Buried Spits in Burma

[Shay]

I'm assuming this was the standard configuration for these shipping containers? I seem to remember P-39s or Airacobra Mk.Is if you will, being shipped in this manner as well.


ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS IN MALTA, GIBRALTAR AND THE MEDITERRANEAN, 1939-1945.. © IWM (CM 6688)IWM Non Commercial Licence


ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS IN MALTA, GIBRALTAR AND THE MEDITERRANEAN, 1939-1945.. © IWM (CM 6687)IWM Non Commercial Licence

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[jtramo]

We have seen aircraft restored to Flying condition after hitting mountains, involved in nuclear testing blasts, being submerged in swamps or under tons of ice. Whats with all the pessimism? This seems to be the greatest warbird find EVER! Rejoice as they will rise again. (worked for Jesus)

[WallyB]

We have seen aircraft restored to Flying condition after hitting mountains, involved in nuclear testing blasts, being submerged in swamps or under tons of ice.

In most cases the aircraft were reconstructed to flying condition. How much of the originals remain is a subject of much debate .

Still, 12-20 Merlins would be worth digging up.

[Invader26]

I can se it now. A few 'erks digging a few [20 holes] big enough with shovels to 'ide the crates of kites under 20-40 feet of earth awaiting orders to retrieve same to save the day.......

[Tiger Tim]

I may have missed it earlier but why should anyone believe these crates weren't originally crushed flat before burying? Saves a lot of time digging and IIRC was a common way to dispose of things at the time.

-Tim

[The Inspector]

Go up this page to the GRUMMAN sticky and have a look at how the Iron Works sent Christmas presents to the troops. A JRF-2 Widgeon makes a pretty compact package on it's shipping crate/pallet.

[51fixer]

We have seen aircraft restored to Flying condition after hitting mountains, involved in nuclear testing blasts, being submerged in swamps or under tons of ice.

In most cases the aircraft were reconstructed to flying condition. How much of the originals remain is a subject of much debate .

Still, 12-20 Merlins would be worth digging up.

Possibly Griffons!

[JDK]

If you know anything about construction, an underground vault made from reinforced concrete (a bunker if you will) would be required to keep the tons of earth above from crushing some relatively flimsy wooden crates flat. These were supposedly shipping crates, right?

When you dig a tunnel, you are making a cavity in well packed earth. The top of the tunnel essentially supports itself like an arch. In the case of these Spitfires, you have loose earth pushed into a hole with bulldozers or hand shovels. Even a modern steel shipping container would collapse under these circumstances. To make a vault strong enough you would need a foundation to keep the walls and roof from punching down over the aircraft like a staple through a few sheets of paper (the foundation would have to float on the soil below). And then the walls would need to be strong enough to keep from buckling and finally the roof would need to be strong enough to bridge the distance across each crate.

I've seen Spitfire sized wooden shipping crates (with a Spitfire inside actually) and I suggest it was much less strong than a modern steel shipping container.

Maybe this is a modern miracle or some very special engineering was done to protect these aircraft, but this engineer has his reservations that these aircraft are in any condition resembling intact. I suspect they will be at least as crushed as Glacier Girl and likely more corroded.

Even if my expectations are realized, I hope these are recovered and at a minimum the identities can be used to create more flyable aircraft.

Post of the thread.

It may well be 'the greatest warbird find ever' when they're found and extracted in some useful form - at the moment it's still under speculation.

Regards,

[warbirdfinder]

The picture of the site, as was described to me, was of a US Army Corp of Engineer person standing on a large mound of dirt where the 14 or so Spitfires were buried. That person was in the party that buried the Spitfires, next to a railroad siding.

[marine air]

Can you win the lottery twice? Remember a few years ago when they had a hangar full of Spitfires, different late marks for sale for an asking price of $200k ? I talked it up around here but every conversation reverted back to the "Magnesium rivets". Still they were complete. sitting on their gear and for less than half the price for a Mustang project at that time. Could the warbird community be that lucky again?

[PeterA]

Can you win the lottery twice? Remember a few years ago when they had a hangar full of Spitfires, different late marks for sale for an asking price of $200k ? I talked it up around here but every conversation reverted back to the "Magnesium rivets". Still they were complete. sitting on their gear and for less than half the price for a Mustang project at that time. Could the warbird community be that lucky again?

That does not ring any bells with me.

Care to expand on that with a few more details...country etc?

PeterA

[Flat 12x2]

Can you win the lottery twice? Remember a few years ago when they had a hangar full of Spitfires, different late marks for sale for an asking price of $200k ? I talked it up around here but every conversation reverted back to the "Magnesium rivets". Still they were complete. sitting on their gear and for less than half the price for a Mustang project at that time. Could the warbird community be that lucky again?

That does not ring any bells with me.

Care to expand on that with a few more details...country etc?

PeterA

Wasn't this the underground hanger on an ex RAF storage airfield in the UK ?, talked about at length over on FP forum a few years ago IIRC

[PeterA]

Can you win the lottery twice? Remember a few years ago when they had a hangar full of Spitfires, different late marks for sale for an asking price of $200k ? I talked it up around here but every conversation reverted back to the "Magnesium rivets". Still they were complete. sitting on their gear and for less than half the price for a Mustang project at that time. Could the warbird community be that lucky again?

That does not ring any bells with me.

Care to expand on that with a few more details...country etc?

PeterA

Wasn't this the underground hanger on an ex RAF storage airfield in the UK ?, talked about at length over on FP forum a few years ago IIRC

Still not ringing any bells.

PeterA

[Mike]

Still not ringing any bells.

PeterA

Sounds to me like a garbled version of the Burma Spitfire/Seafire disposal a few years back.

[marine air]

Yeah, my memory is a little foggy but it seems like about 5 to 10 years ago. I think they were collected from around the country placed in an old hangar and put for sale. I think they were Mk 9 and much later versions with postwar paint schemes. They were advertised in Trade a Plane.
At first the story was that it was a forgotten RAF Hangar, but I believe the truth was that they were gate guards, etc. that were collected for disposal. India or that part of the world somewhere.