Learned Members,
I just came across these two pictures today. Their quality is terrible (I´m awaiting better scans) but for me they are interesting. They are showing the recovery of a wreck of a WWII aircraft that crashed in Iceland – that much I know – and I´ve put the date sometime after 1950 as an approximate date. Based on what I consider to be the colour scheme of the wreck, I would hazard a guess that it could be Coast Command?
On this first picture, the wreckage is seen before it is loaded on the truck, and at the bottom right of the wreck is something that looks like it could be a single row radial and behind it could be the remains of a prop blade. What do you think?
Here the wreck is on its way. Can you by any means hazard a guess what type of aircraft this could be?
I don´t know for a fact what this is. I would like to hear other peoples ideas before I come up with my hypothesis.
Regards,
Sigurjon
By: galdri - 27th February 2014 at 20:52
OK guys, thank you for spending some time on this. I agree that this does indeed look like a Hudson and it was good to get that independently verified from you! :eagerness:
Since that is out of the way, I´ll give you my hypothesis on what we are seeing, bearing in mind that this is only educated guess work on my behalf!
On the 27th of March 1945 Hudson serial FK743 of 251 squadron Coastal Command was on its way back to Reykjavik after a weather recce when it crashed into a mountain side in Southwestern Iceland – killing all four crew members. The aircraft was found by the RAF and the bodies taken for burial, but the aircraft was left where it had crashed. The aircraft was not heavily damaged and there was no fire – the front of the fuselage had taken the worst of the hit and was badly mangled, but the rest of the aircraft looked undamaged. Eyewitnesses that went to the wreck the next summer said it was kind of eery seeing what appeared to be an almost complete aircraft sticking out of the side of a mountain.
In 1993 I visited the crash site and both engines were there, absolutely unbroken, so it kind of supports the eyewitness account about the aircraft being relatively undamaged.
The aircraft was left at its crash site for some years – the place was isolated and few people ventured there. At some point, the wreck slid part of the way down the slope. At some point after 1950 (I´ve been told in 1951-1953) the prices for scrap metal got really high in Iceland, and the local entrepreneurs started viewing the WWII wrecks with increased interest. This one was relatively close to Reykjavik and though not easy to get at, it was possible. I´d been told that they went to collect the wreck in winter by driving trucks and 4×4 (jeeps) on the snow. When they got to the wreck, the method of disassembly was to blow it apart with dynamite and then collect up the pieces.
When I first saw these pictures, I was astonished! The only thing I was not sure about, was if this was the aircraft I had in mind. That´s why I posted these pictures here, to confirm the aircraft type. FK743 was the ONLY Coast Command Hudson in the late war livery to crash in an area similar to what is seen in the pictures. So if the aircraft can be positively identified as a Hudson – then we know which one it was.
I hope all of this makes sense.
Regards,
Sigurjon
By: Arabella-Cox - 27th February 2014 at 18:05
Yes, you are probably correct about it being a non-military recovery. No mil markings on the truck either.
Anon.
By: ian_ - 27th February 2014 at 11:45
In the first pic the trailing edge of the wing looks to have the guide rail for a flap so Hudson sounds promising. Does look like a civilian recovery for scrap.
By: Supermarine305 - 27th February 2014 at 10:07
I don’t think it looks like the military recovering the crashed aircraft. Might it be some civvies with a WWII surplus truck and jeep getting some scrap for extra cash? That would be a good reason why they’d bother. There seems to be a fair bit of variation in what the gents are wearing.
If it was military would they be attempting to tow the weakage away like they are in both images?
By: Arabella-Cox - 26th February 2014 at 22:43
My guess, for what it’s worth, is Hudson.
Mk’s II and III had single-row Cyclones and later (Mk.V-on) two-row Twin Wasp engines though can’t make out an engine in the photo.
Ventura had the much bigger two-row R-2800, which would have been more obvious in the wreckage. The shot with a piece of fus could be Hudson or Ventura though – both distinctive looking Lockheed products.
You’d wonder why they’d bothered recovering it anyway; out in the middle of nowhere, not bothering anybody, serial and therefore i/d known by that point, crew recovered (if required), etc, etc.
Anon.
By: Rocketeer - 26th February 2014 at 20:48
big old wing centre section (airfoil)….wondering if its a Hudson/Ventura?
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February 26, 2014 at 8:30 pm