ARmy Rumour SErvice

I have an old mate who's 89 years old. He's spent a lifetime in the aircraft industry working for BEA and then BA until he retired quite a few years ago now. He originally started out apprenticed to an aircraft company around Hayes in West London.just prior to the second world war and he wasn't allowed to join up at first because he was in a reserved occupation but eventually, he got into the RAF. He started out in his apprenticeship building the original aircraft from new and then later moved onto in the RAF fixing them when someone bent them.

Occasionally he chats about what he did. For example, in Mosquitoes, it was common practice apparently when you fixed one to have to go up with the pilot on the test flight. He happened to mention some time ago now about with the end of the war, all the kit that got dumped including a new Spitfire engine still greased up in it's box that they just buried somewhere.

I'm going up the pub in a minute to ask him if he can remember where they buried it! You never know?

Originally Posted by rgjbloke

I'm going up the pub in a minute to ask him if he can remember where they buried it! You never know?

Are you sure it was even in this 'feckin country?

Originally Posted by littlejim

Sounds like crap to me. By 1945 the Japs were on their last legs in Burma. The chances of them capturing an airfield were remote and even if they did they'd have as much chance of flying the Spits as the typical British brigade of today would have of finding twenty fast jet pilots in its ranks. As for destroying them, so what? The RAF should have been switching over to Mustang production from 1943 anyway. The Spitfire had the operational radius of a pissed pelican and never did anything useful in the offensive role.

Massive numbers of lend-lease aircraft were disposed of in SEA in 1945. They were craned onto RN escort carriers, taken a few miles out to sea and pushed over the side. Job done. Can you imagine RAF ground crew digging a bloody great trench in the tropical sun just to carefully lower some untouched Spitfires into it and then carefully cover them up again? "Eh, Ernie, bet our great grandchildren are going to be really chuffed when they find this lot, hey?"

"Reet enough, Joe. And I'm leaving them some V for Victory fags and soya links as a special treat."

Somebody will be re-loading the Goon Show eventually and reporting that the 3rd Imperial Armoured Thunderbox Regiment is still fighting the Japs on the road to Mandalay.

Balls.


You have been force fed American Hollywood propaganda by deluded P51 Mustang lovers. The Spitfire was more important than the Mustang and probably the most important aircraft in WWII. It was the only aircraft to fly from the start to the finish of the war and to fight in every theatre. The Mediterranean, North Africa, Europe, UK, Russia, Burma, India, Pacific, Australia, North Atlantic and Arctic. No other aircraft can make that claim, not even the Me109. They even had spits flying over Japan in 1945 with long range fuel tanks.

Furthermore, if the Spitfire was utterly useless and never did anything in the offensive role, perhaps you can tell me what the first prop aircraft was to shoot down a jet? As a slight hint, it certainly wasn't the P51. Could it be the spit? Well, what's a spit doing flying at high speed over Germany that late in the war I wonder? According to your twisted thesis they were back in blightly doing victory rolls over empty airfields.


DC

Originally Posted by sunami

Are you sure it was even in this 'feckin country?

Gawd, I hope not!!! Lol.

World War II has started again.

What nonsense. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a far superior and better designed aircraft than the puny spitfire. Why bother trying to find these planes. Leave then buried in the ground where they belong.
- Hans, Berlin , 14/4/2012 8:35


Read more: The new Battle of Burma: Find 20 buried Spitfires and make them fly | Mail Online

Originally Posted by wakatoa

World War II has started again.

What nonsense. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a far superior and better designed aircraft than the puny spitfire. Why bother trying to find these planes. Leave then buried in the ground where they belong.
- Hans, Berlin , 14/4/2012 8:35


Read more: The new Battle of Burma: Find 20 buried Spitfires and make them fly | Mail Online

The 109 was not! the FW 190 was better for a while, intill yes you guessed it a better mark of Spitfire came out.

Originally Posted by MrDave

The 109 was not! the FW 190 was better for a while, intill yes you guessed it a better mark of Spitfire came out.

Was it the Mk V Spitfire, that bettered the FW190A?

Originally Posted by MrDave

The 109 was not! the FW 190 was better for a while, intill yes you guessed it a better mark of Spitfire came out.

Quite - Galland asked for a squadron of Spits and he was best placed to know.