Second major recovery of 2011 – this time abroad. With the help of our German friends we were able to locate the remains of Whitley N1382, which was lost in the Austrian Alps on a mission to bomb the Messerschmitt factory at Augsberg. This was during the height of the Battle of Britain – the Whitley was lost, with all its crew on the night of 16-17 August 1940.
A large proportion of the wreck was salvaged post war, but many parts remain. They are covered by snow for most of the year and the preservation is very good – some steel parts retain their original plated finish which is unheard of in the UK. By a strange quirk of fate we got to the site on the 17 August – excatly 71 years after the Whitley was lost.
I am particularly grateful to Reinhold Fischler who discovered the crash site last year and was able to pass the details onto me.
The locals have erected two prop blades as a memorial
Early kidney type exhaust stub with stencilling
More exhaust stubs
Rotol prop hub
Navigators seat head armour
Autopilot mounting from the front fuselage
Bomb carrying beam from pilots floor
Various parts including remains of a spinner and the undercarriage elevating frame
More steel parts
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