Allied WW2 Aircraft Norwegian Crash Sites

[Spymaster]

I wasn't sure where to put this but I know there's some interest on the boards in this kind of stuff.

It's a list of many of the crash sites of WW2 planes. Click on the aircraft and you get recent pictures of the crash sites and a description of the incidents.

Allied Wrecksites

 

[joevsimp]

I'd guess that most of those are near the west coast. My gf's parents live in the East, quite close to what was the main Luftwaffe base

 

[Spymaster]

They seem quite well spread around. A lot of them were shot down returning from raids elsewhere, although a substantial number seem to have been lost on missions against the Tirpitz and other ships anchored in the fjords.

 

[ffsear]

This one Wellington MkIII Langavatnet Tysvær

Is Ken Rees aircraft. He was captured and helped dig one of the Great escape tunnels, although he never actually made it out ( he was halfway through the tunnel when the Germans found it). Steve McQueens's character in the great escape movie is loosely based around him.

His book "Lie in the dark and listen" is worth a read.

The rear gunners body remained in the wreckage of the aircraft until 1964!

 

[ffsear]

Flying Fortress B-17 Bygland Setesdal

Never knew the RAF flew b-17's

 

[pogofish]

Never knew the RAF flew b-17's

The RAF were flying a squadron of them as early as 1941 but never got-on very well with the B17 as a bomber. So when enough Stirling and Halifax bombers started coming through, most B17s were transferred to Costal Command or used in other roles like early-warning/cloak and dagger stuff.

IIRC the B17 didn't really make its mark as a bomber in Europe until the USAAF started fielding greater numbers of later/more developed B17 models with larger payloads, the Norden Bombsight and better defensive armament?

 

[Spymaster]

IIRC the B17 didn't really make its mark as a bomber in Europe until the USAAF started fielding greater numbers of later/more developed B17 models with larger payloads, the Norden Bombsight and better defensive armament?

The Nordern sighting system was fitted to the very first B17s that arrived in Europe in 1941. The main issue for the US B17s was the daylight bombing and lack of effective fighter protection until late 1943/44. After the massive losses in the first Schweinfurt raids the yanks suspended daylight bombing into Germany until Thunderbolts and Mustangs were able to provide cover all the way there and back.

This looks weird:

 

[not-bono-ever]

A mate was in the Solomon Islands for a year. Wrecks / bunkers/ Debris too numerous to even bother catalogue or list by all accounts

 

[pogofish]

This looks weird:

Not as weird as this:

Even the Luftwaffe used the B-17! IIRC they had around 40/50 aircraft - mainly captured? Which were used for training/infiltration but mostly in a conventional role in North Africa because they were better suited to the conditions than any German aircraft!

 

[Spymaster]

They had some Liberators too (captured in Italy).

This one was shot down .... by German flak!

 

[pogofish]

The Spitfires re-engined with BF-109 motors were maybe the most impressive of their captured fleet - IIRC the performance was such that we should probably be glad they only ever had a couple of them that were kept away from active service!

 

[not-bono-ever]

The Nordern sighting system was fitted to the very first B17s that arrived in Europe in 1941. The main issue for the US B17s was the daylight bombing and lack of effective fighter protection until late 1943/44. After the massive losses in the first Schweinfurt raids the yanks suspended daylight bombing into Germany until Thunderbolts and Mustangs were able to provide cover all the way there and back.

This looks weird:

That is a sexy looking bomber IMO

 

[sim667]

You can actually still find remains of planes in the scottish highlands that crashed in WW2

 

[tim]

You can actually still find remains of planes in the scottish highlands that crashed in WW2

I don't know about the Highlands, but Norwegian revanchists responsible for the site seem to think that Shetland and the Isle of Skye are still part of Norway.

 

[Spymaster]

You can actually still find remains of planes in the scottish highlands that crashed in WW2

Did you take that, Sim?

There's several thousand quids worth of paperweights and collectibles right there.

 

[sim667]

Did you take that, Sim?

There's several thousand quids worth of paperweights and collectibles right there.

No I didn't. Google search

I think it would be classified as a war grave. You can't take mementos, and I'd feel weird about doing so.