Myanmar Spitfire search abandoned

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Spitfire search comes up empty

Published: 16 Feb 2013 at 13.13
Online news: Asia

YANGON - The sponsor of a British-led team hunting for dozens of rare World War II Spitfires said to have been buried in Myanmar has abandoned the search.

Stories of the stashed planes are merely "legend", said Andy Brockman, the lead archaeologist on the project.

Rumours that dozens of the iconic single-seat aircraft were buried in 1945 by Britain, the former colonial power in what was then Burma, had excited military history enthusiasts, but surveys at Yangon airport in the Mingaladon district have failed to bear fruit.

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tau
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Discussion 9 : 18 Feb 2013 at 08.189
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Sponcer the the removal of boms and landmines in Laos is the moral thing to do not miths
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zydeco
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Discussion 8 : 16 Feb 2013 at 23.368
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The fact is that it was the US that worked its way across the Pacific, with more help from the Australians than from the British, during the war. Burma was a sideshow. And Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tarawa, Iwo, Leyte, Lingayen, Okinawa? The British contriubtions, please? As for the time of America's entry into the war, why should it have done so? Why should Americans have been responsible for Europeans killing one another? The British should have been able to content themselves with the endless supply of food, fuel, aircraft, and munitions they were receiving from the US. So much for stopping Hitler in his tracks all alone
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robins
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Discussion 7 : 16 Feb 2013 at 22.097
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Better that they were not found, they would have become just toys for the wealthy. I'm American but feel a special respect towards the pilots in the Battle of Britain who flew these planes into battle against seemingly insurmountable odds. The memories of these very special men and this special airplane deserve more respect than that.
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OldThaiHand
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Discussion 6 : 16 Feb 2013 at 22.046
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"So, it was all "Bar Talk". Much like the British contribution to the war effort in the Pacific theater overall."

Disc. 4

What an assanine remark. My Dad's best friends were captured in Burma, worked on the Death Railway and came out of the war weighing 40 kilos after surviving nearly 5 years in a Japanese POW camp.
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sirius
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Discussion 5 : 16 Feb 2013 at 20.555
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Disc 4. At least the British entered WW II at the start and not two years into it. By the time you Yanks had entered the war the British, with the help of several American pilots in the RAF had stopped Hitler in his tracks. Even Thailand entered WW II before America, albeit on the loosing side, which was a bit unfortunate as they had to pay war reparations to Britain. Five million tons of rice I believe.
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zydeco
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Discussion 4 : 16 Feb 2013 at 18.384
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So, it was all "Bar Talk". Much like the British contribution to the war effort in the Pacific theater overall.
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lookmoo
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Discussion 3 : 16 Feb 2013 at 17.223
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They did find something.. the difference between western style fact based approach and Asian face saving opportunistic approach.

People trained in schools in USA and EU tends to work systematically and accept facts even if disappointing.
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geoffo
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Discussion 2 : 16 Feb 2013 at 16.042
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This is a new version of the Japanese stolen gold buried in hills in the Philippines scam / con / fantasy.

In the late 70's there was a rumour - no it was more than a rumour it was a a dead set fact that a train full of brand new WW11 jeeps that had been hidden in the Australian desert at the end of the war were coming to Canberra and would be for sale for $3000 or maybe $2000 or maybe even $1000 per Jeep. Hundreds turned up early to buy their Jeeps. They waited and waited but the train did not arrive.

Glad I was not fooled but deep deep down I really wanted one of those Jeeps.
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OldThaiHand
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Discussion 1 : 16 Feb 2013 at 13.421
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A simple geo-phys. scan would determine if anything is there. I presume that's what the team already did. Maybe the Burmese businessman is unaware of modern archeological technology. Archeologists don't go around digging endless holes unless they have some geo-phys. evidence of non-natural anomolies.
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Myanmar Spitfire search abandoned | Bangkok Post: news

Spitfire search comes up empty

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