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Odd that they were burned...

Posted by Jim on Wed Mar 27, 2002 09:39:07 AM

In reply top P-38's buried at Clark...... posted by Tony on Wed Mar 27, 2002 07:08:05 AM


Unless it was to burn off the oil and fuel for safety or to prevent pollution. Pity if they were completely burned, but I wonder if anything is left? I've seen a few photos of this operation and the planes were factory new. The photos don't show any burning, though--only stacks of 20-30 slightly bent P-38s.

After the Mt. Pinatubo eruption closed the base, I read that someone was trying to get excavation rights for area. I've not heard any more about whether these efforts were succesful. It would be nice if something is eventually found.


: Well, I heard the rumours, nice to find a story from someo
: ne who took part.....
:
: http://home.worldonline.dk/~winthrop/stanwood.html
: Stans e-mail address is pilotww2@aol.com
:
:
: After the war was finished, I was still in the Philippines
: . We were flying 51s and 47s but still had a number of 38s
: on the field. I remember ferrying what were basically bra
: nd new 38s down to Clark Field and then taxiing them throu
: gh a field to a huge hole where they were bulldozed into a
: nd burned. Some of these planes had less than 10 hours on
: the form one. They all had full gas tanks and all instrume
: nts. They could have been purchased for one hundred dollar
: s ($100). The gas alone would have been worth that. The in
: struments could have been salvaged if a person didn't want
: to keep the plane. How sick do you think I feel today, wh
: en there are very few left in the world and now would sell
: for close to, if not more than, $1,000,000. I did take on
: e of the control wheels out and brought it back home with
: me. Should have had the whole plane
:

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