Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Lost WWII Plane Finally Arrives | Forums

  1. #1
    I had to check it wasn't April Fool's Day first! F4rom BBC News...

    The P38 Lightning was buried under 300ft of ice
    An American fighter plane will be arriving in Britain from the United States next week - 65 years after taking off.

    The P38 Lightning was one of eight aircraft forced to land in Greenland after encountering bad weather while en route to the UK in July 1942.

    The planes became buried under 300ft of ice but 15 years ago the remains of one, renamed Glacier Girl, were dug up.



    The aircraft is due to take part in an air show at Duxford, near Cambridge.

    The plane is expected to land within the next few days to prepare for the Imperial War Museum annual Flying Legends weekend on 7 and 8 July.

    It has previously flown at air shows in the United States.

    A dedicated recovery team spent months working to retrieve the single P38 when the lost aircraft were re-discovered, immediately christening it Glacier Girl.

    Forced landing

    An IWM spokeswoman said: "It's a remarkable story which is set to reach an emotional conclusion.

    "Sixty five years ago this July, six American P38 fighter planes and two B17 bombers took off from the east coast of the United States to make the long journey to Britain and so on to Germany.

    "These aircraft made up one small part of Operation Bolero, the historically important build-up of allied aircraft in Britain championed by President Roosevelt.

    "Already well into their journey, the eight aircraft encountered atrocious weather conditions over Greenland and, with fuel running low, the crews had no choice but to attempt a difficult landing directly on to the snow and ice of Greenland's glaciers.

    "Miraculously, all 25 crew members survived the landings and, after a few cold days awaiting rescue, were returned safely back to the States."

    The P38 Lightning is due to fly alongside more than 50 other vintage aircraft, including Spitfires and P51s


    'A word to the wise ain't necessary.
    It's the stupid ones that need the advice' - Bill Cosby
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

  2. #2
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

  3. #3
    Thanks for the link BR!


    'A word to the wise ain't necessary.
    It's the stupid ones that need the advice' - Bill Cosby
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

  4. #4
    Senior Member Celeon999's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Posts
    11,890
    Wow

    But better late than never right ?


    Interesting that the planes flew via Goose Bay over the Atlantic.

    Today their former enemy the Luftwaffe trains their Tornado pilots on exactly that base


    "That one over there" - Oswald Boelcke pointing at Manfred von Richthofen after having been asked who of the rookies shows most of whats required to become a great fighter pilot.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

  5. #5
    Oh hey, I saw that on the discovery channle, "glacier gal", right?
    Spinach Fer Britain, Der Fuehrer's Face, Commando Duck, [URL=http://video.google.com/videopl
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

  6. #6
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

  7. #7
    Good post RJ.

    Originally posted by GoldenEagle8:
    Oh hey, I saw that on the discovery channle, "glacier gal", right?
    I saw that too. Great story - amazing to see how much time and effort (and money) those guys put into getting that plane airworthy again.

    I think this is the airshow in which Glacier Girl will be flying:

    Flying Legends Airshow

    And here's a link to Glacier Girl's website:

    The Lost Squadron

    ...and some videos on YouTube:

    Glacier Girl


    Silent Hunter 3 Community Manual website

    [url=http://www.thegreywolves.com][b]GWX 3.0
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

  8. #8
    Great links VG.

    Spooky, I decide to start this thread, aand then learn her 1st flight after restoration was on....my birthday!


    'A word to the wise ain't necessary.
    It's the stupid ones that need the advice' - Bill Cosby
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

  9. #9
    Senior Member PhantomKira's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Posts
    1,826
    Saw her at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA last year (one of the bigger international fly in events). They really did a nice job on the restoration. I'm glad they're finally getting around to sending her to England!
    -------------------------------

    "Blub, blub, blub, one carrier turned into a sub." Special Forces operator in a Dale Brown book.

    "Shift+F1" gun sight view must be turned off manually, it will not do so automatically when loading a new airplane
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •