VERY OT - 60 Spitfires Found

I came across this article whilst doing some research today and thought I'd share in case there are any WW2 enthusiasts out there.
It's a wonderful story and we may have a brand new squadron of Spitfires flying over our skies once again.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...llowing-16-year-hunt-aviation-enthusiast.html

A lost squadron of Spitfires that has been buried in the Burmese jungle since the end of the Second World War is to be dug up and brought back to Britain.
Aircraft enthusiast David Cundall spent 15 years and £130,000 of his own money tracking down the aircraft.
Up to 60 planes were buried in transport crates at a secret location 40ft below ground at the end of the war to ensure they didn’t fall into enemy hands.

David Cundall, from North Lincolnshire, discovered 20 Spitfires buried in crates in Burma - and they will now be excavated for display

Saved for posterity: At least 60 Spitfires are believed to be buried - and they will hopefully be proudly displayed once again thanks to the 16-year hunt
The Spitfires are believed to be in good condition because they were waxed, wrapped in greased paper and had their joints tarred by RAF crews.
The excavation is due to start at the end of the month after an agreement was signed with the military regime in Rangoon.

Mr Cundall, 62, a farmer from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, started his treasure hunt in 1996 after hearing a throwaway remark from a group of US veterans who said they once buried Spitfires in Burma.
The fighter planes – of which there are only around 35 left flying in the world – were shipped to Burma and transported by rail to a British RAF base in August 1945.
But they were deemed surplus to requirements and unsuited to the ‘island-hopping’ missions to clear the Japanese of their remaining strongholds in the Pacific.
Mr Cundall tracked down an eyewitness who led him to the area where the aircraft were buried.
He eventually located the buried planes using ground-penetrating radar equipment.
His team dug a borehole and sent down a camera to look at the crates, which were said to be in ‘really good condition’.

One of the Spitfires (pictured: the tail fins) being crated up in Burma in 1945 ready to be buried
Images showed the Spitfires inside the containers with their wings packed alongside them.
The planes will now be dug up and brought back to the UK to be reassembled. A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘We hope that many of them will soon be gracing the skies of Britain.’
The deal went ahead after Prime Minister David Cameron signed a heritage agreement with Burmese President Thein Sein during his visit to the south-east Asian nation in April.
The excavation agreement was signed on Tuesday by Mr Cundall, Burma's civil aviation chief Tin Naing Tun and the Shwe Taung Paw company boss Htoo Htoo Zaw, Mr Cundall's partner in the country
Mr Zaw said: 'This will be the largest number of Spitfires in the world. We want to let people see those historic fighters.'
Mr Cundall's treasure hunt was sparked in 1996 by a throwaway remark from a group of U.S. veterans who said they had once buried Spitfires in the Burmese jungle.
The Spitfires, of which there are only around 35 flying left in the world, were shipped to Burma and transported by rail to the British RAF base in August 1945.
SPITFIRES: FAITHFUL PLANES THAT FOUGHT THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN


Mr Cundall, from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, persuaded the country's notoriously secretive regime to allow him to search for the lost aircraft, winning their trust over 12 visits.
The married father-of-three doggedly pieced together their possible location by speaking to the declining number of Far East veterans
He said at the time: 'I’m only a small farmer, I’m not a multi-millionaire and it has been a struggle. It took me more than 15 years but I finally found them.
'Spitfires are beautiful aeroplanes and should not be rotting away in a foreign land. They saved our neck in the Battle of Britain and they should be preserved.'
Permission to excavate the planes was granted because of the strengthening relations between London and Rangoon.
In the past year, Burma has turned away from the repressive policies of the previous military regime and has taken a reforming democratic stance.
A Downing Street spokesman said: 'We hope that many of them will be gracing the skies of Britain and as discussed, some will be displayed here in Burma.'
Mr Cundall said the government had promised him it would not be making a claim for the aircraft.
A law passed by the British when they granted Burma independence in 1948 meant that anything left behind automatically became the property of the Burmese government.
Mr Cundall is understood to have struck a deal with the Burmese president to take 60 per cent of the profits.

 

Very interesting, the planes and their pilots did a great job for King and Country.

 

They are amazing machines. Sadly the majority of those left flying are overseas with collectors.
Hopefully this find will help redress the balance so that the next generation can see the greatest fighter plane ever seen in action.

 

Great post ACS

 

Sure am Maestro.
My particular fascination is with medals and badges with British and German my favoured nationalities.
I have quite a few items ranging from a Luftflak badge to an iron cross (second class) and full GB Star set (apart from Air Crew Europe) to a K98 (German) Bayonet and an Italian Officers ring from the Desert Campaign.
I went to Lithuania last year and topped up my Russian collection too although the Russians gave a medal for having a crap some of the time so all of their medals are pretty low in value due to the sheer number of those issued.

 

Indeed. The Hurricaine was the workhorse and the Spit took the glory.

 

At the end of the day I think it was those magnificent men in their flying machines that took the honours.

We'd have been in a very sorry state without them.

 

I due to my husbands work have been to several Battle of Britain Commemaratorive dinners, one of which had a B of B pilot on the gable as the guest of honor. If my memory serves me correctly he may have been the last one still to be alive, but not 100% sure, also think for some reason, he may have flown in from Australia ?
My favorite plane has always been the Herculeas, not sure why, and there is nothing quite so evocative of the past era than seeing a Lancaster Bomber flying into the sunset.
Are you interested in the Vulcan at all ACS ?

 

Kind of know what you mean Maestro, perhaps it's to do with the country together as one to fight oppression. We seem to be at our best as a nation, when we have to pull together.
Had a similar feeling l guess at last years Olympic Games, a nation brought together by pride and patriotism.

 

A good film from that era called 'The Pianist' I think it was, life was extremely hard and some people preferred death. The film was about one person, the Pianist, who wanted to live.

 

The Vulcan is iconic. Saw my first one up close and personal at Duxford a couple of months back.

 

I too would pick ww2 as the era I'd love to live in. I'd have liked to have worked for SOE in the intelligence arena.

Good shout about the Olympics. It really brought us all together and I finally met more of my neighbours.

 

Didn't think this post was off topic at all...

Most of us have been 'spitting fire' on here at Newcastle's performances all season.

He needn't have bothered going all the way to Burma! ;D

 

There always has to be room for threads like this - in any forum. Good on yer ACS.

During WWII my dad (still clinging on at 88) worked on aircraft carriers - fixing the radios on the planes. He worked on Hellcats, Corsairs, Avengers etc (all supplied by the Yanks ironically) and his carrier was attacked by Kamikaze on several occasions, while he lay flat out on the deck hoping for the best. He was friendly with a couple of the pilots, but neither made it through to the end of the war. Its always amazed me how matter of fact he is about it all - the whole "I just did my bit and then came home" attitude. Different times.

 

They've not found a trace of the Spitfires yet (weirdly they seem to have got permission and funding, which can run into the millions for a long project, on the basis of some guy saying they're there... I've seen the forms you have to fill out for project proposals and the boards you have to present to, so they must judge this as potentially holding major public interest), but they have found a crate with water in it. Not great preservation for metal planes, but if they have indeed been wrapped in organic material they could be like new if they are there.

The geek I am, I'll actually be a lot more interested in reading the excavation report than looking at whatever planes they find anyway, probably a tricky job that. It's not unknown for Archaeologists to be shot at on sites like it because of the perceived significance of a country's archaeology in political empowerment/agenda, but since the military let go of the country the government have clearly made efforts with the United Nations. It remains to be seen what happens if they actually find something, however.

 

One crashed at East Midlands airport on Monday.