Dutch polders…

… Here’s hoping they find an intact Stirling or Manchester!

Or a Whitley…
Any Hampdens or Herefords lost over there?

Its a shame that the “Operation Harvest” film is mired in copyright issues as I’m sure that there would be a ready market for a DVD of this footage starting with me.

Count me in, too! 🙂

Don

The control pedestal of Mr Taylors B-24 is on show at the MAM Soesterberg togehter with an undercarriage leg, and engine and some debris, the nosesection or what;s left of it is in store are remains of the nose turret.
Part of the wing is on show in the US and the rest was blown up as the wing was too large.

This recovery was subject to a tv documentary in a series called: The tijd stond even stil (time stood still for a moment) during 1975. As I young boy i saw it and was hooked on aircraft recovery. I think it;s time to find out if this series is available on dvd/

A lot of material was give away by mr Zwanenburg to his friend in the US and Britain. The tailwheelassembely of a Stirling is in store at the RAF Museum and still held air when recovered IIRC.
A lot was scrapped unfortunately and what now remains is a very small proportion/ Peter an intact Stirling or any other aircraft in the IJsselmeer is possible but don’t forget most British aircraft crashed at night and ditching was very difficult to say the least but there must be still some interesting things waiting to be found.
Cheers

Cees

Some pictures here Paul…
http://www.airwarweb.net/recpix.php

Interesting site, the list of recovered aircraft is mouth watering even if they were’nt all intact airframes. Its a shame that the “Operation Harvest” film is mired in copyright issues as I’m sure that there would be a ready market for a DVD of this footage starting with me.

You sure about that? The 2de Maasvlakte near Rotterdam is I believe still in the process of being reclaimed? Or has the reclamation already finished? I lost track on that project. Other then that I don’t think there are any projects going on. Lots of ambitious plans though.

Strictly speaking that’s a different story. In a polder you build a dike and then drain the water from it. If there’s a wreck inside the polder it will emerge. The Maasvlakte is built differently as they add soil to raise the land until it is above sea level. If there are any aircraft wrecks there you won’t find them as effectively you’re burying them deeper underground.

You sure about that? The 2de Maasvlakte near Rotterdam is I believe still in the process of being reclaimed? Or has the reclamation already finished? I lost track on that project. Other then that I don’t think there are any projects going on. Lots of ambitious plans though.

Forgot about that one.

Some pictures here Paul…
http://www.airwarweb.net/recpix.php

Were any of the aircraft (or parts of) saved. A book about the work of Gerry Zwannenburg (hope that is spelled correctly!) in the 1960’s indicated that a lot of the aircraft were substantially intact and in good condition, one tale being of some boys who managed to remove (and fire) some guns from a Wellington. I know there is a video called “some of our airmen are no longer missing” which showed an apparently good condition B24 in shallow water.

Does anyone have any pics of the aircraft that were found?

Cees,
heres hoping they find an intact Stirling or Manchester!

No at this moment there are no major polder projects in Holland.

You sure about that? The 2de Maasvlakte near Rotterdam is I believe still in the process of being reclaimed? Or has the reclamation already finished? I lost track on that project. Other then that I don’t think there are any projects going on. Lots of ambitious plans though.

Jack,

Yes but that was during the sixties, so over forty years ago. Recently there was some news about housing developments in the Markermeer, the last of the intended polders. But this one wasn’t drained at the time. There are still a lot of wrecks in the Ijsselmeer (and the polders itself, they only recovered the wrecks which were in the way during the digging of ditches, canals and building lelystad, Almere etc.)
Recentely five new sites have been found in the IJsselmeer which will be investigated this summer. So watch this space.

Cheers

Cees

re-polders…

hi,
pity about that( not that i,ve got anything against birds) but i remember they did find some really good items,in good condition.

regards
jack…

No at this moment there are no major polder projects in Holland. The opposite is happening: we give some land back to the water in order to give birds more living space etc. We have to recover aircraft wrecks the hard way.