Posted on 05/10/2012 3:33:48 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
WWII fighter plane hailed the 'aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb' found preserved in the Sahara
A Second World War aeroplane that crash landed in the Sahara Desert before the British pilot walked to his death has been found almost perfectly preserved 70 years later.
Most of its cockpit instruments are intact and it still had it guns and ammunition before they were seized by the Egyptian military.
There are also signs of the makeshift camp the pilot made alongside the fuselage.
No human remains have been found but it is thought the pilot may lie within a 20 mile radius of the plane.
The RAF Museum at Hendon, north London, has been made aware of the discovery and plans are underway to recover the aircraft and display it in the future.
A search will also be launched in the hope of finding the lost airman.
The defence attache at the British embassy in Cairo is due to visit the scene in the near future in order to officially confirm its discovery and serial number.
But there are fears over what will be left of it after locals began stripping parts and instruments from the cockpit for souvenirs and scrap.
Historians are urging the British government to step in sooner rather than later and have the scene declared as a war grave so it can be protected until the plane is recovered.
Military historian Andy Saunders said: "The aviation historical world is hugely excited about this discovery.
"This plane has been lying in the same spot where it crashed 70 years ago. It hasn't been hidden or buried in the sand, it has just sat there.
"It is a quite incredible time capsule, the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
More at:
The irony of the British complaining about Egyptians looting historical items of British national interest is great here.
Cool! Heck of a thing though to know you survived the crash but won’t survive much longer. I hope they find the pilot, he cannot be far away.
P-40 Kittyhawk? Or Hawker Hurricane?
Somebody better post up on that site pronto and keep the pickers off. Great photos.
Its a lend/lease P-40 warhawk. Also the fuselage of a Hurricane was dope canvass not aluminum. The scoop intake on the cowl is a dead give away it is a P-40.
P-40 Kittyhawk? Or Hawker Hurricane?
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I know, I wasn’t sure eithr. Farther down it states it’s a P40. Two Brit pilots were taking damaged planes on a short flight from one airfield to anoter. One got lost.
That is a P-40, possibly lend-lease.
Hurricane had a different canopy and no scoop on the cowl....
“It is a quite incredible time capsule, the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun’s Tomb.”
Complete BS. We know everything about these planes: how they were made, when they were made, who made them, who flew them, why they flew them, what they cost, etc. No one need learn a dead language - like Egyptian hieroglyphics - to know all about this plane.
Nice understatement.
Google Lady Be Good. It was a B24 that was lost in Libya in 1944+-. Wasn’t found until 1958. Crew members that survived the bailout tried to walk back to civilization across the Sahara.
The log of one member outlined their 100 mile walk before they died, one by one.
A haunting story.
37 seconds.... at least I provided the source, lol.
Remains of five airmen were found in a group nearly 80 miles (130 km) from the crash site. The other three (Guy Shelley, “Rip” Ripslinger and Vernon Moore) had set off to try to find help while the other five waited behind. The bodies of Shelley and Ripslinger were found 32 kilometres (20 mi) and 43 kilometres (27 mi) further north.
Yea, but you missed the farthest airman by 27 miles!!!
;-)
Likely the B-24 had a decent supply of water on board. And of course, time of year would also be a factor. The LBG went down in April, who knows when the spitfire? went down.
Thanks for the link though, the LBG is a fascinating story. Reminds me of the movie, “flight of the phoenix.” I wonder if the LBG story was the inspiration for the 1964 novel on which the movie was based.
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