body.
—ot really this model had six .50 cal...—
Yeah, most of what I “know” about the P-40 was it’s capabilities at the start of the war. I compare it to the Grumman Wildcat. It was what we had when the war started but it was mostly replaced by better stuff darned fast, but still saw a lot of use in some theaters.
Also, I’ve not been into the WWII aircraft hobby for a couple of decades so I have to dust off the brain cells when discussing it. I may have missed a few spots. ;-)
True, but there are a lot of stories of guys who ditched their plane, and once it stopped, got out and carefully closed the canopy, even if the thing was totalled!
At least, I would hope that is the case. It would be a great story.
They can track it down, I bet. Get some serial numbers (anything that could have been taken or stolen probably was) find out where the plane went, etc.
This thread caused me a look up an old movie that I saw as a kid, that I want to see again somehow. Not sure if it is on a DVD or not -
-——just fyi -———
Sole Survivor (1970) (TV) More at IMDbPro »
ad feedback
When a bomber believed to have crashed in the ocean 17 years ago is found in the Libyan desert. A Colonel and Major accompany the only surviving member of the crew, who is now a General to figure out what happened. The General claims that he and the other members of the crew jumped over the ocean when in reality he bailed out leaving the others to fend for themselves. And while the Colonel just wants the whole thing closed, the Major insists on finding the truth. And watching them are the ghosts of the crew.
This story is loosely based on the discovery of the B-24 “Liberator” bomber the “Lady Be Good” that was found in the Libyan desert after the crew got lost on their 1st bombing mission to Italy.
Haha, me too. I was entranced by the pictures. It is looking at history.
I have been looking for this movie also. It is very difficult to find a CD of it in good condition. It was a made for TV movie to begin with...
Thanks, I always wondered what it was named.
It was on tv several years back. Independent movie channel on Direct TV.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
