Buried treasure in Burma: Squadron of lost WWII Spitfires to be exhumed
Yar -- it's buried PILOT treasure!
Like a treasure chest stuffed with priceless booty, as many as 20 World War II-era Spitfire planes are perfectly preserved, buried in crates beneath Burma -- and after 67 years underground, they're set to be uncovered.
The planes were shipped in standard fashion in 1945 from their manufacturer in England to the Far East country: waxed, wrapped in greased paper and tarred to protect against the elements. They were then buried in the crates they were shipped in, rather than let them fall into enemy hands, said David Cundall, an aviation enthusiast who has spent 15 years and about $200,000 in his efforts to reveal the lost planes.
The 62-year-old man -- a British farmer by trade -- realized the fate of the aircraft thanks to an offhand comment a group of American veterans made to a friend, he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
''They told Jim: 'We've done some pretty silly things in our time, but the silliest was burying Spitfires.' And when Jim got back from the U.S., he told me,'" Cundall said.
The location of the planes, which remains a closely kept secret, was confirmed during a recent trip to the Far East country, he said.
''We sent a borehole down and used a camera to look at the crates. They seemed to be in good condition," Cundall told the Herald.
The Spitfire Mark XIV planes are rare for more than one reason: They used Rolls Royce Griffon engines rather than the Merlins used in earlier models to achieve tremendous speeds. Griffon-powered planes could reach 440 mph thanks to the hefty, 2,050-horsepower engines.
When production of the planes ultimately ended in 1947, 20,334 Spitfires of all versions had been produced, but just 2,053 of them were Griffon-powered versions, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.
The planes were deemed surplus and were buried in Aug., 1945 -- potentially along with another eight later in the year. At that time, propeller planes were falling out of fashion in favor of newer jet-engine designs -- Cundall said Spitfires "were 10 a penny." British military officials decided burying them was cheaper and more practical than bringing them home.
International sanctions prevent military material from leaving the country, but a recent visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron may enable the safe exhumation and return of the planes to England.
Only about 35 Spitfires are currently flying.
Planes, preserved with the methods of the time, buried in the ground, and to be dug up as a treasure. How strange does it get?
To be sure they will have to be torn down to the parts to clean everything up. I can't imagine that all the rubber parts are pefectly preserved, such as all important o-rings for seals. But still, the metal won't be fatigued from use. The glass in it should be in perfect shape, as well as the paint.
This is indeed a treasure of the rarest sort. I don't who would buy the fuel to fly these monsters but hey, they would be a sight to see in the air.
Here in the states there is a flying club called The Confederate Air Force. I used to know a mechanic who donated some of his off duty time to restoring historic aircraft. Some of the folks he worked with restored a B52. Now you wanna talk a fuel hog, that's one. I forget just how many gallons of fuel it takes just to warm the engines up in preparation for flight but I seem to remember being dumbfounded at the amount. Along with the fuel, it comes to me that it also took something like a barrel of refined oil for warm up.
They had bought a British early model jet, one of the first to actually fly. He was telling me that they would have to fabricate the engine parts and all to restore it to a flying safe-worthy craft. Some of the stuff they would not be able to fabricate and would require a round the world search for parts. Things like the canopy glass. Still he was looking forward to it arriving, freighted from England by ship.
Now I don't have any need to get into one of these relics. I've already done my time in relics, having jumped out of an old WWII prop job, called the C-119 flying boxcar.
Going up in this thing, with all the vibrations and noise, gave me the idea the pilot was doing his best to get it off the ground while the co-pilot ran around with a rivet gun to keep it together long enough to get it up.
So while I am sure this is a great treasure for someone, I don't think I will be anywhere near from shear lack of want-to.
Buried treasure in Burma
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