Spitfires in Burma

[altec123]

I saw on the news tonight that someone has discovered at least 20 rare variant of the famous Spitfire fighter. Apparently the fighters were shipped to Burma in shipping containers over 60 years ago and then buried in their shipping crates still in protective coatings. They have not been dug up yet, but have been examined thru a borehole and are in good condition. Amazing find!

 

I took this picture at a air show a couple of years ago

[Lestat]

This is great news. I love classic warplanes. I will follow this with big interest.

[bigbill340]

This is a really interesting post! it would be amazing to have them dug up and shown!!!

 

Thanks for posting!

 

Bill

[Taeng Mo]

Farkin' Horny looking bit of gear them.

 

One of my fantasies, to own one (if I had the Satang).

[altec123]

They are going to dig them up and they will be returned to the UK.

 

Here is a link on some of the details:

 

http://www.mizzima.com/news/world/6958-british-man-recovers-buried-spitfires-in-burma.html

[captjeff]

WOW .This is a rare find ,woud love to see them

I went to A war museaum in London or just outside London was wonderful .place

They had one hanging from th ceiling i cound not belive how small it was

Hope this is real and have the 60 planes for all to see .

Warm regards

Cappy

[SLEUTH]

Great news, I believe there are less than 100 airworthy Spitfires in the world. To find 20 "new" is stunning.

[bigbill340]

hopefully some will end up at Duxford or Mildenhall so I can go and see them!!

 

I do love anything that is of our history!!!

 

 

Bill

[Chris50]

hopefully some will end up at Duxford or Mildenhall so I can go and see them!!

 

I do love anything that is of our history!!!

 

 

Bill

YEA that would be great .Even better to hear the sound of a rolls royce merlin in the sky once again

cheers chris

[Lestat]

YEA that would be great .Even better to hear the sound of a rolls royce merlin in the sky once again cheers chris

Hi Chris

 

Did you experience the Battle of Britain?

 

Cheers mate.

[oldschool1965]

Very interesting piece of history unfolding here. There were some American Army Engineers that said they buried them during the allied withdrawal from Burma as the Japanese were in retreat. The Pacific portion of WWII was primarily an American and Aussie front. The brits were there to support the air superiority efforts and were on an airfield run by the Americans. The Allies withdrew from burma following the Japanese retreat and the planes were hidden in case the tide turned so the Japanese wouldn't find them. They treated these old American Army guys like the usual assholes that want some publicity and are talking fantasy bullshit but a brit went to America & met with a few of guys who were still alive in 1996 and believed them. They drew out maps & said the planes were brand new, in crates and that they waddled them in grease and wax paper to preserve them. They said they dug a straight trench by the airfield and buried them in a straight line. They were old guys and the number varied from 12-20 brand new Spitfires. The Brit spent $200K of his own money, it took him 15 years, and people looked at him like he was an idiot, but he persevered and found a huge piece of history...good for him! Its a pity that the Americans who buried the planes who were also ridiculed didn't live long enough to also see their claim validated before the world. I would definitely like for a few of them to make it into a museum so I could enjoy them.

[captjeff]

Very interesting I will follow this as it is so exciting to me .I am A WW history buff

and wow .would love to see this happen ...

Warm regards

Cappy

[M.C.H.]

Back in the 90s Shepherd Neame brewery in Kent produced a real ale named Spitfire these are some of their adverts

 

[Novice]

I had Airfix scale 1/72 Spitfire model amongst many other planes as a kid.

Brings memories of the times having other hobbies than mongering.

 

[altec123]

Update on the battle raging on who has salvage rights:

 

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/05/01/dogfight-over-buried-wwii-spitfires-in-burma/?intcmp=features

 

Sorry in advance to those who hate Fox news....

[Velcro]

YEA that would be great .Even better to hear the sound of a rolls royce merlin in the sky once again cheers chris

These Spitfires are Mark 14's that have the Rolls Royce Griffon engine not the Merlin

Made in the Coventry factory ( my town) and not the Derby Factory

The Griffon was a more powerful 2000bhp engine.

Only 10% of Spirfires built had the Griffon Engine

[altec123]

Update from today:

 

http://www.foxnews.c...test=latestnews

[SLEUTH]

Why do these things take so long to organise...bloody politics

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-20910980

[altec123]

Update

 

http://news.yahoo.com/myanmar-spitfire-hunt-leads-water-filled-crate-013203895.html

[gogo dog]

Archaeologists believe no Spitfires buried in Burma

Archaeologists hunting for World War II Spitfires in Burma believe there are no planes buried at the sites where they have been digging, the BBC understands.

The archaeologists have concluded that evidence does not support the original claim that as many as 124 Spitfires were buried at the end of the war, the BBC's Fergal Keane reports.

However, project leader David Cundall has disagreed with the view.

He told the BBC he thought the digging was taking place in the wrong area.

Mr Cundall has spent the last 17 years trying to discover the truth of claims that unused, unassembled Spitfires were packed into crates and buried by the RAF at sites in Burma on the orders of Lord Mountbatten in 1945.

He has eyewitness accounts from American and British service personnel as well as local people to testify to the burial of the planes. One of them, British veteran Stanley Coombe, has travelled to Burma to witness the excavation.

Mr Cundall's project secured funding from Belarusian video games firm Wargaming Ltd, and British Prime Minister David Cameron secured permission for the dig when he met Burmese President Thein Sein last year.

Excavations began at Rangoon International Airport, one of three sites, earlier in January.

A press conference, planned for Friday morning, was cancelled by Wargaming Ltd with a spokesman saying he hoped to give more details later.

When pressed, the spokesman admitted there are no Spitfires, our correspondent says.