Dornier 17 found off the English coast

[Denis]

This is awesome!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110408/lf_nm_life/us_britain_warplane

Nazi warplane lying off UK coast is intact
down over the English Channel in 1940 and hidden for years by shifting sands at the bottom of the sea, is so well preserved a British museum wants to raise it.
The Dornier 17 -- thought to be world's last known example -- was hit as it took part in the Battle of Britain.
It ditched in the sea just off the Kent coast, southeast England, in an area known as the Goodwin Sands.
The plane came to rest upside-down in 50 feet of water and has become partially visible from time to time as the sands retreated before being buried again.
Now a high-tech sonar survey undertaken by the Port of London Authority (PLA) has revealed the aircraft to be in a startling state of preservation.
Ian Thirsk, from the RAF Museum at Hendon in London, told the BBC he was "incredulous" when he first heard of its existence and potential preservation.
"This aircraft is a unique aeroplane and it's linked to an iconic event in British history, so its importance cannot be over-emphasized, nationally and internationally," he said.
"It's one of the most significant aeronautical finds of the century."
Known as "the flying pencil," the Dornier 17 was designed as a passenger plane in 1934 and was later converted for military use as a fast bomber, difficult to hit and theoretically able to outpace enemy fighter aircraft.
In all, some 1,700 were produced but they struggled in the war with a limited range and bomb load capability and many were scrapped afterwards.
Striking high-resolution images appear to show that the Goodwin Sands plane suffered only minor damage, to its forward cockpit and observation windows, on impact.
"The bomb bay doors were open, suggesting the crew jettisoned their cargo," said PLA spokesman Martin Garside.
Two of the crew members died on impact, while two others, including the pilot, were taken prisoner and survived the war.
"The fact that it was almost entirely made of aluminum and produced in one piece may have contributed to its preservation," Garside told Reuters.
The plane is still vulnerable to the area's notorious shifting sands and has become the target of recreational divers hoping to salvage souvenirs.
The RAF museum has launched an appeal to raise funds for the lifting operation.
(Editing by Steve Addison)

[Highlander]

I'm just wondering when someone will find Glenn Miller's plane - it's in there somewhere...

[Barklessdog]

One of Uwe & my favorites. I loved the Flying pencil. I built a model of one a long long time ago. I know Uwe has kind words for them.

[godofthunder]

 That is so cool I hope they can raise it. Do-17s were slow and under armed. You wouldn't want to be in one with Hurricanes and Spitfires about.

[Highlander]

If she ends up in Hendon I'll drop by and take some piccies - local enough to me to never go there...

[Pilgrim]

I love to see pieces of history like this preserved!

[uwe]

The Do 17 looked nice, but it wasn't really a warbird. When chased by a Spitfire, I would have preferred to be in a Ju 88, ugly but better. And the Heinkel 111 had of course that iconic "evil Nazi bomber" look - thanks to Motörhead's "Bomber" sleeve.

I didn't know that not a single Do 17 was still around, even in non-flying condition.

As for Glenn Miller: Darn Brits killed him, not us! His plane was hit by an RAF bomb jettisoned over the North Sea by a returning Lancaster who had to get rid of its load before landing in ole Blimey after an aborted sortie to the Reich. Miller's DC-3 had no business flying there so, the area was marked as a bomb discardment. These days the euphemism would be collateral damage or "friendly fire". It's one thing we cannot be blamed with - it was not a V1 or V2 I swear!!!

[Highlander]

DC3...?!?!?

Norseman, dear chap...

There is a fascinating rebuild quite near me at the Brooklands museum - a Wellington that sat at the bottom of Loch Ness for over 40 years - the restoration was deliberately left  "un-skinned" - they were selling off-cuts to help with the restoration costs...

A google search for Loch Ness Wellington or Brooklands Wellington will suffice (same place has quite a motor-racing pedigree, as well as a significant aviation history)

[Denis]

Yeah, Miller was in a Norseman.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noorduyn_Norseman

[uwe]

Didn't do much better against a 500 pounder dropping from above though. Wonder if it actually exploded or just tore the plane apart by sheer impact. Flying above the bombers would have helped but the Norseman probaly could reach that altitude and/or did not havw pressurized cabins. Sad, I think we could have come up with a couple of more enduring tunes.

[Denis]

Didn't do much better against a 500 pounder dropping from above though. Wonder if it actually exploded or just tore the plane apart by sheer impact. Flying above the bombers would have helped but the Norseman probaly could reach that altitude and/or did not havw pressurized cabins. Sad, I think we could have come up with a couple of more enduring tunes.

If he'd been in a B-17 and got hit by a falling bomb he might have survived. Those things were TOUGH!
From what I've read, the falling bomb explanation is just a theory, variously claimed and denied by different parties. One gunner even claimed that he accidentally shot the plane down. Since they've never found the plane it's hard to say what happened.

[eb2]

And lets not forget the old rumors about Glen Miller - that he was stabbed to death by a French prostitute - or had a heart attack, and the missing plane story concocted by the Army to cover up.  I would not be surprised at all.

[Highlander]

There is a story of the plane crashing near the coast of France, on land, that was supposedly covered up - conspiracy stuff...

[Muzikman7]

Except for the confusion about the type of aircraft Uwe is right about Glenn Miller here is a clip showing a B-24 being destroyed by the same method. .

[godofthunder]

Every time I see this footage I feel sick.