Kuril Islands - Anything There?

[Warbird Kid]

I was doing a bit of explorin' on Google Maps when I went to northern Japan and found the Kuril Islands. Seems like there were a lot of airfields built on the islands. Considering the islands seem to be deserted, and they are disputed territory between Japan and Russia, does anyone know if their are any wrecks out there? Thanks in advance!

[junkman9096]

I'd imagine there are SOME things up there. Soviet Russia got real irritated when KAL 007 overflew that area back in 1983.

[Matt Gunsch]

A lot of the P-63 King Cobras that came out of Russia came from there.

[armyjunk2]

Several (like maybe eight) World War II Japanese Tanks have been recovered from Shumshu, Kuril Islands. All in easy restorable condition

You can see them here http://the.shadock.free.fr/Surviving_Panzers.html

click on Various under WW2 Combat Vehicles on the left, then scroll down on list on right to Japanese medium Tanks

[DaveM2]

Japanese wise there is a reasonable Lily and a good centre section/ forward fuse and wing of a Kate. Other than that a lot of guano.

[airmanual]

From the early nineties, numerous P-63 and KI-43 wrecks were recovered from Shumshu and other Kuriles islands.

Besides a few P-63, the Hunt brothers (UK) also recovered a least a B-25, a Kate and an A6M from there.

The two links below should give you a pretty good idea of what was (and is most cases still is) to be found there. Nice place for a good trekking.

If correctly identified, there is, amongst many others, a J1N1 Gekko partial wreck there. Pretty much unique!

Laurent

http://photobucket.com/images/kurile?page=1

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/armour-we ... ands-4822/

[John Dupre]

I think there are at least two Lockheed PV-2 wrecks there. One was the subject of a documentary some years ago.