But what hasn’t been mentioned is the amount of looting of the wrecks by tourists and locals.

And………………Is that good or bad?

An Ebay question for my learned colleagues. I am buying historic aircraft parts out of ebay Germany, some times the seller will not ship overseas or allow foreigners to bid. I come across this same problem in the USA, but I have a friend in the states who bids on my behalf and forwards the packages as they arrive. How do I get around this problem in Germany? Ich haben nicht ein deutche freundin(and don’t know German). Any suggestions? Anyone come across the same problem?

I have dealt with JPAC in the past (on more than one occasion), am currently dealing with them, and expect to be working closer with them in the next 12 months. The Topic of MIAs is very emotional in the USA, and everyone has an opinion on the matter. That being said, JPAC is operated exactly like any public service organisation. They are constantly short of funding, need to achieve as many positive outcomes as their funding will allow and need to promote themselves in a responsible, positive light. This boils down to handling emotive topics in very cold effective ways. For example; given the option of carrying out a full (on location) recovery of either a single seat fighter or a multi crew bomber, JPAC will always give the bomber priority over the fighter. The reason being multiple successful MIA recoveries compared against one successful MIA recovery for almost the same financial outlay. This means that MIA single seat fighters located in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea in the 1960s, did not have the recovery carried out until the 21st century. The reason being that MIA Bombers found in the intervening years have consistently gone to the top of the priority list and kept the single MIAs at the bottom. JPAC(originally CIL-Hi) are aware of this and have, where possible been able to add a fighter recovery to a bomber recovery where both sites are in the same country and located in close proximity. This isn’t as strange as it seems, in Papua New Guinea most USAAF MIAs are weather related CFIT losses, which tend to be at altitude on mountains close to or on busy air routes(between major bases or targets)so most losses are often in geographic clusters.
You can imagine how something like the recent Egyptian P-40 find would be received by the public if a 10 year wait was required before the site reached the top of the recovery priority list. The fact that the find was so VERY public, would affect the priority of the recovery, in the same way that relatives of MIAs who go public and/or invoke the influence of their local senator/politician. Whilst JPAC realise that they must protect their public image, they would argue that the most effective use of the funds available to them is already being achieved with their current prioritization program, and that public or political interference only detracts from that efficiency.
Now, that’s all very nice if your a concerned taxpayer, but most of the WW2 vets I know are in their 90’s and probably wont survive long enough to wait for JPAC’s priority list, particularly if you served in a fighter outfit.
This is just one example of their operation which, to some, is controversial. Sometimes JPAC comes up with answers that are unpopular and not what the public want to hear. One example was a Vietnam recovery of a 2 seat jet aircraft, the pilot had ejected and survived, the RIO was last seen by the pilot to have ejected and was floating down under his canopy. The RIO was listed MIA. JPAC dug the wreckage and found some small bones from the hand(I recall). As a result of this they closed the MIA case and gave the recovered remains a military funeral. The Pilot, who had carried this terrible experience with him throughout his life, remained adamant that the RIO had survived and made his beliefs very public.
I would sum JPAC up as a very professional, effective public service organisation, with similar problems, limitations as all public service organisations. I do not believe the British MOD or Australian Dept of Defence have anything as effective in place, and have been disappointed by the handling of two RAAF MIA discoveries.
The reader should be aware that JPAC do not search for MIAs, they attend sites where human remains have been reported as found. If, in country and in close geographical proximity, they will investigate sites which they suspect may contain remains or provide a likely solution to a MIA case.

Ewan, How do I get to Ash’s Factory?

Excellent thread, P & P. Very interesting topic. I own a large boat and have recovered aircraft components from saltwater. I have witnessed instances of dissimilar metal touching where one acts as the sacrificial anode and is dissolved whilst the other remains perfectly intact. I’ve seen it go either way, steel disolves and Aluminium remains intact, and aluminium disolves and steal remains intact.(Yes, dural does have Copper and magnesium in it, so is not strictly pure aluminium). However I dont believe your suggestion would have much effect on dry land. Simply because most corrosion on dry land is caused by prolonged or intense exposure of a bare metal surface to oxygen, and I cant imagine that a sacrificial anode would alter this. Better protective coatings would be more beneficial; ie Alodine, Zinc Chromate, Primer, Paint , fabric covers, shade, a hangar, a climate controlled museum building,etc…
I once owned a P-47D Razorback canopy that was recovered from a wartime airstrip roughly 300 metres from the ocean, the canopy had been lying upright alongside the airstrip for 40+ years. The side of the canopy facing the mountains was in very good condition, with surface paint intact although very faded. The side of the canopy facing the ocean, was bare metal and covered in very small corroded pitting. The constant sea breezes had (along with dust and sand, no doubt) removed the protective covering, and the constant flow of air against the bare metal had caused significant corrossion. I would agree that the breeze probably contained a reasonable quantity of NaCl (salt) as well which would not have helped.
I guess the closely packed molecules in liquid is better for electrolysis than the widely spaced molecules in a gas(air). Great suggestion though, had never heard it before.

I think most of the members posting on this thread are of similar views on the subject of finding and recovering Sgt Dennis Copping’s remains. The fact that such a large crashsite had remained relatively undisturbed and unlocated for so long only adds to our frustration. But my dealings with CIL(HI), now JPAC over the last ten plus years have made me view another angle on MIA search and recovery. Given that the USA actually has a unit dedicated to this task, and the UK does not, would only detract further from what I am about to post.
The US recovery unit (JPAC- Joint Personnel Accounting Command) does NOT search for the missing. They only investigate reported finds. Reports of human remains receive priority, reports of missing aircraft(with no visible remains) take a much lesser priority. The initial investigation is NOT a recovery, the initial field team compose a report on what would be needed to carry out a recovery, what assets are available to assist, and the likelihood of success. JPAC has a budget, and is restricted by that budget. An initial investigation of a missing aircraft (without remains) may be undertaken months or even years after discovery of the aircraft. Lists are drawn up of recovery sites that can be covered in a single deployment to get the best result with the funds expended. Given the opportunity to recover a multi crew aircraft or a single pilot aircraft, the multi crew aircraft will always get priority. In Papua New Guinea, where JPAC’s list is never exhausted, it is not uncommon for single pilot aircraft to keep moving downwards in priority as multi crew aircraft sites become known/accessible. Two recent P-38 recoveries, were investigated 5 years ago and first reported by Australian Patrol Officers in the 1960’s.
Not trying to hijack the thread, just feeling the same frustration at Sgt Copping’s predicament in regards to the “apparent” lack of action being shown, and wanted to point out how long a dedicated recovery unit takes to achieve an outcome. As I said, the UK doesn’t actually have one of these units.
I have known politicians and media to influence JPAC priorities, but such influence is not looked upon favourably by JPAC, who consider their own prioritization to be the most effective.

Richard is correct, there are three separate sets of drawings that make up the complete P-38 drawings set. Each individual set must be ordered separately, and NASM will only accept one order at a time. Each order takes 3 to 4 months to fill.
I am very happy with my purchase, the drawings are in good condition and extremely helpful. Some of the sets don’t have index, so it can be time consuming finding the drawing you want.