Hello all, Not sure if this will help or not. Meant to post it a while ago but been stupidly busy with work. Anyway...... from near the recycle bins: Weather permitting I can go back this week if necessary. Cheers, Sean
Thanks Sean, The ash trees do not appear to have shot out yet in your photograph above. I would be interested to see how much of an overhang these trees produce with a full canopy. In our 1944 cover, there appears to be enough to obscure the invasion strips on the starboard wing of the intact Waco. Just curious... Regards, Pat
Pat, I'll have a look then, but for now I would suggest "sufficient" to obscure invasion stripes. Cheers, Sean
Sean, Thanks for posting this photo !!! To me it looks very simular to the photo that Yuri had posted before of a wrecked glider and the one I suspect was next to Pratts glider. You can actually see the vertical stabilizer of the glider above the canopy of the glider. Pat, I am wondering what you and others think in a photo comparison... Respectfully, John
Hi John, Yes, I agree it is a good match for Yuri's photograph. I wonder if the jeep track exiting the photo at lower left would line up with the gate- way just to the east of the recycle bins? <iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=49.366017,-1.269071&spn=0.000975,0.001714&t=h&z=19&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=49.366017,-1.269071&spn=0.000975,0.001714&t=h&z=19&source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small> Regards, Pat
Hello all, Well here we go. I'm afraid it was taken with my 'phone but should do the job OK. Here's Yuri's picture: And a "today" comparison: I did cheat a bit by tilting the image in Picasa. I think from the trees in the distant hadgerow, in the '44 photo the camera isn't being held straight. The original from the other day is here: The dirt in the foreground is from heavy bovine and equine traffic- in other words right beside the gate, so as Pat suggested the tracks in the '44 shot fit fine. Cheers, Sean
Hi Sean, Thanks for the additional ground work; I appreciate your time as always. It certainly looks like a very good match on the hedgerows and I know of no better location for Yuri's photo. If it is the correct spot, I wonder what caused the huge amount of damage to this Waco when you compare the view of the same glider in the extract from NCAP_ACIU_US7GR_1857_4052, flown on the 12th June (marked '6'): Image Credit: RCAHMS/www.aerial.rcahms.gov.uk The damage looks far more than what you would expect to see from livestock tearing canvas or using the glider as a scratching post. Note how in the aerial view, we can see the shadow from the port side wing indicating it is not resting on the ground as it clearly is in Yuri's ground photograph below: Just an observation... Regards, Pat
Hi Pat, I have been wondering the same thing for some time now. It seems that within 6 days of landing, the Wacos windows, wheels, canvas, and some interior was removed. I am guessing that maybe removing the wing support struts might cause the wings to collapse, and I figure they are a easy source of metal and easily removed. But I dont know if that was done here or if I am looking at part of the Waco frame. It would be real interesting to know what could be made from Waco parts... either by a local farmer or the troops in the field. Respectfully, John
I know that parts of gliders in Holland were used to make small carts. So the wheels and steel tubing would be part of such carts. Not sure if I have a photo of such. Steel tubes were also used as fencepost (was told in Germany in the Varsity area). Here is a page that mentioned a Waco floor at a Dutch farm (not sure where it was used for) http://users.telenet.be/airwareurope/en/waco/waco_rike_e.htm Seen pics of roof repair with Waco parts at Groesbeek. Tube-frame was used as stable for pigs. So I guess that in those time, people could use most of the materials. Best wishes, Hans www.airbornetroopcarrier.com
Hi John, At first I though the damage was due to an internal explosion but on reflection the intact canvas on the port side wing would seem to rule this out. Perhaps, because of the close proximity to the 'Fighting Falcon', the souvenir hunters ran out of canvas to strip off that wreck and just moved onto the next available glider - there is probably enough pieces “taken from the 'Fighting Falcon'” to cover several Wacos Taking strips of canvas as souvenirs seems to have been a common practice as evidenced by this page on Hans's site - the particular strips shown may even be from this glider. Are the port side wing struts missing or is it just that the wreck has rolled onto the port side? Regards, Pat
Hi Hans, Thanks for the link to the glider parts at the dutch farm... some interesting reading there. As for your website, it has always been saved as one of my favorites ! John
Wow, great research on the ground picture! I actually received some better scans recently that I will upload here soon. Great to see all this info. Sean, would you mind if I share the ground picture with the daughter of the veteran who took the original picture? I am sure she would love to see it.
Yuri, I look forward to seeing your better scans... I know you have been busy with your new babygirl Nora... Congratulations again !!! John
John, With regards to your earlier question about how salvaged glider parts were utilized by the local French population, I encountered such an example during my visit to Normandy last May. Our Overlord Tours guide stopped our van east of Hiesville and pointed out a Horsa jeep ramp rail that had been converted to a roof support beam for a lean-to shed built next to a barn. I couldn’t get my camera out in time to get a shot, but a partial view of the shed is available on Google Earth. Source: Wikimedia Commons from an Imperial War Museum Collection http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AA_jeep_is_loaded_aboard_a_Horsa_glider_during_a_large-scale_airborne_forces_exercise%2C_22_April_1944._H37692.jpg Location of barn with Horsa jeep ramp rail (Source: Google Earth) R/Kevin
Sorry, not directly related to this topic, but I wasn't sure where to post it. At the moment there is an ebay listing of many expensive pictures of a 506th Airborne Trooper. One of the pictures is a wrecked plane. You can see the listing here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/WW2-D-DAY-506th-101st-AIRBORNE-PARATROOPER-NAMED-COMBAT-VETS-GROUP-PICTURES-/261226776138?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cd254464a
Hi Yuri, That C-47 crash was in Holland. The C-47 crashed on 21 September '44 after dropping Polish paratroopers. The photo is used in several publications (as others in this listing) Hans