From a C-47 crash site. Someone can help us?

[salerno1943]

Do you have e-mail of Maxwell AFB so I can concatc him? Thanks again.

Earlier today I wrote to my friend Pat Elie who maintains the excellent D-Day website referenced above, that had the a/c identification for pilot Wank.

I suggested to Patrick to check in here at WIX on this topic.

Patrick has the AAF history on the 436th TCG, but on microfilm. Requires a trip to the regional library to read it. Hopefully he can provide some additional detail.

Thanks for your help. I hope we can build history of this aircraft and his crew like we do with this: http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.co ... elius.html

[Dave Smith]

That's a wonderful job you've done with that South African pilot. I'm more than glad to help with any information I can find. I don't claim to be an expert but I have some reference books and it's easy to find things.

And for Pathfinder, even fighters had the radio call plate. At least one has been found at P-51 crash sites in England.

[pierpafree]

hi all,
i'm one of the searcher who found the crash site.
I've read someone think these pics are stolen "shamelessy" from the net...well , we have no spare time to organize this kind of jokes, if someone think can help us with better pictures, well please ask exactly which pic have to be better, we will supply a better photo.
The crash site is not easy to reach and it was very hard to find the exact location,because the area to scan is very HUGE.
we really like to find some tags to id the troops, but you know, it's really difficult, so please help us if you can in ANY kind of way.
We will supply any update for sure, meanwhile thanks for your support and thanks also in advance for the help you will give us.
Peter.

[Taigh Ramey]

I wrote that "I" shamelessly stole the photos from the Internet not you. The photos I stole were comparison pictures to show you what the parts looked like when they were intact. Photos of the BAR rifle, Electrical plug etc are photos that I posted that I found on the net.

Taigh

[pierpafree]

understood...not an attack anyway...i appreciate your help

[The Inspector]

Pierpafree,

I will ask you most kindly and politely to please adjust your attitude a bit. Do you and your group of friends now know more about the history of your 'find' than you did a few days ago? A week ago it was just an unknown C-47 to you, but thanks to the free, and freely offered responses to your requests a lot of knowledgeable people went to work digging out information on 'your' crash site, on their own time and for free.

That includes Mr. Ramey utilizing photos of the 68 year old, decomposed bits and pieces you took photos of and posted online, and matched them up to pristine examples of what your rusty part was when new, all he did with your original photos was put them side by side with examples of complete items so, since it's in the same posting, nothingh was 'stolen' from you.

Rest assured that no one is planning to board an airliner for Italy to go stomping through the woods trying to 'steal' anything from you, however you might have lost, or crippled the ability to obtain freely given help from others on how to go about finding items like dog tags and other personal bits and pieces by displaying your current attitude.

As a group we will dig like dogs to help a fellow researcher out, but your sour attitude and accusatory tone make me at least consider to stop looking on your behalf and wish you the best finding things on your own and good luck in the future.

[CoastieJohn]

FWIW.....I didn't see anything offensive about his post(s). I'll take a stab and say English is not his primary language and maybe his syntax is a touch off and which might appear abrasive.

Seems him and Mr. Ramey are all square. Life is good.

Just my take......John

[salerno1943]

Just some words to say that we appreciate your precious help! Please note that we are not fluently in english (or american) language and we can misunderstanding some of your words and\or reasons because you wrote them.
However, I think the best thing is to give a name and build history of these brave men that died in a foreign country, on a lost mountain. Perhaps we can find someone of their relatives and send them photos and something of their beloveds.
Any help you can give will be always very appreciate!
Many thanks!

[salerno1943]

With the help of a USA friend we identify one of bottle with code 85925. Here is:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=FdhvAA ... &q&f=false

We also think that some of bucle are of USA parachute:

Last edited by salerno1943 on Tue Jul 05, 2011 3:24 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Dave Smith]

I agree with Coastie John on this one. An unfortunate misunderstanding caused by English not being the writer's first language. I bet not many of us could post a message in Italian! These guys are doing a great job and as far as I'm concerned I'll help them all I can.

[Pathfinder]

In your buckle photo the large triangular pieces top row (middle) and third row (center) along with the large hook bottom row (right) are parts of the seat belt system on the aircraft. Found at each crew station as well as the bucket seats occupied by the paratroopers in the center fuselage.

The piece in the top row (right) and the V buckle in the second row along with the hook in the third row (extreme left) are part of the parachute assembly. Common to both aircrew models as well as the paratroopers T-5 assembly.

Most of the small buckles are used on just about everything that had web straps; from the personal equipment harness M1936 used to carry ammo belt, canteen, shovel etc, to equipment straps and lash downs on the plane. Hard to say what they came from. The D buckles are similar to those on the upper front of the '36 equipment harness and are where the two hook straps of the musette bag are attached. But those had an integral metal plate, so these are probably just the D-ring on the end of a simple strap set.

The solid D-shaped part in your photo 22 (upper left) is the "cap" end piece of a strap set. Several lift-the-dot fasteners in photo 22 common to things like canteen covers and ammo belt flaps. But again a common item found on personal gear as well as the aircraft.

The small square plates are either from a flak jacket or a flak blanket.

[salerno1943]

In your buckle photo the large triangular pieces top row (middle) and third row (center) along with the large hook bottom row (right) are parts of the seat belt system on the aircraft. Found at each crew station as well as the bucket seats occupied by the paratroopers in the center fuselage.

The piece in the top row (right) and the V buckle in the second row along with the hook in the third row (extreme left) are part of the parachute assembly. Common to both aircrew models as well as the paratroopers T-5 assembly.

Most of the small buckles are used on just about everything that had web straps; from the personal equipment harness M1936 used to carry ammo belt, canteen, shovel etc, to equipment straps and lash downs on the plane. Hard to say what they came from. The D buckles are similar to those on the upper front of the '36 equipment harness and are where the two hook straps of the musette bag are attached. But those had an integral metal plate, so these are probably just the D-ring on the end of a simple strap set.

The solid D-shaped part in your photo 22 (upper left) is the "cap" end piece of a strap set. Several lift-the-dot fasteners in photo 22 common to things like canteen covers and ammo belt flaps. But again a common item found on personal gear as well as the aircraft.

The small square plates are either from a flak jacket or a flak blanket.

In your buckle photo the large triangular pieces top row (middle) and third row (center) along with the large hook bottom row (right) are parts of the seat belt system on the aircraft. Found at each crew station as well as the bucket seats occupied by the paratroopers in the center fuselage.

The piece in the top row (right) and the V buckle in the second row along with the hook in the third row (extreme left) are part of the parachute assembly. Common to both aircrew models as well as the paratroopers T-5 assembly.

Most of the small buckles are used on just about everything that had web straps; from the personal equipment harness M1936 used to carry ammo belt, canteen, shovel etc, to equipment straps and lash downs on the plane. Hard to say what they came from. The D buckles are similar to those on the upper front of the '36 equipment harness and are where the two hook straps of the musette bag are attached. But those had an integral metal plate, so these are probably just the D-ring on the end of a simple strap set.

The solid D-shaped part in your photo 22 (upper left) is the "cap" end piece of a strap set. Several lift-the-dot fasteners in photo 22 common to things like canteen covers and ammo belt flaps. But again a common item found on personal gear as well as the aircraft.

The small square plates are either from a flak jacket or a flak blanket.

Many thanks! If you find some photo that show the objects you quoted will be very useful for your small museum because so we can put it near to objects we find to explain use of that objects.

[pierpafree]

Despite english is not my mother tongue, i don't used a rude attitude in my post, believe it or not.
I agree with Dave and CoastieJohn: take it easy, we are here just to know if someone have the time or the will to help us, it's a request, not an order or a duty.
I never thinked someone wants to take a flight to reach the crash siteand stole something (even if i cannot understand what can be stolen:some Kilograms of iron?), but if anyone wants to come in Italy we can offer hospitality, good food and wine and great friendship for sure!
It is NOT "my" crash site, it's OUR (all of us) piece of history we want to bring to life again to find some relatives and explain some days of history.
Do you think i earn money or something going up and down to mountains wet, dirty and tired, with nothing but pieces of alluminium, iron and some rest of a plane crashed 70years ago?
Many people here wants to help, and we are here for that.
I repeat, never in my mind was the will to offend someone or to be rude, it was just a misunderstanding,that's all.
Please try to understand here we just want to clear some fog around this crash and we REALLY appreciate ANY kind of help.
Again: i will take it easy, hope you too.
Regards.

[Pathfinder]

Color close ups of M-1936 web equipment suspenders can been seen here:

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ ... 14364.html

Note D rings with and without integral metal plate. Adjusting buckles.

Lap belts (seat belts) photo is here:

http://www.omahas.com/popup_image.php?pID=1778&image=0

I have a box full of these around here someplace.

[salerno1943]

Color close ups of M-1936 web equipment suspenders can been seen here:

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ ... 14364.html

Note D rings with and without integral metal plate. Adjusting buckles.

Lap belts (seat belts) photo is here:

http://www.omahas.com/popup_image.php?pID=1778&image=0

I have a box full of these around here someplace.

Many thanks for interesting photos!!