Although I posted this in the Burma Spitfire thread I hope the mods will excuse this separate posting. I think many have become understandably a little jaded by that thread and may not read or else overlook this particular item which might possibly be of interest to them.
Wargaming Presents
The Lost Spitfires of Burma
The anatomy of a legend
at the RAF MUSEUM HENDON 19.30hrs -*19 JUNE 2013
*
It was a CSI Cold Case like no other.
The missing person was a machine and a world icon- the Spitfire fighter.
The crime scene was a battle-scarred*airfield*in the Far East.
And the crime, if it took place at all, took place more than sixty five years ago.
Wargaming, 15 April, 2013 – In January 2013 the World’s media watched as a crack team of historians, archaeologists and geophysicists assembled by global game company Wargaming.net, set out to solve the mystery of the lost squadron of Spitfires which, according to aviation enthusiast David Cundall, were buried by Allied Forces at airfields in Burma at the end of the Second World War.
The Wargaming team approached the project as a CSI style police procedural mystery, looking for alleged ‘missing persons’ – the Spitfires. *To solve the mystery the team went in search of the Royal Air Force’s “Means”, “Motive” and “Opportunity” to bury the aircraft, following up clues in the military archives; examining geophysical data and testing it against historical photographs of the site; and pouring over the RAF shipping records and Operational Record Books.
Recognising that this was a very human story they also read numerous witness statements, talked to surviving witnesses and in the ultimate test of their theories, visited the ‘crime scene’ at Yangon International Airport, in order to turn months of documentary research and the perceptions of witnesses into facts on the ground. *
As a result of this archive research and the ‘ground truthing’ by archaeology at Yangon Airport, the team are now confident that the legend of the buried Spitfires of Burma is just that: a captivating legend about a beautiful and iconic aircraft.
As the world now knows, after weeks of specifically targeted surveys and excavations, no trace of crated Spitfires was found at Mingaladon. At Myitkyina, in northern Kachin State, the Burmese-led surveys also produced no trace of the Spitfires which were also alleged to have been buried there. This had the effect of independently confirming the conclusion of earlier documentary work carried out regarding the Myitkyina site by the Wargaming team.
Wargaming’s research team now believes that these facts on the ground, endorse the conclusion of their documentary research which proves beyond reasonable doubt that no crated Spitfire aircraft were ever delivered to Mingaladon or Myitkyina, let alone buried in crates at either site. *
However, this disappointing conclusion turns out to have a silver lining. The missing Spitfires of Burma are the first and only such piece of World War Two folklore to have ever been investigated objectively and scientifically. This means that, although though there will not be a newly discovered squadron of vintage aircraft gracing the skies, the Wargaming team can demonstrate the fascinating genesis and evolution of a wartime legend, born in the mud and chaos of RAF Mingaladon in 1945 in a world which now lies at the fragile edge of living memory.
The case of the Burma Spitfires goes to the very heart of how we remember this traumatic and endlessly fascinating period of our shared history; while the worldwide interest in the project has demonstrated how the Spitfire remains alive in the hearts and memories of all those who love the history of aviation and recognise its value. This is the case even though it is over two generations since the glory days of R J Mitchell’s masterpiece in the skies of every theatre of war between 1939 and 1945 and a number of conflict zones thereafter.
Now for the first time the Wargaming research team are going to present the full findings of the investigation at*Mingaladon in a special multimedia presentation at the Royal Air Force Museum Hendon on 19th June 2013 with the main presentation starting at 19.30hrs.
The historians, archaeologists and scientists who actually carried out the research will take you on a journey which will place you behind the lens of a reconnaissance camera in 1945; at a desk at the UK National Archives as a crucial document which has never before been looked at comes to light and at the screen of a laptop on the sun beaten expanse of Yangon Airport as a lost road which is key to the story takes form out of the electronic background.
The evening will be*fully*illustrated*by slides and video of the expedition and will include the team’s suggestion as to how and why the legend of the Burma Spitfires came*to*be so widely believed by the public and the media.
The evening will include opportunities to ask questions of the team and special arrangements will be made for members of the media who wish to undertake more extensive interviews.
Wargaming Thanks the Royal Air Force Museum for enabling us to mount this event.
A detailed Programme and final Ticketing Arrangements will be announced shortly so please do not contact the Royal Air Force Museum.-*
To register an interest in attending please e-mail:*frazer@wargaming.net and state which in which capacity you wish to attend,*
1. *Media: stating which organisation or outlet you represent
2. *Professional Interest: stating which organisation you represent*
or*
3. *Member of the Public.
About Wargaming
Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher and one of the leaders in the free-to-play MMO market. Founded as a privately held company in 1998, Wargaming has shipped more than 15 titles and employs over 1500 people across such key regions as North America, Europe, Russia, Asia, and Australia.
Currently, Wargaming is focused on its team-based MMO war series dedicated to mid-20th century warfare that will include the company’s flagship armoured MMO World of Tanks, launched in April 2011 and currently boasting 55 million players worldwide, the flight combat World of Warplanes, named one of the most anticipated MMOs, and the naval World of Warships, both scheduled for release in 2013.
In June 2012, Wargaming announced the Wargaming.net Service, the epicentre of the online battle gaming universe that will gather the series under a single portal — http://www.wargaming.net.
Official website:
http://www.wargaming.com
By: Arabella-Cox - 14th June 2013 at 09:26
Derek
I have asked Andy Brockman if he can help with this prior to 19 June, although I appreciate that time is short!
By: Mark12 - 13th June 2013 at 20:27
“…..at a desk at the UK National Archives as a crucial document which has never before been looked at comes to light” – or since, or ever.
Why won’t Wargaming give me the National Archives file reference so that I can check it out before the 19 June meeting? Is it because it doesn’t exist? Did any of the archaeologists ask to see it? Yet it was the peg on which the entire project was promoted. It is the unique piece of evidence about the alleged existence of 124 Mark XIV Spitfires “struck off charge” in August 1945.
Derek
Derek
Perhaps it was a document, a recent summary of SEAC movement card data, all in the public domain and specialist web sites, that was filmed in the National Archive…but did not originate from there? Just surmising.
It was quite normal for no record data, beyond arrival in India/SEAC, to be entered on the movement cards due to the length of communication back to the cards held by the Air Ministry in the UK. The same applied to Spitfires sent to North Africa. A sale or transfer to the Indian Air Force would be recorded but the remainder were just Struck Off Charge or stamped PSOC, Presumed Struck Off Charge.
Mark
By: Thibaw - 13th June 2013 at 19:10
“…..at a desk at the UK National Archives as a crucial document which has never before been looked at comes to light” – or since, or ever.
Why won’t Wargaming give me the National Archives file reference so that I can check it out before the 19 June meeting? Is it because it doesn’t exist? Did any of the archaeologists ask to see it? Yet it was the peg on which the entire project was promoted. It is the unique piece of evidence about the alleged existence of 124 Mark XIV Spitfires “struck off charge” in August 1945.
Derek
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th April 2013 at 12:56
I think you will probably find that it was David Cundall who announced he had found something first – and long before the professional conflict archaeologists were brought on board. The team who went out with David Cundall set out to prove, one way or the other, whether the story was credible.
I think the professional team’s ‘take’ on the whole story is worth hearing out, and I am able to say that with confidence after hearing a brief pre-view of the presentation content at a recent lecture at Sussex University.
By: Beermat - 17th April 2013 at 12:42
A masterpiece of spin, that announcement.
I particularly like the Mandleson-esque bit about ‘will include the team’s suggestion as to how and why the legend of the Burma Spitfires came to be so widely believed by the public and the media’…. erm, doesn’t it have a lot to do with their own press releases telling the media, and therefore the public, that there were definitely Spitfires there?
Also annoying that they make out they are the first people to forensically go through document archives and witness statements in the name of aviation archaeology. I beg to differ – they are just the first to announce they have found something first, then actually search for it afterwards.
By: Arabella-Cox - 17th April 2013 at 12:17
Mark12 or Mark V might know if Mr Cundall is still out there, but I did hear that he had returned from Burma for visa reasons but had then returned to Burma to continue digging.
Wargaming.com or the conflict archaeologists, geo-phys team etc, are no longer part of any on-going project that Mr Cundall may have.
Hopefully, the Hendon presentation will serve to both lift the lid on the behind-the-scenes activity, the professional archaeology and the conclusions – as well as perhaps serving to draw a line under the whole escapade. Although that may be wishful thinking!
By: Mike J - 17th April 2013 at 11:52
I rather lost the will to live several weeks into the last thread. Is Mr Cundall still grubbing about in the Burmese mud with his bucket and spade, or has the whole thing quietly petered out now?
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April 17, 2013 at 11:24 am