WWII War Birds - pics and video

[Dark Alley Dan]

HE-111 H5 Wk.Nr. 3824 / 1B+CH was stationed in Norway with "Wekusta 5", a weather monitoring unit. Crew was
Fw. Gabriel Hummel
Hptm. Wolfgang Zechiel
Reg.Rat Paul Korthe
Uffz. Richard Gerber
Fw. Karl Schaum

Apparently they had some trouble on January 20th, 1941 and were forced to "land" in mountainous terrain. Zeichel and Korthe were wounded, but the crew was otherwise unharmed and returned to base.

Shortly thereafter, the site was overrun by Norwegian glamour models.

The wreck c. 1988:

More on the Wettererkundungsstaffel squadrons:
http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/wekusta-weathermen-of-the-wehrmacht/

 

[tommyinbc]

Very interesting pics / article.
I wonder if that HE-111 just disintegrated over time due to the harsh conditions, or the site was seriously 'picked'..?...Maybe both....

 

[Sqr]

There is a beautiful bright silver B17 flying around my house.

 

[dryfire]

There is a beautiful bright silver B17 flying around my house.

Inside or outside !?

 

[pw58]

I think her name is Aluminum Overcast, owned by an outfit in Wisconsin.

 

[bogusiii]

Haven't seen any Mosquitos in this thread. Apparently there are two flying examples now and a crew in NZ has reconstructed fuselage moulds so that more can be made.

Here's one of those NZ fuselages that's part of the Mosquito being restored in Windsor, Ontario.

 

[bogusiii]

And here's the Lancaster, also getting the treatment in Windsor.

 

[donor]

Is that the Lanc from Toronto waterfront pylon years ago?I was wondering whatever happened to it after Toronto Air and Space Museum was locked up.
BTW-anyone got any recent info what's happening with that museum?

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Here's one of those NZ fuselages that's part of the Mosquito being restored in Windsor, Ontario.

Man, GREAT bones. Such an elegant thing. Soulful. If Audrey Hepburn was an airplane...

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Yow.

 

[bogusiii]

Is that the Lanc from Toronto waterfront pylon years ago?I was wondering whatever happened to it after Toronto Air and Space Museum was locked up.
BTW-anyone got any recent info what's happening with that museum?

It's Canadian built FM212, the one that sat in Jackson Park in Windsor, Ontario until a few years back. It was either take it off the concrete plinth or have it fall off in pieces. There is a great group restoring it at the Windsor airport (where I took these pics) and I expect in a few more years they'll have it in 'taxiing' condition. The Mosquito in Windsor is being rebuilt from the remains of one that crashed photographing the arctic and they are using as many of the original parts as possible. Back at Jackson Park they replaced the Lancaster with a fiberglass Spitfire and Hurricane pair. They're very authentic looking and, if you're like me, I'd rather see replicas in a park than the real thing.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

The repicas on plinths outside RAF Hendon are quite good, and yes, far better a 1/1 scale model than the real thing. They've become far too valuable for that.

http://1.bp.########.com/-h7dZzgq_gKc/UYYacd-Q6-I/AAAAAAAAIEs/v9m1HSzbwD4/s1600/hurricane.jpg

http://2.bp.########.com/-26967fdtRPo/UznpID4qeVI/AAAAAAAAJXE/ARz2meTtWo4/s1600/spitfire.jpg

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Not many preserved JU-88s in the world. Damn shame. Here's one:

The captured USAAF Ju 88D-1/Trop was a long-range photographic reconnaissance version modified for tropical use. It was assigned to the Romania Air Force and flown to Cyprus after the Romanian pilot defected to the British. The RAF turned the aircraft over to the USAAF and it was tested at Wright Field. At the end of WWII, it was stored in the Arizona desert and in January 1960, it was shipped to the USAF museum.

...where it continues to reside.

Looks like we still have two intact examples (this one plus the one at RAF Hendon) and several fragmentary examples under restoration. It seems unlikley one will ever fly again.

 

[wbaad]

And here's the Lancaster, also getting the treatment in Windsor.

Awesome how intact and unrestored that cockpit is. Just like it left service

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Winter is just around the corner. Be sure to have your P-38 fitted with skis before the rush.

Also available for early-model P-51s:

 

[cosmic]

For those skis to retract, there would have to be some pretty fancy retro-engineering....

 

[JR Hartman]

they really do look retractable, especially the P38 ones. very cool. someone was a smart cookie

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

B26 crew and their ride.

Not many B-26 left - Three restored (one flyable but unflown) three under restoration, and Flak Bait at the Udvar-Hazy in Washington, D.C.

I didn't know that the RAF operated B-26s. Here's FK375. Note the torpedo:

Marauder FK 375 of 14 Sqn RAF took off at 0905 hours on 3 January 1943 from Shallufa in company of a second Marauder, to carry out a torpedo attack against enemy shipping in the Aegean Sea. The weather was bad and visibility poor. Shortly after passing Kea Island, north of the Rymlades Group, and on a south west course, a small vessel was observed. This was found to be part of a convoy of five vessels escorted by several aircraft including an autogyro. The Marauders separated to launch an attack. Two messages were received from FK 375 that fighters were attacking and the other that machine was damaged and would have to force land but torpedo attack delivered before fighter engagement. No further news received from aircraft or of crew.

Lt Young (Pilot of FK 375) who became a POW later stated “Forced to make landing on sea off Seriphas Island. When he freed himself and got out of the aircraft, Bennett was sitting on top of the fuselage near his escape hatch. He stated that the Observer was still inside and climbed back to try and get him out. No sooner had he climbed back in when the aircraft sank going down nose first in a rush. Bennett never appeared again. He died in a brave attempt to rescue another member of the crew”.

Additional details here:
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/einsaar-leonard.html

 

[bearhunter]

It wasn't that long ago when they were a relatively common sight over forest fires. A lot of them were converted to water bombers.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

You may be thinking of the A-26 Invader, bearhunter. Damned USAF confused the issue when they reassigned the designation from A (Attack) to B (bomber) in '47.

The ones you recall (me, too - brilliant aircraft) looked like this:

And in mufti: