WW2 Japanese Radials, etc.

[makila]

Hi all,

Working in the oil industry means I have to travel to some fairly remote places, one of these places to note is West Papua. We transition through an old airfield that was a Japanese fighter base during the WW2 Pacific campaign. I believe that the US used the base for a short while after it was captured.

The region is very difficult to get to, several flights out of Jakarta, hence the unspoilt nature of the place. There are still the remains of several Japanese fighters (Zero?) and twin engine planes still by the side of the airfield at Babo.

I have included some pictures here of the engines and the steam traction roller that was used by the Dutch to build the airfield in the early 1900s. There is also a US fighter plane still suspended in a tree, unfortunately I did not have my camera with me but I have been told that there is a possibility of un-exploded WW2 ordinance, not to mention crocs and snakes, in the bush so it pays to be careful! Altogether an amazing place.

Steve

 

[pkastagehand]

that is is still there after 50 or more years. I could see someone hauling it off (by ox cart if necessary) to sell for the scrap metal or buryed more than it is. Guess it depends on how much dirt gets blown or washed around by erosion. I suppose being flat enough for an airfield makes a difference.

 

[Art K]

Steve,
I must admit that I have a fascination for WWII piston aircraft. A Zero would have had a 2 row 14 cylinder. The engines laying on the ground could be from a Zero, they had lots of 2 engine planes w/o more info its hard to know which was there. It seems funny that such a piece of history would still be there and not scrapped or scooped up for cash ect... thanks for the photos. Not sure I want to know how the american landed in the tree.
Art

 

[goldstar31]

Remains of wars are still being unearthed- and I am writing of the 1914-18 Great War as well

As far as our war- 1939 1946, people are still digging out unexploded bombs even in the middle of London.
There were two HE's in the last few days. As for aircraft, there are bits of things - all over the mountains moors and hills here in the North of England. There is a B-17 almost on top of Cheviot that ' got lost' on the day that Glenn Miller disappeared in a Norseman in the English Channel. It was heading for Paris or so it was said but the Flight plan was 400 miles out at Bordeaux. OK, I checked!
The B-17 was supposed to go to Ulm in Germany but it was snowbound and the both alternatives were out as well. It should have returned to base in South East England but approached Scotland from the North.
It was getting radio information from- perhaps a German source but it actually flew over an airfield before landing -with bombs on board on a well lit flight path.- or so they thought.
Of course, it wasn't, it was a snowfield high up and lit by the last rays of the December sun.
The bits are still there, whether all the bombs went off, we still don't know because it was in peat hag. I recall the rotting .5 ammo and the bits of engines and keeping fools from the site. I was Mountain Rescue .

I think there is a book called 'Where the Hills meet the Sky' but all the aircraft - apart from the Vi's etc were piston ones. I lived in a building which had been 'doodlebugged' and that was 1949. It all became part of the RAF Museum at Hendon in London- and I can assure you that there are buried aircraft under the Museum itself. We had a wrecked skeleton of a Fairchild Argus on site.

Then- no body cared. They were too busy.

Norman

 

[makila]

Hi Norman,

A few years ago I climbed up to the Fairy Lochs near Gairloch NW Scotland to see a crash site of a U.S. Liberator. It is written that the aircraft had circled Gairloch, either trying to get a navigational fix or to ditch in the Loch, but hit a mountain crashing into the escarpment at Fairy Loch. There was much of the wreck to see, but on returning about 5 years later, certain persons had removed much which is a shame.
The crew were all killed and as such the site is a war grave, not that that means much to today's folk. As a monument to the event, there is a radial engine standing proud in the centre of the loch which is too heavy for vandals to effect, there is also a plaque naming the crew.
I have some pictures of the site which I will dig out and post. But you are right, if you know where to look, and these places are generally off the beaten track in remote areas, there are some sites that have some good remains but deserve to remain as they were. As a note, the evescalated portion of the main Oleos are still good chrome, amazing when you consider the conditions over the last 70 years.

Steve

 

[gus]

Some years back I was in Darwin,Australia. The Japanese did bombed Darwin. Darwin was about the only Aussie City they bombed.(Aussie Mates.Please audit.) Somewhere on the coast I found a wrecked engine. I can only guess its Japanese. Was told it was salvaged from the sea. Fotos were taken with 90s film camera and fotos somewhere to be found. If the Japanese had the huge industrial base that matched USA and ample natural resources,Gus would be speaking Japanese only and given a Japanese name the day he enrolled in first grade just like the Taiwanese. Its true. Some of our neighbours did attend grade school and were taught Japanese syllabus and given Japanese names and surnames.

 

[Cogsy]

Broome (in Western Australia) was also attacked by the Japanese and last time I was there, there were still remains of radial engines in the streets. Not sure what aircraft they came from, likely not the Japanese as I'm not sure any were shot down. In the airport there are two radials, complete with props full of bullet holes. I was interested to see that the holes come from both sides of all the blades meaning the engines were running when they were shot up.

 

[goldstar31]

Steve, Thank you for the information about the Gairloch crash etc. Sadly, it is on the West side of Scotland whereas my cottage is on the East side. There is a difference - of a bloody big mountain range which is almost tundra between.

My 'bit' is in Tornado Alley in the Cairngorms. My Squadron RAF 31 ( The Goldstars) turn on my roof and charge through the U shaped glaciated valley called the Lairig Ghru. In English, it is translated from the Gaelic as the Foreboding Way.
Again, it is pretty inaccessible. It's littered with those who have 'run out of luck' which is a term that the Squadron now almost 100 years old, knows too well.

I seem, Steve, to have experienced 'low fliers'. I started work with a line boss who was Signals Officer to Guy Gibson of RAF617 Squadron- the Dambusters. One of 'my' girls took the full blast of an exploding bomber as she signalled its take off- and lived! Another, routed a returning bomber with all bombs undropped 'into' a mountain to save her airfield!
My old mate- lost the spin of a coin to be in the back seat of a one of our planes and the plugs- probably sabotaged oiled.
For fun, I used to fly in a little Auster to pick up kit bags on the airfield as a preliminary to it going to the Antarctic- on the back of a little German prize of war- a tugboat.

It was like that- and frankly there is a limit to all things.

Thank you for your version of how men-and women gave us a semblance of Peace- at their sacrifice.

Norman

 

[Hopper]

Nice pile of old engines! Yes it is amazing what is still lying around out there. I am guessing there would not be a scrap metal merchant within 500 miles and twenty islands of West Papua.

Gus, Townsville and Mossman in North Queensland were also bombed a couple of times in WW2. Not much old military stuff left around here though, as there has always been a good scrap metal dealer around.

It was not really common knowledge in Australia up until the 1970s or later that Darwin and Nth Qld had been bombed. The authorities hushed it all up to prevent panic -- along with the plan to burn and destroy everything north of Brisbane if the Japanese actually landed in force. These days there is quite a good museum on the subject in Darwin.

 

[gus]

Broome (in Western Australia) was also attacked by the Japanese and last time I was there, there were still remains of radial engines in the streets. Not sure what aircraft they came from, likely not the Japanese as I'm not sure any were shot down. In the airport there are two radials, complete with props full of bullet holes. I was interested to see that the holes come from both sides of all the blades meaning the engines were running when they were shot up.

Hi Cogsy,
Thanks for the correction.

 

[ddmckee54]

Gus:

It's not Japanese, but it was laying around for 50+ years.

Take a look at this site http://www.maam.org/p61.html and check out links to the recovery and restoration. Be prepared to spend a little time, there's a LOT to look at. When you look at the restoration pictures I think you'll agree with me that those guys are magicians with sheet metal.

Don

 

[gus]

Gus:

It's not Japanese, but it was laying around for 50+ years.

Take a look at this site http://www.maam.org/p61.html and check out links to the recovery and restoration. Be prepared to spend a little time, there's a LOT to look at. When you look at the restoration pictures I think you'll agree with me that those guys are magicians with sheet metal.

Don

Are they doing the restoration to make the P-61 airworthy and fly???

 

[ddmckee54]

Gus:

Yes they are, this Widow's gonna FLY.

She'll be the only air-worthy P-61 in the world and she already is one of the 4 remaining P-61's in the world, the other three are static museum displays. I've asked if she has a name yet, but they say she doesn't. From the look of all that new aluminum in restoration photos I'm betting the guys in the shop call her the "Aluminum *****".

Don