Warbird Information Exchange

Email to me: This is all i know.

I had a friend, **** ****, who during WWll was in an Army Air Corps repair staion in Burma, now Myanmar, he told me of an occasion when their position was about to be overrun by the advancing Japanese. He recalled the huge amounts of crated planes, parts, engines, trucks, tents, etc that he bulldozed into a huge pit he had dug for the purpose... he then detonated the bulldozer on the spot.

Years later, I had a customer, who had to have been at the same place as he related some of the same stories and events. I don't however, recall the location, though have related this to many others over the years.

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Well if I can't rollerskate around my playpen while smoking and drinking a beer, I'm staying home..

Stories like this abound...

My Dad Knew a guy at work back in the early '70s that was an aircraft mechanic at "Pac Loban" and personaly witnessed brand new P-38's land, get the fuel drained, then towed over to a big pit and bulldozed in after the war ended. Whether it's true or an embellishment of something else, we'll never know....

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Rob

From a picture i saw of aircraft in a dump in the Philippines i don't doubt the story. My dad was down in the islands during the war and they never actually knew where they were at. He saw them torch two small valleys as he called them . They went back into the hills he said. The Japanese were coming they thought and one valley was filled with jeeps in crates stacked three high and the other was full of tires. They burnt all of it. Don't get on me for saying VALLEYS. That was my father term. We might just call them giant ravines.

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Well if I can't rollerskate around my playpen while smoking and drinking a beer, I'm staying home..

Were jeeps crated?

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

Certainly. I know a guy who knew a guy whose sister's uncle met a guy that bought one in a crate for $50.

I don't think I would order anything from "Dept. BS".

August

I was a little kid when he talked about it. He didn't talk much about the war.

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Well if I can't rollerskate around my playpen while smoking and drinking a beer, I'm staying home..

You just joking or calling me out?

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Well if I can't rollerskate around my playpen while smoking and drinking a beer, I'm staying home..

Never seen that before, but I'd sure like to find a box like that under my tree this year!

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Defending Stearmans on WIX since Jeff started badmouthing them back in 2005.

Oh I don't doubt the story either...tons of stuff was buried, pushed off ships etc (another buddy of Dads was on an LST loaded for the invasion of Japan. They shoved everything overboard, loaded up troops and sailed home). It's the details like exactly where and what's on top of it now thats the problem!

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Rob

Those brand new P-38s at Clark Field were torched with explosives unfortunately. Anything that's left is under the ash from Mt. Pinatubo if you want to go digging.

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"They done it, they done it, damned if they ain't flew." December 17, 1903

Why both of course! There were Jeeps in crates, but the urban legends of them being sold surplus that way are mostly false I'd imagine.

Still waiting for my Dads Jeep that he paid $50.00 for to come into Duluth in 1968.

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PAPPY ch-46 phrog,endangerd species 40 years and still flying

I wish I had a nickle for every time I have been asked if my jeep was one of those $50.00 ones. I bet by now I could have gone out and bought one.

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Long Live the N3N-3 "The Last US Military Bi-Plane" 1940-1959
Badmouthing Stearmans on WIX since 2005

A different email sent to me.

About twenty years ago... there was quite an article that was printed in Military Vehicles magazine, it concerned aerial photos that were taken of one of Dole Pineapple Plantations that has been turned over to the Government during the war... the photos showed layers of aircraft in crates, covered with Amphcats crated and otherwise, followed by another layer of aircraft in crates...they published the photos both at that time and current ones that showed the area being farmed. Was in the huge bowl of a dormant volcano as well as I recall. Am sure study of the islands...think it was Oahu, would turn up something and it would be so good to see it happen.

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Well if I can't rollerskate around my playpen while smoking and drinking a beer, I'm staying home..